AEC Matador?

[RattlesnakeBob]

A truck has turned up in a local yard (I'll try and get a photo of it this week if I can get permission to ) and it's confusing me a little.......

It's an AEC and actually has a little badge on the radiator grill saying 'Matador' in a nice sort of handwriting scroll but....it doesn't look like a Matador.....the windscreen is slightly leaning backwards and it has an altogether more rounded shape to it than the normal flat shape of one....if anything it looks I guess more 'civilian' than a 'usual' Mat..on first glance from the front I would have said it was a Militant but for the badge on the grill....and the fact that it's a 4 wheeler not 6.....so

how many 'MKs' of Matador were made and is this a late model ?? and were they ever made with a different shaped cab for the civilian market?

PS: when were they last made out of interest?

Edit: Much Google image searching later.....there seems to be 2 distinct types of Matador out there ??? so is it a MK2? 3? 9 ? civvy

? or what ??cheers !

Edited May 8, 2013 by RattlesnakeBob

[Degsy]

The cabs varied according to who built them but they were all angular rather than 'rounded'. Sounds like it has been fitted with a later cab, all sorts of cabs have been grafted on to Mats over the years since they left service.

A batch were built in the early fifties, can't remember the quantity offhand.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Degsy

[RattlesnakeBob]

The cabs varied according to who built them but they were all angular rather than 'rounded'. Sounds like it has been fitted with a later cab, all sorts of cabs have been grafted on to Mats over the years since they left service.

A batch were built in the early fifties, can't remember the quantity offhand.

 

Have trolled a couple of hundred Google images and have come across a few that are the same as the one I've seen , here's a couple of them.......I know a lot of people 're-cabbed' a lot of Mats ..but there does seem to be quite few out there with this particular cab on them (whatever it is ) so...is it a 'MK or Type ' all of it's own?.... or was this just a particular favourite cab t use when doing a modernisation job???

 

http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/File:AEC_Matador_recovery_-_BCS_675_at_Holcot_08_-_IMG_0167.jpg

 

[Edd]

I've heard this type of cab referred to as a Park Royal cab. I assume it was from a particular coach builder but not sure if it was original fitment or not. I've seen this type fitted to a lot of the douglas modified ones. The Browns at Woodchester have a 6 wheeled douglas with this type of cab on it. Is the one you have seen a timber tractor?

 

Ed

[James Shopland]

Don't forget AEC made a civilian lorry in the 1930's called a Matador

[paul_bish]

Don't forget AEC made a civilian lorry in the 1930's called a Matador

 

and this had the script on the rad saying Matador

[RattlesnakeBob]

I've heard this type of cab referred to as a Park Royal cab. I assume it was from a particular coach builder but not sure if it was original fitment or not. I've seen this type fitted to a lot of the douglas modified ones. The Browns at Woodchester have a 6 wheeled douglas with this type of cab on it. Is the one you have seen a timber tractor?

 

Ed

 

yes it is Edd....quite a tidy one all the way around too ...painted up quite nice and excellent tyres ..Don't know why she's been parked up in this yard perhaps just for short time storage cos she certainly looks well loved and cared for