With vintage design proving as popular as ever, we were excited when a client came to us with ideas for a retro Bedford truck conversion. Vintage style seems to attract attention everywhere, from weddings and festivals to street fairs and markets — making it a great design choice for catering outlets. Our client was keen to create a conversion with a chic retro look, but with all the streamlined usability and reliability of a modern catering unit.
The challenge
It all began with a classic Bedford truck. The client had tracked down a chassis cab vehicle and had sketched out ideas for adding a quirky serving box to the back. They were keen to work on building a conversion that would help them expand their business, making it possible to travel to events across the country and set up shop easily.
Creating a vintage vibe was a crucial aspect of the brief, allowing the client to boost their customer appeal by tapping into the retro trend. However, as well as ensuring that the van looked the part, it was also essential that it was practical to drive, operate and serve from.
The approach
We focussed on blending quirky vintage looks with everyday convenience. While we were keen for this design to feature a curved roof, as a rounded finish can add a pleasingly retro feel, this shape can also make the internal space feel cramped. Our solution was to add plenty of height to the serving box, along with a roof with a shallow curve. This allowed staff to stand comfortably inside the box, while keeping the stylish curved roof element.
A perfect paint job was crucial, too. But due to the height of this truck conversion, the vehicle wouldn’t fit into the spray booth in one piece. So we decided to spray each component separately to give it a pristine finish. Plus, to enable easier serving at day-to-night events, we fitted outer lights on either side of the serving hatch.
The result
We were very pleased with the finished effect and were delighted that our client loved it too. With its shining blue paint job and classy looks, this Bedford conversion is a real head-turner. We’re sure it’ll go down a storm on the catering circuit.