AWD-Bedford
AWD Engineering Limited was founded in early 1970 at Dunstable in Bedfordshire and worked closely with former Bedford models. They redesigned and improved Bedford Trucks with modern all wheel driven running gear, and the new new vehicles were usually designated AWD-Bedford and were available in lorries and tractors for the army use and for civilian takers.
This engineering company had NO connection with the other name of AWD Co. Ltd, the famous British vehicle conversion specialists based in Camberley. Following GM´s decision to withdraw from the UK truck market in late 1986, AWD took over the former Bedford commercial vehicle manufacturing operations, but not the Bedford brand name. AWD was bought in 1987 by David J.B. Brown, the founder of Artix Limited. Brown took over the business and kept manufacturing selected former Bedford truck models. They were sold the AWD brandname.
Although the once famous name Bedford was retained by GM, it was used for the Bedford van range only. Numerous special all wheel driven prototypes were made and were all aimed for the construction industry and for military takers, plus to several export markets. Other existing Bedford trucks models were used as a basis for David J.B. Brown's newly formed firm called Multidrive, who bought the remaining unused Bedford vehicles and rebuilt them into 8x6 and 10x6 machines manufactured by the now renamed AWD-Multidrive Ltd from 1990. But limited and slow sales resulted in financial problems for original AWD Engineering Ltd firm in 1992 but this company that started this whole operation with Bedford GM´s guidance didnt completely vanish yet and kept offroad truck production going anyway.
The recent renamed firm AWD-Multidrive Ltd were then moved to Cambridge by their new owners Marshall SPV who were granted the permission to reinstate the historic Bedford truck name although within a few months AWD Engineering Ltd were no longer active.
