RE: SOTW Xmas Special: Leyland Sherpa Camper Van
Discussion
When I moved into my house I had to collect a load of stuff from my parents house, 100 miles away.
For the job, I rented a small van and got a Sherpa, handpainted in dark blue with on the drivers door, still visible through the paint, the words "Rene Arnoux"...
It went like the clappers, loaded or empty - great fun - I always wondered if the Rene Arnoux script was just someone's idea of a joke or homage, or if it had perhaps seen duty as a service van for him in his earlier days.
Either way, we still laugh about Rene Arnoux Sherpas and how fast they are!
M.
For the job, I rented a small van and got a Sherpa, handpainted in dark blue with on the drivers door, still visible through the paint, the words "Rene Arnoux"...
It went like the clappers, loaded or empty - great fun - I always wondered if the Rene Arnoux script was just someone's idea of a joke or homage, or if it had perhaps seen duty as a service van for him in his earlier days.
Either way, we still laugh about Rene Arnoux Sherpas and how fast they are!
M.
Lolf said:
Lovely MG Sherpa there, there are too many bloody philistines on this forum.
The worst thing LDV ever did was STOP making these, they were still selling healthily right up until they were axed.
'cos they were CHEAP to buy. And perhaps because many large companies really hate the drivers they employ.The worst thing LDV ever did was STOP making these, they were still selling healthily right up until they were axed.
They were crap by the contemporaries (transit, VW, bedford) and were an absolute joke in the 90's- we had brand new ones arriving from the factory with headlights half filled with water, rust at 6 months and most were falling to bits within a year, everything from engines to door handles falling off/out. But they were cheap. Sure they leaked when it rained and the dealer fix involved a mastic gun, but they were cheap. Cheap to buy that is, being absolute money pits they're probably the most expensive van you can run.
Horrible and tiring to drive, poor handling, noisy, badly designed, badly made, a workmate of mine summed it up when he said the only thing he'd ever driven he could compare it to was a hired russian cold war leftover 50's jeep thing in some east bloc country. You can't really compare it to a modern van like a VW or transit- they've all been through 5 or 6 generations in the time the original sherpa was continually built.
Evan the chinese didn't want the tooling. there are countries out there still building cars designed 50 years ago but they couldn't dupe anyone into the sherpa brand.
I Used to drive a LDV Minibus, fitted with the orginal 'cruse control' which involved foot rested flat on the floor with the accelarator pedel underneath. It didn't matter how long you left it there as it would top out at 75 maybe 80 on the down hill, made for a supringly good drive. You drove it with a comardary spirt of willing it along.
Edited by CTT on Tuesday 29th December 12:56
At university, I was always up for driving tasks and I used to volunteer to drive trips to concerts etc. Out of the pool of minibuses available, I always tried to get the Sherpa, the Transits in comparison were slow and had very rubbery controls. The Sherpa felt really taut somehow and quite quick. When I drove another a few years later while helping a friend to move house, it was the same. The Sherpas and the occasional Mini were my only experiences of BL cars so I kind of developed a positive prejudice and used to tell people that BL cars were misrepresented and that they were all good to drive. Then I drove a Maestro and a Montego.
But I will always robustly defend the Sherpa, and for me, the PH philosophy is not performance statistics but whether or not a vehicle is rewarding to drive and the Sherpas that I drove fitted the bill.
But I will always robustly defend the Sherpa, and for me, the PH philosophy is not performance statistics but whether or not a vehicle is rewarding to drive and the Sherpas that I drove fitted the bill.
RichB said:
What a pile of kak, why are we even discussing it on Pistonheads? How odd...
Well, MX-Poxy-5's and MG-Bleedin'-B's are discussed, so what's wrong with a Sherkha?I've driven a few, and been had the pleasure of a welcome lift in one or two as well.
One of my former race-team compadre's had a 300 Sherpa, which was fitted with a breathed-on Rover V8 our of an ex-Old-Bill Sherpa Hoolybus. With the restrictors taken out of the manifold, and the Strombergs replaced with SU's, it flew, regardless of whether his ex-AA beast of a trailer was behind complete with Mk1 Escort on-board. And returned circa-16mpg!
The only comment I have on them is how much of a beeeatch they are to work on electrically. Many a grazed/sliced limb from working under the dash. Then again, so are Landy's, and Wange Wovers. Evil things.
lol now this brings back memories
i owned one very similar to this for a great summer around the same sort of money too, and i really liked it and it actually drove ok when kept within its limits no worse than a transit or similar.
the only real downside on it was rust but it never let me down.
the costs of keeping a camper on the road just for that one sunny week though is madness you could easy have a week in the sun abroad for the same cash
still its worthy of its shed status in my book
i owned one very similar to this for a great summer around the same sort of money too, and i really liked it and it actually drove ok when kept within its limits no worse than a transit or similar.
the only real downside on it was rust but it never let me down.
the costs of keeping a camper on the road just for that one sunny week though is madness you could easy have a week in the sun abroad for the same cash
still its worthy of its shed status in my book
After finding an old hand grenade in the roof of a house I was working in, the bomb disposal turned up in a V8 sherpa van. After a quick fondle of the "red devil" (finned hand grenade dropped from biplanes)he said it was dud and thanked me for his high speed jaunt from Salisbury Plain. Did sound nice with the V8 in it..
I worked on Police V8 sherpas at TVP.
they had done a lot of work during the Miners strike.
mesh over exhaust and extra windscreen washers containing paint remover.
Supposed not to be driven over 70 mph though.
Also did diesel ones for British gas until late 90's
No real problems, front wheel bearing were a bit of a nuisance as they took out the hub quite often, that was an extra £50
Also, I saw a mention of the Superdream.
