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Remembering Malta’s iconic vintage lorries

Description

When people mention vintage vehicles in Malta, most immediately think of the buses that ran on our streets for decades until

But this video celebrates another kind of retro classic on four wheels, the vintage lorry.

Malta became a mecca for British-built commercial vans and trucks in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, with manufacturers exporting thousands of right-hand drive vehicles to the island, and other parts of the Commonwealth including Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Cyprus.

Famous brands like Dodge, Austin, Scammell, Bedford, Morris, Oxford and ruled the roads in Malta for many years, delivering a huge range of products from crates of beer and building materials to paraffin and bags of potatoes.

Many Maltese lorry drivers christened their trucks, naming them after patron saints, football teams, pop groups or even their mothers.

Only a handful of classic lorries remain in operation today.

Take a trip back in time, watch this exclusive PBS Archive film, and see how many of these Maltese classics you can remember.

 

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