When journalist and photographer Tony Beadle was fired from his post as Editor of Triumph World magazine after 12 years by the title's new owners he was faced with a rather unusual dilemma: his 1962 Triumph Courier van had the magazine's name signwritten on both sides as it had been used as a promotional vehicle for the publication.
Not wanting to sell the van that he bought as an uncompleted project in 2004 and finished off, all at his own expense, Tony decided his only option was to get the signwriting replaced. “As the magazine name had been hand-painted on the side panels by a friend of mine, the easiest way to cover up the design was by getting a local sign manufacturing firm to produce two self-adhesive sheets cut to the correct shape with some new lettering,” he explained.
As the photo shows, the van now bears the slogan ‘TONY BEADLE – Purveyor of Automotive Words & Photos’ on each side. “I got the idea for the wording from a story I remembered about Jimmy Edwards, a famous British radio and TV comedian of the ‘60s and ‘70s,” Tony revealed. “He apparently had a Mini van with the words something like ‘Jas. Edwards & Sons – Purveyors of Family Humour’ displayed on either side, and I thought the phrase sounded appropriate for a classic vehicle like the Courier.”
Those familiar with Triumph models might have noticed that Tony’s van sports a quad-headlight Vitesse bonnet instead of the usual Herald style of front end. That’s because the Courier is actually a bit of a hybrid Triumph and also has a 2-litre, six-cylinder Vitesse engine and running gear – thus ensuring a rapid delivery service!
Tony Beadle
No comments:
Post a Comment