1951 Bedford M tanker. Registration number MFO 141 (see text...

Hammer

£4,800

1951 Bedford M tanker. Registration number MFO 141 (see text). Chassis number 236758. Engine number unknown.
Mid -1939 saw a complete revamp of Bedfords, with a range consisted of the K (30–40 cwt), MS and ML (2–3 ton), OS and OL (3–4 ton), OS/40 and OL/40 (5 ton) series, and the OB bus. Many of the trucks sold by Bedford between June and September 1939 were requisitioned for military use on the outbreak of World War II; many were abandoned after the retreat from Dunkirk, rendered useless to the enemy by removing the engine oil drain plug and running the engine.
The 1939 K-, M-, and O-series lorries were quickly redesigned for military use. This was largely a matter of styling, involving a sloping bonnet with a flat front with headlights incorporated and a crash bar to protect the radiator in a minor collision. The military versions were designated OX and OY series, and again were put to a wide range of tasks, including mobile canteens, tankers, general purpose lorries, and a version with a Tasker semi-trailer used by the Royal Air Force to transport dismantled or damaged aircraft.
Production of the new range ceased, apart from a few examples made for essential civilian duties, when Bedford went onto a war footing. Production resumed in 1945.
MFO is recorded as being re registered by DVLA in 1995 and declared as a 1951 model with a 5,000cc engine. A photograph of of it without the bonnet one shows it was a tanker at this time.
An older restoration it should respond well to recommissioning. There is a copy of a SORN declaration and there are no keys with the vehicle, and DVLA state it is on SORN.