Details of Cars

Bedford PC: the post-war update of the HC van

BEDFORD

1950 Bedford PC van
1950 Bedford PC van. Photo by Leonardo Mendana, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Bedford PC was the post-war update of the Bedford JC light van. Introduced in mid-1948, it brought a column-shifted three-speed gearbox and 12-volt electrics while keeping the JC’s engine and overall appearance, and it was also assembled by Holden in Australia in several locally designed body styles.

Bedford PC at a glance

Bedford PC key facts
Maker Bedford
Introduced mid-1948
Predecessor Bedford JC
Engine 1.4-litre 12HP four-cylinder
Transmission three-speed, column change
Electrical system 12-volt
Australian assembly Holden, from parts shipped from England
Australian bodies PC 6100, PC 6106, PC 6108, PC 6104
Retired with the arrival of the Bedford CA

History of the Bedford PC

From JC to PC

Bedford PC van
Bedford PC van. Photo by Wouter Duijndam from Area 070, The Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The heavier-duty Bedford JC had joined the HC in June 1939. The visual differences between the HC and JC vans were a higher roofline and a longer 105-inch wheelbase, and the JC received the 1.4-litre 12HP engine used in the Vauxhall 12-4 and in post-war HCs. Its payload was 10 or 12 long hundredweight, or 510 or 610 kg. The JC was built from 1939 until 1940 and again between 1946 and 1948.

In mid-1948 the JC was updated with a column-shifted three-speed transmission and a 12-volt electrical system, which also meant a name change to Bedford PC. The engine and overall appearance remained as before. The PC was the last step in Bedford’s pre-war light-van line before the much more modern Bedford CA arrived, and with the CA the by then outmoded PC was finally retired.

Australian assembly

The PC was also assembled by Holden 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 body styles of its own design: a plain cowl and chassis (PC 6100), an open Coupé Utility (PC 6106), a Wellside Coupé Utility (PC 6108) and a Panel Van (PC 6104).

The split windscreen used on Australian-built JCs and 14s continued on the succeeding PC model, because the smaller panes were cheaper and easier to replace on Australia’s gravel roads.

Design and features

  • Column gear change: the three-speed transmission moved to the steering column, a change that came with the PC name.
  • 12-volt electrics: the electrical system was revised to the 12-volt standard in 1948.
  • 1.4-litre 12HP engine: the same unit used in the Vauxhall 12-4 and the post-war HC.
  • Australian bodywork: Holden built the body behind the cowl locally, with a lower roofline and rounded door tops.
  • End of the line: the PC was retired when the modern Bedford CA arrived.

Bedford PC versions

  • British panel van: the standard Bedford PC van.
  • PC 6100: a plain cowl and chassis built by Holden.
  • PC 6106: an open Coupé Utility.
  • PC 6108: a Wellside Coupé Utility.
  • PC 6104: the Australian Panel Van.

The PC was retired by the Bedford CA, and the later Bedford HA took over the small-van role from 1964. More early Bedfords are in the Bedford collection.

Video: Bedford Pc 10 Van

Video by Emanuel Pinheiro on YouTube.

Sources

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