Name: Oxford Diecast 76SHP001 Sherpa Van Royal Mail Wales
Brand: Oxford Diecast
SKU: 76SHP001
Price: 7.95 GBP

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 4 (1948 to 1956) British Railways Early Crest
Era 6 (1967 to 1972) British Rail Blue (Pre-TOPS)
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation

Manufacturer description

A bit of Welsh flavour introduces the Sherpa Van from the 1970s-1980s into our 1:76 scale series of small commercials. And, for its first outing, it comes in the highly popular Royal Mail livery of bright red with yellow graphics, in this case bi-lingual Welsh/English. Registered HBO 703W, the number plate dates the vehicle as 1980-81 and from Cardiff.

The Leyland Sherpa van was manufactured between 1974 and 1982. Apparently, it was originally designed to be built on the car production line, which meant it had a narrow back. On a positive note, this feature enabled it to negotiate narrow city streets - and in the case of our Welsh model, perhaps narrow country lanes as well! It was launched initially as the Leyland Van but in 1975, the name was changed to Leyland Sherpa. The first examples consisted of vans of 1.85, 2.15 and 2.40 tons. In 1978, the 1.7 and 2.0 litre engines replaced the original 1622cc and 1798 cc petrol units and the range was redesignated as 200, 230 and 250. Our example is classed as the SHERPA 200, which appears on the rear of the model. The Sherpa proved to be very versatile too as its bodyshape lent itself for use as crewbuses and minibuses, as well as various chassis-cab options. Its large load space was also an advantage for small commercial van operators.

A special piece of free publicity for Leyland came in 1977 when the Sherpa had its moment of movie fame in The Spy Who Loved Me when it was chosen as the vehicle driven by the baddie Jaws across the Sahara Desert. Needless to say, James Bond was not far behind - in fact he was hiding in the back!

Catalogue listing

Brand

Oxford Diecast

Manufacturer

Oxford

Product Code

76SHP001

RRP

£7.95

Model details

Livery

Royal Mail

Supplier Links

Oxford website

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Oxford Diecast Sherpa Van – Royal Mail Wales

The model represents a Leyland Sherpa van in 1:76 scale, painted in the Royal Mail livery of bright red with yellow graphics and bilingual Welsh/English markings. It carries the registration HBO 703W, indicating a date of 1980-81 and a base in Cardiff. The manufacturer's part number is 76SHP001 and the period depicted is the British Rail Blue era (pre‑TOPS).

Leyland produced the Sherpa between 1974 and 1982. Originally built on a car production line, the van has a narrow rear which aids manoeuvring on tight city streets and rural lanes. The model shown is the Sherpa 200, reflecting the 1.7‑litre engine introduced in 1978 and the revised 200, 230 and 250 range designations.

The Sherpa was offered in several weight capacities (1.85, 2.15 and 2.40 tons) and was also adapted for use as crew‑buses, minibuses and chassis‑cab configurations, providing a large loading space for small commercial operators. In 1977 the vehicle achieved a brief appearance in the film The Spy Who Loved Me, where it was driven by the antagonist Jaws across the Sahara Desert.