The Bedford WT was part of Bedford’s W series, the range of trucks that the British company built as its version of the Chevrolet commercial vehicles of the 1930s. The W series was offered as pickups, vans and buses until 1939.
Bedford WT at a glance
| Maker | Bedford Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Range | W series |
| Based on | Chevrolet Independence trucks |
| Body styles | pickup, van and bus |
| Production | until 1939 |
| Chassis | reinforced frame and axles, longer than the car-based Chevrolet trucks |
| Engine | 3,179 cc six-cylinder, overhead valves |
| Power | 50 hp |
| Gearbox | three-speed |
| Drive | rear-wheel drive |
| Brakes | drum brakes on all four wheels |
This page is based on Italian Wikipedia only, so the facts were not cross-checked against a second source. Engine, gearbox and brake figures describe the Chevrolet Independence on which the W series was based.
History of the Bedford WT
Bedford’s W series
The W series was Bedford’s version of the commercial vehicles that General Motors built on the Chevrolet Independence. Like the previous Chevrolet trucks, these vehicles used much of the front bodywork of the car but had a reinforced chassis and axles, a greater length and a pickup rear body. The truck range was available as a pickup and a van, and a version of the trucks was built by General Motors’ British truck subsidiary, Bedford Vehicles, as the W series in pickup, van and bus variants until 1939.
The Chevrolet Independence behind it
The Chevrolet Independence was a mid-size car produced by Chevrolet in 1931. It had a six-cylinder inline engine with overhead valves of 3,179 cc, developing 50 hp, with drum brakes on all four wheels, a three-speed gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Chevrolet assembled 623,901 Independence cars, and, as with earlier Chevrolet vehicles of the time, commercial vehicles and trucks were also built on the car. These provide the mechanical background to Bedford’s W series, which used the same General Motors engineering in British-built form.
Design and features
- Chevrolet roots: the W series was Bedford’s British version of the Chevrolet Independence trucks.
- Three body styles: pickup, van and bus.
- Reinforced chassis: a stronger frame and axles and a greater length than the car-based trucks.
- Six-cylinder power: a 3,179 cc overhead-valve engine of 50 hp.
- Built until 1939: the W series ended on the eve of the Second World War.
Bedford WT versions
- Pickup: the load-bed version of the W series.
- Van: the closed commercial body.
- Bus: the passenger-carrying version.
Later Bedford commercials include the Bedford M series and the Bedford OB. More are in the Bedford collection.
Sources
- Chevrolet Independence, Italian Wikipedia: W series and the Chevrolet trucks behind it
