vintage malta
Leave your feedback
LEAVE YOUR FEEDBACK

Video ID: 991

Submitting Feedback

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.

 

Places Nearby

Looking back at one of Malta’s oldest feasts
Rabat imnarja
The feast of St Peter and St Paul on June 29 marks an important event in the Mal...
When the shops came to you
shopping in malta
They sold everything from eggs and fish to ironmongery and second hand clothes. ...
The real story behind the Malta riots in 1958
Birgu General Workers Union
The political arguments over the future of Malta degenerated into violence on Sa...
A look inside Valletta’s most magnificent building
Valletta, Malta Governor's Palace
Valletta’s most magnificent building dominates the heart of our capital ci...
Meet the residents at St Vincent de Paul Hospital
Luqa
St Vincent de Paul Hospital is Malta’s largest state-owned residence home ...
Malta’s love of Christmas cribs down the years
christmas
Early 20th century Europe was defined by war and financial ruin but, every year,...
Remembering a Maltese radio and TV legend
Charles Arrigo television malta
Charles Arrigo was one of Malta’s best-known broadcasters. His distinctive...
The Duke of Edinburgh’s close ties to Malta
Valletta, Malta Dom Mintoff Royal Malta
The Duke of Edinburgh is certainly no stranger to Malta. Prince Philip, who mark...
Bikers without crash helmets on Malta’s garigue
Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq motorbike trials in malta
It seems almost unthinkable today. This footage from the PBS Archives shows comp...
Fascinating footage of life in Malta 100 years ago
Valletta, Malta grand harbour
These fascinating images offer a unique glimpse of life in Malta almost 100 year...
Carnival capers in Malta over the years
Valletta, Malta carnival in malta
Carnival has been celebrated in Malta for more than 600 years. Historians believ...
Malta honours the patron saint of cyclists
Zabbar Pellegrinagg tar-roti
Amid the blowing of horns and ringing of bells, thousands of cyclists and bikers...