Quote from: Genem on July 14, 2021, 09:29:57 AM
^^^ That would fit, the Marshall Ambulances seem to have taken up to two years from chassis production to "Date in Service". We probably need two levels, when the chassis was made and when it was "finished". The same will apply to CKD kits ?
Can I suggest that we leave out CKD vehicles? Our VRO will finally fall on his sword if he has to work that lot out... Having worked on African CKD for Defender and been involved with Freelander in Thailand, I know that record keeping is abysmal! Just don't go there...
Aw!! spoilsport!! But I see your point.
My SADF 2BFC was registered in 2011 after a long battle by the then VRO and his team as a 1971 production -- the clincher being the engine number/suffix.
A couple of years later I met Jan Vorster who built the Overlander motorhomes on ex-SADF radio trucks and he was of the opinion that the SADF had regular deliveries each year of the 2BFC. Mine is no.328 of a range that a lot of official sources used to say did not exist, nowadays amended to "no records available". I mentioned the problems getting it registered and the lack of UK records for later post S1 CKD builds and he said that he was not surprised, at least in regards to the SA vehicles as they were being exported to SA in spite of the embargo due to apartheid.
I mentioned the chassis number and asked about the total numbers. He said the SADF had only a fraction of the total number and his personal Overlander was a few numbers higher than mine. There are claims out on the net that over 440 is the highest number known.[of 332 variant -RHD CKD]
My log book says first registered in 1994. Jan said this was wrong as they were built a year or two earlier than that, and what I had would have been the registration when it changed owners, or alternatively when the licence category was changed.
The Newcastle registration I have shows that it was registered [presumably to a Belgian missionary type from the docs] as a "mobile clinic" -- a tax saving dodge from way back. I also got a hand drawn map of the CKGR and KutseGR which I think are game reserves in Botswana. It must have been mainly accommodation for him as the mileage was not high at under 14000.