HERITAGE:
This classic dropside commercial may be 50-years’ old, but it still gets to earns its keep on the milkround thanks to the Preston family.
Mk1 Transit Dropside Mk1 is perfect for the milk round.
Transit vans are a fact of life for Nigel Preston. Every morning he rises before dawn, loads up a modern Mk8 Transit and begins his deliveries across West Yorkshire. A third-generation milkman, he follows in the wheel tracks of his father and the Mk1 Transit he remembers from his youth. Every time Nigel climbs behind the wheel of his own 1971 Mk1 long wheelbase, dropside example, he’s reminded of those halcyon days. “We’ve been on our round since 1948 and my classic Transit takes me back to what my dad and my grandfather experienced.”
Light loads and good weather let Nigel gain a first hand perspective on classic commercial vehicles. Despite its age, the Transit is sometimes pushed into revenueearning service. “I’ve nipped out with it on a Sunday morning, when all I’ve had to deliver are some of our restaurant and shop orders,” Nigel smiles. “We’re so busy with our work that it wouldn’t get used otherwise.” Though the pristine load bay demands extra care to avoid nicks and scratches, the Mk1 takes the hard work in its stride. “It’ll potter around all day. The Transit never throws up problems, it rides well and there’s no stopping the 2-litre V4 engine.”
Attention attention
The Transit drives like a classic Ford saloon but the public reaction it receives is on an entirely different level. Rarity plays a part. Only a handful of early Transits change hands each year and Nigel’s van is the only Mk1 pickup currently covered by Brentacre Insurance. “It’s a quirky shape and people get a smile out of seeing it at car shows,” Nigel explains. A Channel 4 production team took
a shine to it too, filming the van for a segment on Steph’s Packed Lunch. It provided the backdrop for the life story of another milkman, who was retiring after 50 years on the beat.
It’s not the only time the Ford has sparked memories. A recent trip to petrolhead café, The Motorist Hub saw the Ford thronged by people who’d driven early Transits during their working lives. “The attention was unreal,” laughs Oliver Preston, Nigel’s son and another classic Ford fan. “I was chatting with all these old lads and found out they used to fit a Mk3 Cortina air intake and a Weber carburettor when they wanted more power!” The father and son team don’t plan to make that change any time soon, though they are considering an engine refresh to cure an oil leak.
It’ll be the first mechanical work the van has required during their ownership. “All we’ve had to do so far is hang the front numberplate and fit the Custom badges we found in the glovebox,” says Nigel. “I’d planned to make it perfect but it already is.” Recently resprayed in its original shade, the Transit boasts rebuilt running gear and bodywork, new front seat covers and fresh chrome throughout. A reproduction rear assembly crowns the restoration. Crafted from cedar wood, the dropside assembly was designed to match the original Ford components.
Must dash
The concours finish is thanks to a restoration by the previous owner, who sadly passed away before he could enjoy the fruits of his labours. His brother-in-law sold the finished project to Nigel. “I’d been looking at Transits for a few months by then. As soon as I spotted this one, I knew I couldn’t miss it. I bought it the same day.” Bypassing the online auction, he drove directly to the vendor’s house to strike a deal. He’s still delighted with his purchase a year later.
Oliver agrees, pointing to the unique importance of the Transit in commercial vehicle history. “If someone says ‘van’, you naturally think ‘Transit’. It set the blueprint vans are still following to this day, so it always feel special to be travelling in the original. They’re so rare too. No-one ever thought to preserve them when they were younger.”
Nigel is unequivocal: the Transit is set to stay for years to come. Sharing garage space with a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro drag racer, a classic road roller and a Roush-tuned Mustang, it scratches a commercial vehicle itch he’s been feeling since the beginning of 2020. “I fancied something big and old,” he laughs. “I started out looking at 12-ton and 20-ton trucks, then talked myself down to a Transit when I considered all the tools and space a lorry would need. I’ve got no regrets!”
Vintage machinery
With a season of classic car events, steam rallies and the nearby Huddersfield TractorFest ahead, all Nigel has left to consider is how to show off the Transit at its very best. He’s choosing between a selection of vintage farming equipment to mount in the pickup bed and consider whether to fit out the Ford
“WE’D PLANNED TO MAKE IT PERFECT, BUT IT ALREADY WAS...”
with the family Preston’s Dairies insignia. “The paint is so good as it is, but a traditional signwritten logo would really cement the link to my father and his father before him,” he muses. “We’ve got period images of my grandfather’s Austin A60 and Morris J2 Commercial, so we could make sure it was perfectly accurate. We’ve still got one of our first customers from 1948 and that Preston’s Dairies history is really important to me.”
For Nigel, the Transit is a key part of that connection. “It’s a lovely thing just to amble around in — the Mk1 always gives me a real feeling of nostalgia.”