Luton vans ~ why are they so called?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Fri 8 Aug 2008 07:56
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - L'escargot
Why are Luton vans so called? Where does Luton come into it?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 08:04
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - krs one
I'd always assumed it had something to do with Bedford vans being based in Luton, maybe they came up with original design?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 08:14
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Manatee
Wikipedia agrees with you -

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luton_body
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 09:23
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Davidss
I suspect the idea predated Bedfords, but WHY did they feel the need for larger bodies when the engine, brakes, chassis etc were already close to the design maximum. See the small picture on the Wikipedia page showing a 1933 Luton bodied vehicle.

IIRC the reason was that a major industry in Luton was hat making, and as we all know hats contain more air than substance. Thus they could use more carrying volume without defeating the mechanicals of the day.
This page supports the view that hat making was a major industry in Luton, but I haven't found a reference that actually ties the Luton style van with transporting hats.
tinyurl.com/5avmfj
However, look at the picture on the page Expansion of The Industry for visual proof that large (volume) loads could be carried when the load was hats.

Cheers.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 09:22
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Leif
Having lived in Luton, I would say "Because they are rubbish". But maybe the connection is not so direct. ;)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 10:48
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - SpamCan61 {P}
Having lived in Luton I would say "Because they are rubbish". But maybe the connection
is not so direct. ;)


LOL, being born and bred there I'd struggle to diasagree.

My assumption was always that the hat transport connection was the source of the 'Luton' van, not the connection with Bedford trucks.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 11:06
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Mapmaker
Modern ones are superb. Ones from the 90s are like driving a brick that has been made less aerodynamic. With a tail-lift they are without compare.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 11:22
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - SpamCan61 {P}
Ones from the 90s are like driving a brick that has
been made less aerodynamic. With a tail-lift they are without compare.


Yep, agree 100% there, when I finally escaped from living in Luton (1988), up to Northampton, I used a Luton box Transit to move all my worldy goods. I never got it above 50 mph, and it returned about 13 mpg from memory.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 13:39
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - apm
I have a female friend who was needing to move from Exeter to Norwich. She phoned a well known van rental outfit and on describing the volume of goods she required to fit in was told 'you'll need a Luton van, then'. Her reply was, 'Oh, will I have to go all the way to Luton to pick it up?'

Bless.

Alex.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 14:32
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - skorpio
It's from the ancient Chinese word 'Liu T'un' meaning 'excessive speed'.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Aug 2008 15:40
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Lud
A diesel Luton Transit was one of the most ghastly reluctant dogs of vehicles I have ever driven, and that's saying something.

I hate them anyway having many years ago hired a petrol one that had just been used by someone from Hull or Billingsgate, perhaps both. The many small cavities in its aluminium side panels were full of decaying fish juice which slopped about audibly as one drove the thing.

Unfortunately I had no opportunity to turn up at a grand garden party in it.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 9 Aug 2008 11:42
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - jase1
It's just another piece of clever marketing rubbish put out by GM to make stupid people still think that Vauxhalls are British after all these years....
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 9 Aug 2008 11:50
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Pugugly
I think it pre-dates the decline of the British motor industry.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 29 Jun 2018 23:10
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Sofa Spud
It's just another piece of clever marketing rubbish put out by GM to make stupid people still think that Vauxhalls are British after all these years....

As someone else mentioned, I read ages ago that the name came vehicles used to transport boxes of hats made in Luton.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 29 Jun 2018 17:17
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - sor1n3l

Luton vans are widely used nowadays by any removal company as they are very spacious and reliable. Their body is very robust and I have to say square which it doesn't make the most aerodynamic vans in the industry but by adding a spoiler and some side streamers you could reduce the fuel consumption on the long run. The body can be made of fiberglass or aluminum and some of them would also feature a tail lift that can help with the loading. I had the chance to drive one of those when we xxxx not long time ago and funny or not the removal men let me try it out as I was saying how much I dislike that type of vans and I must say that I was impressed by the ease of maneuverability they offer. Anyway at the end of the day is all down to preferences.

Edited by Avant on 30/06/2018 at 00:09

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 29 Jun 2018 18:34
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - FP

Not very artfully disguised spam.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 29 Jun 2018 19:53
Luton vans ~ why are they so called? - Engineer Andy

Especially on a 10yo+ thread.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link