Lesser "classic" pick-ups

I tend to spend the summer months going to local classic car shows and have found myself looking out for other non-brat pickups (not that I have seen a Brat at any so far - better get my finger out!). I spotted this old Pug today - not seen one in years. These must have had an impressive capacity judging by the size of the leaf springs on it.

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I'll keep an eye out for some Caddies or P100s B)

Must admit... If I hadnt have went for a Subaru the Pug was going to be my second choice. They were a great (if bit old fashioned) pickup. I had one years ago from about the same year, 2.3 diesel (early ones had a 2.0 I think). They were a good comfortable drive and the best thing about them was .... something that no pickup (to my knowledge) of today has and thats... a Bench seat that takes 3 abreast ! That is something I really miss. ( that and column gear change :lol: ) not that the Peugeot had that. "MO"

I think most of the old Peugeot pickups have ended up in north Africa, you still see plenty driving around there although they are slowly being replaced by old Toyotas! Must admit a P100 was going to be my second choice if I'd failed to find a Subaru - not in the same league though.

One thing the old Pugs have with the Soobs is........................they rust just as bad if not worse than them ! :o

My father had a 504 estate 7 seater - great car - but I remember as a kid travelling back from the weekly supermarket shop when all of a sudden there was a grinding noise from up front - then steam..... lots of steam :blink:
The whole for the front end had litterally dropped off onto the road - due to rust !!
The rad had punctured and we were picking bits up off the road - much to the amusment of the other passing traffic !!! :huh:
The car was scrapped ! :(
Also had a Farmer friend who had one in obligitory Orange - he battered it to death - RIP orange truck !

Other pickups ? Moggie 1000 anyone ?? hehehe with big engine implant of course ! :P

I once considered buying one of these, too... last time I saw one (in real life, rather than on eBay) was nearly 3 years ago at the Fiat dealership where we bought Mrs P's 500 - the dealer in question used to sell Peugeot-Talbot and it was still using one as a parts runabout!

On the topic of rarities, anyone seen a Hyundai Pony pickup recently?

Hyundai Pony! Saw a matt black one with a roof chop recently... and an Ital, thought they'd all died.
I posted on here ages back about some of my other candidates if I hadn't gone for an MV. Fourtrak, Caddy, Peugeot etc. but my faves are still an El Camino or a '60s Austin A50/55/60 - it would need an MGB lump with overdrive, a lowering job and an external windscreen visor... lovely!

A mate of mine still uses a flathead six, three speed column change, 1950 Chevy 3100 as his daily driver and country estate workhorse...

My dad had a Pug for his farm truck,he used it to carry pigs around in and it was much better for towing than the landrover and before that he had a moggie 1000 pickup. The farm bought 2 mk1 MV`s at the same time as the Pug, if only I new then what I know now. :( We had a 504 estate. the bottom spring seating on the front strut rusted through and gave way one day when my wife was driving,lots of smoke and burning rubber,luckily she was only just down the road from home.

I was still a trainee tech working for Peugeot in the early 90's and if you upset the workshop foreman you would get all the 504's and Talbot Express jobs as punishment.

Our parts dept had an orange one with a a white truckman top that i borrowed one weekend to move flat with. (it did wicked wheel spins when empty).

I remember you got 5.5 hours to do a clutch on one and it was a toss up wether to take the engine out to get to it or unbolt the rear axle 'U' bolts and slide the axle/solid torque tube off the back of the gearbox so the axle ect was slid up the leaf spings towards the tailgate to give you room to then drop the gearbox out onto the floor...

Happy days. :(

Is this what the trusty service manual quoted for it? - I wonder how many workshop managers around the world have been beaten around the head with those books when they give mechanics grief for exceeding the alloted times :)

5.5 hours maybe on a brand spanker - when all the bolts will come out as they should !
Wonder what the "real world" time actually was ? :rolleyes:

Tough trucks, we ran one in the late 80's on Laverstoke Estate along with a Hi-Cap 110. Given the choice I would always run logs in the Pug, others i've not seen for years.

Suzuki SJ 413 pick up/lwb
UMM Transcat pick up
Daihatsu Fourtrak pick up
Daihatsu F50 pick up


:ph43r:

Is that Laverstoke near Basingstoke. If it is I used to live just down the road from there just outside Micheldever.

If it was a few years old and been worked hard then the axle 'U' bolts would snap or the axle would become corroded/seized to the leaf springs,so it was less hassle to pull the engine out...

And the torque tube to gearbox joint would also seize onto the box..


I don't think i ever made any bonus on the 504's,but the Talbot Express diesels you got over seven hours for a clutch on them and once you had done a few you could knock them out in five hours..

:) :)

Is this what the trusty service manual quoted for it? - I wonder how many workshop managers around the world have been beaten around the head with those books when they give mechanics grief for exceeding the alloted times :)

Yes the good old ICME manual or for me the microfiche machine in the foremans office with all the job times on.. :)

Ah - The Talbot Express !
Me and a mate once drove all the way back from a Trial up in Hawes North Yorks stuck in 3 rd gear (up hill & down dale - narrow roads ''feckin shift ! :o were coming through'' !!!) when his clutch went bang.
I remember my mate ran 2 or cars litterally off the road as he wouldnt / couldnt slow or stop and loose forward motion on the mountain roads !!!
One was a polo with 2 late middle age ladies (with big sunday hats on) out for a nice Sunday afternoon drive - I'm sure my memory has a vision of one of them mouthing an obsenity at my mate as they crashed into the hedgerow !!
He was a bloody Maniac ! :blink: (still is too)
The van was so knackered the cost of a new clutch was more than it was worth - RIP Neils Talbot van !