Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014: Top 10 Classic AA Vehicles
In 1905 the AA was established to 'combat police persecution of early motorists'. It began with a group of cycle 'scouts' who patrolled some of the most frequently travelled roads of the day. Early AA cycle scouts used their own bicycles, for which they were paid an allowance.
In 1912 the AA took to motor transport with motorcycles, initially for Inspectors. Motorbikes with sidecars became standard issue for AA patrols and it wasn't intil 1949 that the association moved to four-wheels with the Land Rover becoming once its first vehicles.
Motorcycle combinations were phased out in 1968 and AA moved to vans with famous Minivan its most recognisable vehicle. Since then it has used a host of makes and models as the basis for patrol and recover vehicles and these were on display at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. So here are some classic AA vehicles.
1984 Morris Ital van
The Ital was hardly a highlight in the history of Morris, indeed it was essentially just a facelifted version of the Morris Marina which was already dated when it first appeared in 1971. By the 1980s the Ital was well past its sell by date and this AA example was registered the year before production ceased.
It was never actually used by the AA for breakdowns, but instead worked as a promotional vehicle. It ended up at the AA's training college near Nottingham where it was parked outside for many years causing the body to deteriorate. It was later restored and as a result has just 1500 miles on the clock.
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