The Bedford Beagle is an

estate car A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate) is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door (the lift ...

conversion of the

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

HA 8 cwt van, which itself was based on the Vauxhall Viva HA. It was launched at the 1964

London Motor Show London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thame ...

. The conversions were undertaken by Martin Walter Ltd in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

, Kent, most famous for Dormobile campers based upon the larger

Bedford CA The Bedford CA was a distinctive pug-nosed light commercial vehicle produced between 1952 and 1969 by Bedford Vehicles, Bedford in Luton, England. It was manufactured in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase forms, each form available in eithe ...

commercial vans. Whilst the vans were very common at one time, the Beagle was altogether rarer and there are very few left today. The Beagle formed the basis of the Roma, a camper van that was marketed in standard and deluxe forms, both featuring standing headroom of 6 ft 5ins and a full-length 6 ft double bed. A third bunk, fitted into the canopy of the elevated roof, is a feature of the deluxe version of the Roma. Introduced in 1964, originally with the 1057 cc engine mated to a 4-speed gearbox, the Beagle was basic, with drum brakes all round and minimal interior trim. Later engine upgrades arrived in 1967 (1159 cc) and 1972 (1256 cc), bringing the top speed up from to about , but the Beagle was finally discontinued in 1973. It was more or less replaced by the superior Viva HC estate cars.

References

Bedford vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1964 Cars discontinued in 1973 {{Classicpow-auto-stub