I actually have a real nice 5000 mile bike if you are interested in a Motorcycle SOTW
they had done a lot of work during the Miners strike.
mesh over exhaust and extra windscreen washers containing paint remover.
Supposed not to be driven over 70 mph though.
Also did diesel ones for British gas until late 90's
No real problems, front wheel bearing were a bit of a nuisance as they took out the hub quite often, that was an extra £50
Also, I saw a mention of the Superdream.
I actually have a real nice 5000 mile bike if you are interested in a Motorcycle SOTW
I have fond rose tinted memories of the Sherpa. A band I was in at the time bought a 78 Sherpa in 1985 for £760 and muggings here ended up driving it ! The guy I bought it off had converted the ex British Gas van for fishing trips. It had two big comfy fully adjustable suede front seats and a full steel bulkhead with an internal sliding window. It was badged as an Austin Morris and had the O series 1.7 petrol. It was originally blue but over the years changed to black and then khaki
It was used between 1986 and 1989 as a band van roaming the countries pubs and clubs and in approx 75000miles never once broke down to or from a gig. Yep sure it was a woefully designed rot box and with a leaf springed front was an altogether different entertaining drive ! It even had front drum brakes !!! I recall it screamed its bo###ks off over 50 and topped out at 60 in top (4th) It was soooo low geared you rarely used 1st gear and I remember regularly removing tree stumps for folks ! The 2lt engine had a pretty impressive 0-10mph time !
Its only when I see photos like the ones above I remember the single clock binnacle and the huge single spoke wheel. I have photos of her in Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, London, Amsterdam, Paris, East Berlin (just after the wall came down) but unfortunately no digital ones.
I have no idea what MPG we got but then again she would run around locally all night on a QUID and a full tank cost £12-15 back then!
The screen and roof leaked when it poured, the cylinder head continuously weaped oil and it did wear parts out eventually !It must have had 2 sets kingpins , a steering box, a propshaft and universal joints but never do I recall it breaking down on the road !
It was crashed into whilst parked and written off in 1990 (bent one rear outrigger and leaf shackle) but as it never let me down and I don’t remember one particular parts bill being ridiculously expensive, I kept it. I bought a recon 2Lt O series engine and got the bodywork repaired on a jig with the insurance money.
The worst aspect of ownership was the rust ! Jesus what a pile of s##te. In the end no amount of rust preventer and filler would help ! In 1991 I fabricated new lower panels and with a small amount of welding, bridged the holy sills inside and out. I replaced the cab floor and fabricated plastic wheel arch liners front and rear, removed rear bumper lights and repositioned with freight rover quarter light housings. The rear doors were replaced and then she was finally under sealed and repainted in Landover khaki.
She made one final festival trip to Europe in 1992 and then with 135.000 on the clock sold for £650
The van bug remains and only recently did I sell my VW T5 205BHP ABT Sportsvan through PistonHeads
It was used between 1986 and 1989 as a band van roaming the countries pubs and clubs and in approx 75000miles never once broke down to or from a gig. Yep sure it was a woefully designed rot box and with a leaf springed front was an altogether different entertaining drive ! It even had front drum brakes !!! I recall it screamed its bo###ks off over 50 and topped out at 60 in top (4th) It was soooo low geared you rarely used 1st gear and I remember regularly removing tree stumps for folks ! The 2lt engine had a pretty impressive 0-10mph time !
Its only when I see photos like the ones above I remember the single clock binnacle and the huge single spoke wheel. I have photos of her in Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, London, Amsterdam, Paris, East Berlin (just after the wall came down) but unfortunately no digital ones.
I have no idea what MPG we got but then again she would run around locally all night on a QUID and a full tank cost £12-15 back then!
The screen and roof leaked when it poured, the cylinder head continuously weaped oil and it did wear parts out eventually !It must have had 2 sets kingpins , a steering box, a propshaft and universal joints but never do I recall it breaking down on the road !
It was crashed into whilst parked and written off in 1990 (bent one rear outrigger and leaf shackle) but as it never let me down and I don’t remember one particular parts bill being ridiculously expensive, I kept it. I bought a recon 2Lt O series engine and got the bodywork repaired on a jig with the insurance money.
The worst aspect of ownership was the rust ! Jesus what a pile of s##te. In the end no amount of rust preventer and filler would help ! In 1991 I fabricated new lower panels and with a small amount of welding, bridged the holy sills inside and out. I replaced the cab floor and fabricated plastic wheel arch liners front and rear, removed rear bumper lights and repositioned with freight rover quarter light housings. The rear doors were replaced and then she was finally under sealed and repainted in Landover khaki.
She made one final festival trip to Europe in 1992 and then with 135.000 on the clock sold for £650
The van bug remains and only recently did I sell my VW T5 205BHP ABT Sportsvan through PistonHeads
Edited by Stinkfist on Tuesday 6th July 01:26
Zombified ancient thread revival to say..... Reader, I bought one! £2K for a 1981 Sherpacamper with a two litre O Series. Goes like the clappers (well, relatively speaking) . Much better than any VW van of the era (I have rented some) , and ditto early Transits (rented some of those also). Also better to drive than, say, a Series 3 Landy (I have owned two of those, one good, one bad). I may bung an overdrive box into the van for an extra OMG 8mph in top. Load up on the Mandy, Carruthers, we're off to Latitude!
PS: as for saying this sort of thing ain't PH, there's more to driving than white Audis with big alloys, sweethearts!
PS: as for saying this sort of thing ain't PH, there's more to driving than white Audis with big alloys, sweethearts!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff