Jempsons Commercials have recently completed the re-build of our “Heritage Vehicle”.

It is a 1937 Commer N3 Dropside Truck. Having found it sitting in a field rotting, Jempsons bought the “remains” of the old girl for a few hundred pounds and set about the re-build.

Two years, hundreds of hours of labour and a not inconsiderable amount of money later – this beauty emerged – a far cry from the unloved “basket case” we’d found, crying out for a new life. It can often be seen driving around Rye or out at shows in the surrounding towns.

The cab and the body are totally new, as the originals were lost to time (and rot), but the chassis, engine, gearbox and axles were all there, so the workshops had a starting point when undertaking the re-build.

Although she looks lovely, she’s no fun to drive: She has no power steering, no radio, no heater, a crash gearbox and virtually no brakes! How you would have stopped it at the bottom of Rye Hill with three tons of goods on the back we can’t imagine. Lorry drivers these days don’t know how well off they are.