LDV Pilot

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The LDV Pilot is a panel van that was produced by LDV Limited from 1997 until 2006, and closely based on preceding models dating back to 1974 (which were in turn related to older models). The Pilot was available in capacities from 2.2 to 2.6 tonnes in a 5.7 m3 (201 cubic feet) load area. Power came from a 1.9 litre Peugeot Diesel engine driving the rear wheels through a 5 speed gearbox. Access to the load area is from either the rear or a sliding side door. Hewn from the Morris/BMC J4 vans of the 60s, the core vehicle went through a series of developments, the main one being the revision of the forward control layout of the J4 and moving the engine ahead of the cab and accessible via a bonnet. This allowed the wheelbase to be extended resulting in greater stability, payload, side loading and the distinctive ''Sherpa'' profile (though the last of the J4s and the first Sherpa are largely identical from the rear). The Sherpa gave way to the Freight Rover 200 Series and in turn the Leyland DAF 200 Series before finally becoming the Pilot after LDV was formed in 1993.