New Minivans & Pickup on sale - BMC Garage 1968

[mab01uk]

Alsop's Garage, Newport in 1968 with a BMC sales forecourt of new unregistered Minivans at £475, a Mini Pickup and other BMC Commercial vehicles including the rarer 'Austin' versions of the Minor van all available at bargain prices.....


Photo: Heritage Commercials magazine

[Lord Croker]

That's a very nostalgic photo with a vast array of different period BMC vehicles, it brings back many memories, particularly the Austin Minor Van, I remember after carrying out a service on one of those, I made sure all wheels were tightened & everything was safe & left the young apprentice to re-fit the hub caps & make sure there were no oily fingerprints left anywhere on the vehicle, while I attended to the paperwork. We then went out on road test & it was customary to take the apprentice who had helped, but as we negotiated a roundabout, both left hand hub caps detached & rolled down the road. There was a heated exchange of words, some of which may have begun with the letter 'F' but seeing the lad's embarrassment, I said if he could recover the hubcaps before anyone ran over them, nothing would be said when we returned to the garage. He did, nothing was said & he turned out to be a very competent mechanic.
The Mini Vans appear to be in their wax coating with white tape on the bumpers? I didn't realise they still had over-riders in 1968, but we live & learn.
Thanks for posting that, it brings back many happy memories.

[nick@dunsdale]

impossible to tell obviously, but just wonder if there are any survivors from this great pic

[slowboy]

what a brilliant photo !!!!!!!!!!!

[ivor badger]

Excellent photo. Hardly bargain prices as a new Mini super de luxe Mk2 was £475 plus purchase tax. There was no PT on a van, so the base price of the van is exactly the same as a SdL saloon. I suspect the vans are to De Luxe spec as they have over riders. There were 2 levels of van trim, but can't remember the exact differences.

Some interesting vehicles dotted around the site.

[mab01uk]

Another nice period photo from the mid-sixties below of a working 'commercial' Mini....seen in this months 'Classic Van & Pickup' magazine (published by Kelsey).

[SMOKE GREY]

Another nice period photo from the mid-sixties below of a working 'commercial' Mini....seen in this months 'Classic Van & Pickup' magazine (published by Kelsey).

My dad had a van 1072RU

[mab01uk]

Follow up article with some nice period Minivan photos from 'Classic Van & Pickup' magazine March 2015 (published by Kelsey).

[Rusty old S]

Alsop's Garage, Newport in 1968 with a BMC sales forecourt of new unregistered Minivans at £475, a Mini Pickup and other BMC Commercial vehicles including the rarer 'Austin' versions of the Minor van all available at bargain prices.....


Photo: Heritage Commercials magazine

My farther was very friendly Arther Alsop who was the owner of the pictured garage in Newport he retired and resided in Monmouth till his demise well into his nineties .
Monmouth is only a small town but had two BMC dealers JK Johnson and E and B Manns then in the 70s not content with Market Penatration BLMC or was it Leyland appointed SavilleMotor Sales as well so ,3 dealers in a small town !!! Savilles had been Vauxhall for years lasted about a year with BLMC and stopped selling cars but stayed with tractors , at that time my father was sales manager , took severance package and started his own garage selling Vauxhall. See if I can dig up photos of Manns or Johnson's

[mab01uk]

[Pandora]

Do you think the Transit was a P/X?

Al

[mab01uk]

From the days when you could rent or hire your expensive Television set.

[AndyPen]

That's an early pic - very nice indeed

[miniminor]

From the days when you could rent or hire your expensive Television set.

Youd hardly get modern TVs into a minivan now!