Tag Archives: commercial vehicles

1915 Albion Flatbed

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1915 Albion A10 Flatbed

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | July 13, 2016

Photo - Brightwells

Photo – Brightwells

Albion was a Scottish automobile marque founded in 1899 that built passenger cars up until 1915. In 1909, the company started building commercial vehicles and that’s what they stuck with after WWI up through 1980. They still exist as an automotive systems supplier.

The A10 commercial chassis was introduced in 1910. It was a 3-ton chassis and this example is now powered by a 5.2-liter engine. Originally, the A10 had a 3.2-liter straight-four rated at 32 horsepower.

It should be noted that this truck, while certainly appearing 100 years old, is listed as a “circa 1915” and the A10 was actually succeeded by the A12 in 1913, with the short-lived A16 built the following year. At any rate it’s an interesting, probably affordable, classic commercial vehicle that should bring between $31,000-$43,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $27,707.

A Big Truck from 1909

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1909 Ariès 3-Ton Truck

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Ariès was a French vehicle manufacturer and we’ve featured a couple of their cars here on the site – but this is the first heavy commercial vehicle from the firm that we’ve seen. Ariès existed from 1902 through 1937 and commercial vehicle production began with the model above (some sources list 1910, which would make this a very early example).

What’s great about this truck is that it is pre-WWI. Sure, it was probably used by the French Army, but it pre-dates required harsh military wartime treatment. It could’ve delivered produce in the early days of the automobile. Plus, it’s a dually.

The engine here is a 5.0-liter straight-four and everything has been restored. It is described as “a joy to drive” and while I’m sure it’s interesting, it’s probably a little terrifying as well. At any rate, it should bring between $25,000-$31,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $31,518.

A Pair of Old Heavy Trucks

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1917 Saurer Four-Cylinder Truck

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Adolph Saurer AG was around from 1903 through 1982. That’s a pretty good run, especially considering they abandoned the passenger car business more or less before the company got going.

What’s great about this truck is that it is WWI-era. So many of these trucks were either 1. destroyed during the war itself or 2. scrapped to make newer, more reliable, quicker, and efficient trucks and other equipment for WWII. So to have one that has survived is amazing. It’s powered by a 5.0-liter straight-four.

While it might be slow as dirt, it’s exceptionally interesting and carries a nice restoration and relatively recent mechanical freshening. It should bring between $25,000-$31,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $35,020.

1909 Ariès 3-Ton Truck

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Ariès was a French vehicle manufacturer and we’ve featured a couple of their cars here on the site – but this is the first heavy commercial vehicle from the firm that we’ve seen. Ariès existed from 1902 through 1937 and commercial vehicle production began with the model above (some sources list 1910, which would make this a very early example).

What’s great about this truck is that it is pre-WWI. Sure, it was probably used by the French Army, but it pre-dates required harsh military wartime treatment. It could’ve delivered produce in the early days of the automobile. Plus, it’s a dually.

The engine here is a 5.0-liter straight-four and everything has been restored. It is described as “a joy to drive” and while I’m sure it’s interesting, it’s probably a little terrifying as well. At any rate, it should bring between $25,000-$31,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $31,518.

1917 Saurer Truck

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1917 Saurer Four-Cylinder Truck

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Adolph Saurer AG was around from 1903 through 1982. That’s a pretty good run, especially considering they abandoned the passenger car business more or less before the company got going.

What’s great about this truck is that it is WWI-era. So many of these trucks were either 1. destroyed during the war itself or 2. scrapped to make newer, more reliable, quicker, and efficient trucks and other equipment for WWII. So to have one that has survived is amazing. It’s powered by a 5.0-liter straight-four.

While it might be slow as dirt, it’s exceptionally interesting and carries a nice restoration and relatively recent mechanical freshening. It should bring between $25,000-$31,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $35,020.

Packard Grocery Truck

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1920 Packard Model E Truck

For Sale at Hyman Ltd. | St. Louis, Missouri

Photo - Hyman Ltd.

Photo – Hyman Ltd.

Packard, which stands as one of America’s greatest automobile manufacturers of all time, was also quite the commercial vehicle manufacturer in their day. This behemoth was one of many such trucks built by the company between 1905 and 1923.

