The Cortis brothers grew up driving a Bedford truck in their father’s fields. Years later, they gave in to nostalgia and restored a beautiful fleet of Bedford trucks.

In the early 1950s, when Malta was still rebuilding many of its war ravaged sites, and farmers and farmland were still strong forces to be reckoned with, the big truck was the undisputed king of the road. Whether harnessed in the construction sector or by the agricultural community, the truck was omnipresent, more often than not brandishing its bright red cabin and green unhooded wooden or iron box.

Many trucks were personalised by being given names, sometimes of saints, prominently displayed in large letters on both sides of the bonnet. The name was then complemented by some intricate artistic and colourful design painted in the middle of both cabin doors. For many families, the big truck represented their livelihood.

The Cortis family, who tended large tracts of farmland in Mtarfa, had one such truck. The father, John, had a 1951 Bedford A Type, and used it intensively for agricultural purposes. His large family of six boys and one girl grew up with the Bedford as their constant companion and provider.

“I learnt to drive on it when I was just 12 years old – in the fields, of course,” admits Paul, one of the brothers. “We all developed a strong emotional attachment to it, and this long-term relationship led us to keep the truck working for as long as possible. In fact it was still going strong up to nine years ago. But then it gave up the ghost – however, we did not give up on it, and it is still in the family, awaiting restoration”.

Bedford was a brand of vehicles produced by Vauxhall Motors in the UK. Established in 1930 and constructing commercial vehicles, Bedford was a leading and very successful industrial truck brand, selling light, medium and heavy trucks throughout the world.

Paul learnt the carpentry trade and left the fields. Yet he still planned that one day, he would acquire a truck similar to that of his father. Eventually, he heard through the grapevine that there was an old truck for sale in Naxxar.

“It was a 1955 Bedford D Type that had spent years as an impressed vehicle used by the former telephone department. It was not in a very bad condition, and I decided to buy it.”

Soon afterwards, Paul decided to dismantle it and embarked on a full restoration project. To start with, he searched every nook and cranny in Malta and Gozo, looking for old trucks that could be cannibalised for essential parts. He bought many of these vehicles, one of them for just €50 just for the headlamps.

The Perkins Distributor 6354 engine was replaced by a Bedford 300 one. All his other brothers – Joseph, Emanuel, Carmelo, Christian, and Tony – together with some friends, rallied round to give a helping hand in the project.

Some parts were not easy to source, and here his son Darren deserves a special mention, for he searched high and low to source them from places such as the UK, the US, Canada, Cyprus, and Morocco. The restoration took seven years to complete, but looking at the finished truck, it was well worth the effort.

One of the old trucks bought by Paul for cannibalisation was a 1953 Bedford A Type. His brother Joseph was looking around to buy a classic car, and Paul persuaded him to go for this truck.

“To say that it was in a bad condition is an understatement,” Joseph says. “It had long been abandoned in a quarry in Zebbiegh, buried under a large pile of iron bars. But it reminded me of our family’s truck, and I went for it.”

Parts were a headache and had to be sourced from all over the world – the backlights were located in India

Encouraged by what Paul was doing on his truck, Joseph decided to start restoring the Bedford. Problems proliferated, especially in the cabin, because it had been eroded by rust. The body also required rust removal, while the Perkins P6 engine was replaced by an original Bedford one. Parts were a headache and had to be sourced from all over the world – the backlights were located in India.

Again, his brothers, especially Emanuel, gathered around to assist him in the restoration, which also took around seven years to complete.

The restored Bedford is a joy to behold. One would have thought that after all the sweat shed over the lengthy restoration project, Joseph would sit back and enjoy his labour of love. But old motors mania works in mysterious ways.

“My brother-in-law, Brian, had just bought a farm in Rabat, and in a derelict barn there, he found an old truck. He asked me whether I wanted it, for he was going to scrap it – how could I refuse?” states Joseph in justification of his acquisition.

The 1958 Bedford Type J was in a very bad state, having only the chassis, differential, and the front axle. He has been working on it for the last four years, and among other things, he has been procuring a cabin, a box, and a Bedford six-cylinder petrol engine, in order to complete the restoration.

Another brother, Emanuel, would have also liked to acquire an old truck like the one of his young years.

However, lack of space at home made this dream impossible to realise. Instead, he went looking for a classic car. The father of a friend of his in Siggiewi had a black, 1956 Opel Kapitan, and after the old man passed away, his friend wanted to sell it.

However, the two did not agree on a price, and for four years, it stood idle in a garage. Eventually, they ran into each other again, and a deal was done. “Despite the inactive years, the petrol 6L engine started without a hitch,” observes Emanuel. Despite the perfect condition of the German car, he changed the radiator, plugs and some rubber rings.

The three brothers and their old vehicles are frequent faces at Old Motors Club events. The two big trucks are usually placed near each other during static shows, and without a shadow of a doubt, attract many people, both local and foreign. On one occasion some time ago, a British tourist just fell in love with the two vehicles, and waving an open cheque book, approached the two brothers and asked them to come out with any figure they wanted, as long as they sold them to him.

It goes without saying that Paul and Joseph politely refused. The Beatles sang that money can’t buy you love. For the Cortis brothers, no amount of money can buy you their beloved, meticulously restored Bedford trucks.