Sunday, December 09, 2007

Better, and Bedford 'Rascal'

I'm getting better. I'm hitting it with therapy from all sides, mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical therapies. I think one of the good things is the muscle relaxants. Thanks for the tip, Richard. (My fysio might have mentioned them anyway, but you can't be sure.)

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This is Bedford "Rascal" van, I took the picture a few days ago. This thing is so small I'm a head taller than it! It makes me laugh every time I see one. "Bedford Rascal: the van for the small craftsman".

9 comments:

Monsieur Beep! said...

Good to have you back!
Another vehicle to laugh at is the Reliant threewheeler, which can be seen in the UK only, as far as I know.
Btw, I've gone digital at last - I purchased a Fujifilm Z10, in red! It's very handy, and the previous model, the Z5, delivered excellent results, according to the test reviews. The next item on my wish list is a Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ8 bridge camera which is virtually a LEICA R in disguise (or vice versa: both cameras use the same technology).
And I'm still waiting for a MINOX spy camera, digital version!

Monsieur Beep! said...

...which is virtually a LEICA R...
No, it's a Digilux 3. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

That Betford kid was always the little rascal, painting the town red and all, good for nothing mumble mumble...

Not too long ago, just thinking about him always made me go a big rubbery one. But you know how it is: with time passing and the years adding, the air chamber loses some pressure. But I remember when I was in Normandy with Patton in 1944, there was this French lady, blah blah drone...

Alex said...

Hey, it's a real half tonner. Really it's a Suzuki Super Carry with GM badging. Came in pick-up, panel van, or 6 seat microbus. 990 cc engine, good 5 speed box, we had a baby Luton box on ours.

c.f. FIAT Citivan (cityvan (sp)?) from the 80's and the FIAT Amigo, a camper based on the Citivan.

Cushman actually sold a similar Japanese based truck, but it did not pass US crash regulations, so they are sold for parks and gardens maintenance, and have a 25mph regulator on them.
As for the Reliant Robin, those who looked at my blog about cameras would have seen one of the three Robins which were turned into a sculpture at the Gateshead Garden Festival of, oh maybe 1990. Reliant also made the bodies for Ford RS200's. They are experts at fiberglass.

The Robin had the advantage of only needing a motorcycle license to drive them. They were put to good comic effect in shows like "Some Mothers Do Have 'Em" starring Michael "Phantom" Crawford, "Mr Bean", though Bean drove a mini, I believe he had run ins with Robins, and "Last of the Summer Wine". In one of the later series of "The Great Egg Race", a show which started as a build an egg moving machine competition, the competition was to build a boat out of a Robin.

There was a 4 wheeler, the Fox (not to be confused with the American name for the VW Polo), but that never had the appeal of the Robin.

So there you are, kindling memories of my youth.

Monsieur Beep! said...

I wonder if the Reliant Robin is still in production.

...kindling memories of my youth.: same here. I remember my English friend joking each time when he saw a Reliant on the road, back in 1969.

And if I remember well, I overtook one only a few years ago on the motorway near London. But then, if it's made of plastic, there's virtually no end to its life.

Thanks for the additional information concerning the Reliant, Alex.

Anonymous said...

Eolake...

It's size would be more noticeable if you had some one or something (say, another vehicle) to compare it to...

Alex said...

I think that given the Peugeot 205 (blue French looking T reg 3-dr hatch) about 40-60ft away in the back ground, and the Toyota Rav4 (or UK equivalent, black compact SUV in sloping drive) it becomes quite apparent.

The other thing which hints at smallness is the ratio of the components. Filler cap and door handles are normally scaled to human proportions, rather than growing with the van. Then also licence plates are a uniform size, with only a couple of choices in font. Add to that the kerb stone which is a fairly standard thing too.

I think the clues are there.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

I'll see if I come across one near other cars, or people.

robert said...

This is super blog I love this van Bedford Vans