It’s powered by a four-cylinder engine and has a 3-ton capacity. The truck is fabulously restored and has been painted with the name of a grocer in Pennsylvania who found the truck and had it restored. The grocer had their own fleet of similar trucks in the 1920s.

Commercial vehicles tend to cease to exist after 30 years or so, so to find one that is almost 100 years old is incredible. It was restored to perfection about 25 years ago but it still looks amazing. If you own a grocery store, this is the vehicle for you. It is for sale in St. Louis for between $70,000 and $80,000. Click here for more info.

Renault Delivery Van

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1909 Renault Camionette Delivery Truck

Offered by Auctions America | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | March 29, 2015

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

This old Renault is a good example of how early automakers were able to transform their road vehicles into commercial vehicles without too much undue effort. If you look at everything from the seats forward, it’s very much an early Renault road car. The fact that it has an extended wheelbase and a big box on the back is what turns it into a work truck.

Or more of a van, really, as camionette is French for “van.” Like many early Renaults, this is powered by a two-cylinder engine. The steering wheel is on the right and there is actually a windshield, although weather protection as a whole leaves something to be desired.

If you own a business, this is the vehicle for you. Have it repainted with your logo on the side and use it as a promotional vehicle. It will draw a crowd wherever it goes. This former museum piece is offered with an estimate between $30,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $39,600.

Packard Sightseeing Bus

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1912 Packard ATD 3-Ton Sightseeing Bus

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2015

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Packard built some of the finest American cars of all time – but they also built commercial vehicles, especially in the pre-WWI era and immediately following the war. They offered chassis in a variety of configurations and tonnage. The ATD was introduced in 1911 and could be had as a fire engine, platform truck, or cab & chassis combo.

This gorgeous sightseeing bus is immaculate – but then again, how would it get dirty? It’s not exactly the easiest thing to cruise around town in and probably doesn’t see the light of day all that often. The engine is a 7.1-liter T-head straight-four making 24 horsepower. Top speed is probably slightly faster than walking pace, considering the sheer size of this vehicle and the lowly power rating.

It seats 42 people and may have been used as a tour bus around Yellowstone National Park (apparently motorized vehicles weren’t actually allowed on park roads 100 years ago). It’s the only surviving example and was once in the Otis Chandler collection (it’s coming from Ron Pratte’s collection this time around). It brought nearly half a million dollars when it left Chandler’s collection in 2006. That seems like a good number this time around. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $291,500.

1915 Fiat Box Van

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1915 Fiat 18P Box Van

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

One of the coolest parts of owning a classic commercial vehicle is that it is probably pretty easy to get it cast in a movie set sometime in the past. This thing looks like it drove straight out of the flashback scenes in The Godfather Part II. It’s amazing how beautiful old trucks can be. There are new cars out now that don’t have this much style. It’s all in the details.

The Fiat 18P was built between 1915 and 1920. They are powered by a 4.4-liter straight-four. Only 6,354 were built – many of which were for the Italian Army. This one was acquired by Banfield as a chassis and restored as a box van. It should sell for between $37,000-$51,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $52,667.

Karrier Flatbed

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1910 Karrier A60 Flatbed

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Karrier marque was around for a long time – from 1908 through the 1970s. Peugeot owns the trade name today, although it is dormant. This early delivery truck version of the model A60 was from 1910. The model was new for 1909, but only 15 were made that year.

The engine is a 5.7-liter straight-four driving the rear wheels with dual chain drive. This is one of the first commercial vehicles ever “collected” in the U.K. and has passed between collectors since 1954. It was a workhorse in its day, though. Only 46 examples were built in 1910, making this insanely rare. It should sell for between $30,000-$37,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $46,815.

Hallford WWI Truck

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1914 Hallford WD

Offered by Bonhams | Staplehurst, U.K. | June 14, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Hallford was the trade name of J & E Halls – who had acquired the rights to build Saurer commercial vehicles under license in the U.K. The first trucks came out in 1907 and by 1911, the model line has expanded significantly. When war broke out, Hallford was one company building trucks for the British Army.

This WD model is powered by a 5.3-liter four-cylinder engine. Hallford as a company wouldn’t make it to the Second World War, but this vehicle remains as a testament to their quality as it is in original, unrestored condition. That’s amazing, really, because it is 100 years old and survived a hellish war. It should bring between $30,000-$34,000. Click here for more.

Update: Sold $58,518.