Aston Manor

Road Transport Museum

208-216 Witton Lane, Birmingham, B6 6QE

THE RON LUCAS COLLECTION

    As I mentioned recently on our news page, Ron Lucas, a valued member of Aston Manor, and secretary of the Guy Owners Club, has passed away. As a tribute to Ron, this feature covers his collection of vehicles.

    Ron had been in the motor trade most of his life, he worked in garages, ran a workshop whilst in the Army, then began his career at Guy Motors, Wolverhampton. He progressed from the shop floor, working his way up to higher management. After the take-over of Guy Motors, then it's eventual closure, Ron worked for the probation service until taking early retirement. This gave him more time to devote to his vehicle collection, all Guys appropriately. Those of us who knew him will always remember his ability to motivate people, and his willingness to help others, but above all for his sense of humour. His vehicles remain as a tribute to him.

GAW 946

    Ron's first restoration was GAW 946 (the red one), a 1950 Guy Otter. He purchased it in 1986, from C. Jones of Oswestry. As the photographs show it was in a fairly derelict condition, surrounded by undergrowth and other equally derelict vehicles, some of which have also been rescued. Once back in Wolverhampton, the work began by stripping the vehicle to a bare chassis. The Gardner 4LK engine was sent to Satterthwaite's of Streetly to be checked and tidied up, and looked magnificent afterwards as the photo shows. The rest of the work was carried out by Ron and his brother Will. This included making a complete cab door, as the original was missing. This extensive restoration only took two years, and the vehicle has been attending rallies regularly since 1988.

KTT 689

    Once the Guy Otter was on the road, Ron started looking around for another project vehicle. He found a Guy Vixen for sale at the West of England Collection. KTT 689 was a 1948 Guy Vixen coach with a Meadows 4EL95 petrol engine, and Wadhams bodywork. This was the ideal project, and was soon back in Wolverhampton. Compared to the Otter, Katy as she became known, needed little more than a minor restoration, and a repaint. Katy had spent her working life in the south, at Court Cars, Torquay, then Terranous Tours of South Molton, and finally Cliffords Coaches of Bristol. The outside was painted, and she was on the road again, although the interior is still in original condition. After two years work, she was on the road in 1992, joining the Otter on the rally scene.

KLC 780

    Meadows engines are not very common, so when Ron was offered a Guy with a Meadows engine for spares, he couldn't resist. When he collected the vehicle, the bodywork collapsed completely. This is the point at which KLC 780 became the next restoration project. The vehicle was a 1949 Guy Wolf, with a Meadows petrol engine. It was originally owned by John Lewis Partnership, and it is believed to have worked from Oxford Street, London. Ron bought it for spares from Leeds in 1994. Because of the scarcity of Meadows engines, Ron fitted a Perkins P4 Diesel engine, which was an option from the Guy Factory when new. A complete new body was built out of wood, with some of the original panelling being used. This major work took three years, and the van was on the road in 1997, attending it's first rally at the Black Country Museum. The following year saw the Wolf complete the London to Brighton run, and has proved another regular on the rally scene ever since.

1294 RE

    By this time Ron was an old hand at this restoration game, so he was keen to take on another project, as the Wolf was nearing completion. This project was 1294 RE, a 1958 Guy Arab LUF, with a Burlingham Seagull body, and Gardner 6HLW engine. This coach was originally owned by local company Harper Brothers, until they were taken over by Midland Red. Soon after 1294 RE was sold. It spent several years around the Staffordshire area, being bought for preservation within this time. In 1985 it was moved to Blackburn, where some work was carried out, before coming back to Wolverhampton in 1995 when Ron bought it. It was in a poor state, and restoration didn't really start until the Wolf was finished in 1997. Panels were removed, and the wooden inserts in the frame on both sides were replaced. The boot was rebuilt and most of the panels were replaced. The interior received new lino on the floor, and the window pans were repainted, ready to have the newly cut windows and specially made white window rubber fitted. It has been repainted and rewired and is about 99% complete. It is a great shame that Ron never actually got to see the vehicle as it is today. Ron was well respected by all the fellow enthusiasts who keep vehicles in the same building as his collection, and without doubt, we will finish 1294 RE, as a tribute to him.

My thanks go to Ron's brother Will, for providing the information and many of the photos for this article.

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