The Luckett family, owner of coach operator Lucketts Travel until early 2020, has donated to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu a 1926 Albion four-wheel lorry that had acted as a reminder of the Fareham business’s heritage as a haulier.
Having purchased the 24bhp vehicle in 1973, most of the Albion’s life with Lucketts was spent at the Fareham depot apart from a short spell at a museum in Bicton, Devon. “We used to take the lorry to shows all over the south of England when we mainly had trucks, as we had a low-loader to transport it,” says Ian Luckett.
“As the business became more coach focused, and free time at the weekends became less, the lorry spent more of its time in a shed,” he continues. After the sale of Lucketts Travel to National Express, the space occupied by the lorry was required for other purposes.
The Albion took part in the Worshipful Company of Carmen Cart Marking Ceremony in London on 22 July, which Mr Luckett describes as its “first outing for a very long time.” After that it was moved to Beaulieu, although other contacts had been explored, including the Albion Vehicle Preservation Trust in Scotland. He adds that the distance from the south coast made such a move difficult.
“When I spoke to Beaulieu and showed pictures, the people there were immediately keen to have the vehicle in its collection, so we pursued that option,” Mr Luckett continues.
Lucketts purchased the vehicle 50 years ago from a nearby Albion and Leyland dealership owned by Jack Sparshatt. That business later went on to be the first importer of Mercedes-Benz trucks into the UK. Lucketts’ final HGV was a Mercedes-Benz tipper in 1991 before it became exclusively a coach operator.
“As part of the donation, we pass over ownership to the Trust, but we get a pass to visit whenever we want to, so it’s still something we can look at,” he explains. The lorry was handed over by members of the Luckett family on 7 August.
