The Bedford HC is a small commercial vehicle that was made by Bedford, beginning in 1938. The vehicle shared its running gear with the H-series

Vauxhall 10-4 The Vauxhall 10-4 is a British-built small family car produced by Vauxhall between 1937 and 1947. It was launched at the October 1937 London Motor Show and was the first British car to have a unitary construction body. The first car was deliver ...

saloon. Production of civilian vehicles ceased during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

with the HC van re-entering production for a little while following hostilities. The HC was later joined by the heavier duty Bedford JC, which was itself replaced by the higher-roofed Bedford PC after the war. With the arrival of the much more modern

Bedford CA The Bedford CA was a distinctive pug-nosed light commercial vehicle produced between 1952 and 1969 by Bedford in Luton, England. It was manufactured in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase forms, each form available in either a 10–12 ...

the by now outmoded PC was finally retired.

Design

The HC's original engine was a four-cylinder unit of 1203 cc, which was rated at 34.5 hp at the time. In January 1939 a wooden-bodied pickup truck version called the "Utility Wagon" was introduced. Payload was . The HC was Bedford's smallest vehicle at the time and after it was discontinued in the autumn of 1948, Bedford stayed out of the segment until the 1963 introduction of the

Bedford HA The Bedford HA was a car derived van introduced in 1963 by Bedford, based on the Vauxhall Viva (HA) family car. It was also known as the Bedford Beagle in estate form and Bedford Roma in small campervan form. The Beagle was an officially sa ...

. "You See Them Everywhere", p. 10 Production was suspended in 1940 as

began in earnest. While Bedford began building their heavier trucks in 1945, the lighter HC and JC models had to wait until 1946. "You See Them Everywhere", p. 17 Beginning in late 1946 HCs received a 1442 cc version of the engine as seen in the

Vauxhall 12-4 The Vauxhall 12-4 is an automobile which was produced by Vauxhall in the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1940 and in 1946. Model I The car, also known as the Type I, was a total redesign and given the new 12-4 name. It featured a longer six-light bo ...

and the heavier JC, developing 35 hp. The HC was discontinued in September 1948. "You See Them Everywhere", p. 18 While the pickup version was not listed after the war, Bedford did offer the interesting "Utilevan" version. This was a glazed four-seater Estate Wagon version of the van with a folding rear seat. ''For Every Load and Every Road: Bedford'', pp. 4-5 The Utilevan was an officially sanctioned conversion by independent coachbuilder Martin Walter, Ltd., who later built the

Bedford Beagle The Beagle was an estate car conversion of the Bedford HA 8 cwt van, which itself was based on the Vauxhall Viva HA. It was launched at the 1964 London Motor Show. The conversions were undertaken by Martin Walter Ltd in Folkestone, Kent, mo ...

. From mid-1938, the HC was also assembled in Australia where it was marketed as the Bedford 6cwt Carryall. A panel van with lower roof and rounded front doors was available, as were three different coupé utilities: an open delivery, a wellside delivery, and a flareboard delivery. The engine was unchanged from the British market. The range of bodystyles was later increased to seven, including a roadster utility (a pickup without a roof).

Bedford JC

The heavier duty JC joined the HC in June 1939. The visual differences between the HC and JC vans are a higher roofline and longer wheelbase. The JC received the 1.4-litre "12HP" engine as used in the Vauxhall 12-4 and post-war HCs. The JC's payload is . The JC was built from 1939 until 1940 and again between 1946 and 1948. As with the HC, there was also a 'Utileva'n variant on offer, a

carryall The term ''carryall'' refers to several types of vehicles, including: historical carriages, automobiles, sleighs, and tractors. Horse-drawn carriage Historically, a carryall was a type of carriage used in the United States in the 19th century. ...

version of the van with two folding rear seats and a maximum capacity of seven people. From the end of 1939, the 10 hp JC was also built by

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...

in Australia, in seven different bodystyles. Variations of the

Coupé Utility A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment. The term originated in the 1930s, where it wa ...

were the most common model, with panel vans also available. Maximum power of the JC's engine was . The JC's chassis was also used for the six-cylinder Vauxhall Model J 14hp passenger car range. Australian built JCs (and 14s) have split windshields, a detail that continued on the succeeding PC model as the smaller panes were cheaper and easier to replace given Australia's gravel roads.

Bedford PC

In mid-1948 the JC was updated with a column shifted three-speed transmission and 12-volt electrics, which also meant a name change to Bedford PC. The engine and overall appearance remained as before. The PC was also assembled by

in Australia from parts shipped from England. The bodywork behind the cowl was built in Australia and was very different from British models, with different doors with rounded tops and a much lower roofline. Holden offered four bodystyles of their own design: a plain cowl and chassis (PC 6100), an open

(PC 6106), a Wellside Coupé Utility (PC 6108), and the Panel Van (PC 6104).

References

External links

Oldtimer picture gallery. Trucks. Bedford. Vauxhall Motors, UK

{{Vauxhall timeline 1945 to 1979 Vans 1940s cars Pickup trucks 1930s cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles