Commer Classic

Like the AEC we featured in 2009, Graham Reed’s recently-completed Commer TS3 restoration replicates one of the lorries his father started the family business with in the early sixties. This one, though, was a massive undertaking. David Reed tells the story.

I last visited Graham Reed back in 2009, when I travelled to his base at Swineshead to sample YDD46, his restored 1959 AEC Mercury. That was one of the first lorries his dad, Alan, drove when he first started in the haulage business. To close that meeting I asked both Graham and Alan what was next. Both replied “A Commer TS3” – another type of vehicle used at the beginning of the business.

Seven years on, I was invited back to see the finished 1957 Commer. Like the Mercury, it’s finished in Reed’s orange livery, distinctive and difficult to miss.

The initial search for the Commer resulted in Graham and his friend Martin Callaghan scouring magazines along with internet sales and auction sites. “Eventually we found it in Southport” Graham said, “one weekend we went to have a look at it. The cab was in such poor condition that we didn’t even bother to bring it back. We returned a fortnight later with the car and a trailer to fetch the rest home.”

I then asked Graham if he had any history on the vehicle, his reply was “sadly, no, I do know its original registration was TYX 503 and I believe it worked for Pickfords in London but that’s about all,” he replied. Obviously any other information will be appreciated…