Rubber winged GPO vans

[Desiderata]

I was in a storeroom at work (Royal Mail) and away at the back of the store I could see a pair of rubber front wings. I remember them on original minis, and I'm told that they were also used on Morris Minor vans, but these didn't look like either of these.
Any idea if they were used by the GPO on anything else?
I'll be back at that site soon so hopefully I can get a better look, but they didn't seem to have built in headlights, so probably pre Morris Minor.

[ARHarh]

I seem to remember the early Morris Minor gpo vans had headlights in pods, like 2tv's, on the rubbish wings.

[Desiderata]

ARHarh said:

I seem to remember the early Morris Minor gpo vans had headlights in pods, like 2tv's, on the rubbish wings.

That would make sense.

[Scrump]

I wasn’t aware of rubber wings.
A quick Google brought up:

[nicanary]

Could it have been even earlier?

[Dogwatch]

I think they were common on railway delivery vehicles as well.

[Desiderata]

nicanary said:

Could it have been even earlier?

Possibly, I couldn't get a proper look, but yes, they looked more like that. I actually thought they were trailer mudguards at first but realized they were a bit more shaped than that. I'll have to try and get permission to take them out and see what they are exactly then find someone who might be able to use them. I can't see Royal Mail having a use for them anymore and I'm sure a classic owner would be delighted to have them.
Is that a Morris 8?

[nicanary]

Yes, it was based on a Morris 8. It maybe was a wing for a Morris J1.

[finlo]

nicanary said:

Yes, it was based on a Morris 8. It maybe was a wing for a Morris J1.

My god that's ugly but in a good way!

[wattsm666]

Renault Clio 16v/Williams had plastic front wings, which could take a knock without leaving damage.

[Allan L]

Desiderata said:

nicanary said:

Could it have been even earlier?

Is that a Morris 8?

Yes that's the 5cwt. van version of the Morris 8 Series E which was known as the Series Z. Produced about 1940-53 I think.

[Decky_Q]

As did the 1.2 petrol and whatever other versions there were. All of that mk2 shape clio had plastic front wings.

[grumpy52]

In later years rubber wings were available for the CF Bedford and Ford Transit both LWB twin rear wheels . Although I don't recall the GPO using either in general service .

[Turbobanana]

Decky_Q said:

As did the 1.2 petrol and whatever other versions there were. All of that mk2 shape clio had plastic front wings.

Earlier than that, the Mk1 Scenic did too.

[LargeRed]

don't want to hijack this thread, but already talking about plastic wings.

The first Freelander (hippo) had plastic wings. On the press launch a row of wings were placed on the ground and a vehicle ran over them, press then inspected them for damage.

and back to rubber, the Land Rover series and defenders had rubber wheel arches.

[tapkaJohnD]

Rubber winged GPO vans were built so as to be relatively immune to the minor collisions of busy use in narrow City streets. But when I worked next door to the GPO sorting office on Whitechapel in the 60s, they were notorious for the damage they would cause to the other vehicle!

[jet_noise]

grumpy52 said:

In later years rubber wings were available for the CF Bedford and Ford Transit both LWB twin rear wheels . Although I don't recall the GPO using either in general service .

I had a Mk1 LWB Transit twin wheel with rubber rear wings.
These made it possible to get through width restrictors near a friends place in Walthamstow!
Interference driving

[lowdrag]

I worked near the main GPO sorting office in the City in the early sixties and all the vans had them, and believe me they all had scars of some sort or another. It must have saved the post office a fortune.