The Sturdy was a 5/6-ton lorry built by Thornycroft, the English manufacturer of coaches, buses and trucks that traded from 1896 until 1977. It carried one of the descriptive model names that the company introduced for its vehicle range from 1931.
Thornycroft Sturdy at a glance
| Maker | Thornycroft, Basingstoke |
|---|---|
| Type | lorry, 5/6 tonner |
| Range | Thornycroft lorry range |
| Name | descriptive model name, scheme in use from 1931 |
| Heavier stablemate | Trusty, an 8-ton forward-control four-wheeler |
| Lighter stablemate | Nubian, a 3-ton vehicle in 4×4, 6×4 and 6×6 forms |
| Parent company from 1961 | Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) |
The Sturdy appears in the list of Thornycroft lorry models on the English Wikipedia article about the manufacturer; there is no separate article on the model, so this page is based on that one source.
History of the Thornycroft Sturdy
A named Thornycroft
Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses and trucks from 1896 until 1977. It began with steam vans, built its first petrol vehicle in 1902 and completed the move to internal combustion power in 1907; its Basingstoke factory supplied nearly 5,000 motor vehicles for the World War I effort. From 1931 the company used descriptive names for its vehicle range, and the Sturdy belongs to that generation of names.
In the lorry range
In the Thornycroft lorry list the Sturdy is set down simply as a 5/6 tonner — a medium-weight goods chassis. Around it stood the Trusty, an 8-ton forward-control four-wheeler, the Jupiter at 6.5 tons, and the Nubian, a 3-ton vehicle available as a 4×4, 6×4 or 6×6. The company was equally known for fire engine chassis with multi-axle drive for uses such as airports, and a limited number of 4×4 chassis went to the Worcester fire engine maker Carmichael for civilian brigades in the 1950s.
The end of the marque
Thornycroft was taken over on 1 March 1961 by AEC’s parent Associated Commercial Vehicles, and production was limited to the Antars, Big Bens and Nubians. Vehicle production at Basingstoke ceased in 1969 and moved to Scammell at Watford, while the factory continued to make gearboxes until it was sold to Eaton Corporation in 1972.
Design and features
- Medium-weight chassis: rated at 5/6 tons, between the 3-ton Nubian and the 8-ton Trusty.
- Descriptive name: part of the range named from 1931, when Thornycroft dropped number-and-letter designations for its vehicles.
- Basingstoke build: made at the Thornycroft works that had supplied the war effort in 1914–1918.
- Commercial role: a general goods lorry of the kind Thornycroft built alongside buses and fire chassis.
Thornycroft Sturdy versions
- Sturdy: the 5/6-tonner lorry itself.
- Trusty: the heavier 8-ton forward-control four-wheeler in the same range.
- Jupiter: a 6.5-ton lorry listed with the Sturdy.
- Nubian: the lighter 3-ton multi-wheel vehicle, built in 4×4, 6×4 and 6×6 forms.
The Sturdy sat in the same lorry range as the Thornycroft Nubian, which stayed in production until the 1961 takeover; the company’s bus and coach side is represented by the Thornycroft Nippy. More vehicles are in the Thornycroft collection.
Video: Thorneycroft Sturdy Diesel flatbed truck
Video by kraftwerkmod on YouTube.
Sources
- Thornycroft, English Wikipedia: company history, model list, weights
