Sherpa van alive, well and refreshed
FOR those of you who didn't know, the long lost relative of the
much-loved Sherpa van remains in production in Turkey. Now powered by a 3-litre
Nissan diesel engine putting out 98bhp, the light commercial now known as the
BMC Levend is a direct decendent of the van, which British Leyland introduced
in 1974 to critical acclaim.
Now wearing tidied up styling, the Levend comes in two forms (designated
the 60 and 100-Series), with pick-up and crew-cab bodies, and a Steyr four-wheel
drive transmission with six-speed gearbox. The long-lived range first entered
production in Turkey in 1980, and quickly evolved in a parallel fashion from
Britain's Sherpa to become the Sanayi
Kapali/Kamayonet range.
BMC is now one of the biggest commercial vehicle producers in Turkey,
having been established in 1964 in Izmir. Austin and Morris vehicles were manufactured
in BMC facilities during its early years. Playing an important role in the development
of Turkish Automotive Industry, BMC developed its own version of the B-Series
diesel engine - a first in Turkey - in 1976, before moving on to expand its
range into larger commericals.
In 1989, the company was acquired by Çukurova Holding, to
become part of Turkey's largest conglomerate, and continues to thrive today.
Its current range of vehicles owes much of its styling cues to the Pininfarina
designed HGV cab, launched in 1990. There's no sign that the Levend is reaching
the end of the line, with demand remaining strong in the Turkish market - truly
a case that a great product will continue to sell, perhaps...
Levend
60 Specifications
Levend
100 Specifications
Further information: BMC Levend Page
Thanks to David Jones for pointing this one out...