Moonshine For Christmas!

c.1941 Ford 'Moonshine' Truck - Starting Bid: £7500

It is hard to imagine anything that would give a certain kind of ‘petrolhead’ more Christmas joy than waking up to find this on his / her driveway. H&H Classics can make this dream come true at its current online auction which closes on December 14th.

This truly unique truck with its early 1940s aesthetics and late 1990s running gear was inspired by America's 'Moonshine' Bootleggers.

It offers numerous ingenious design touches including an exhaust system heated hot water tank.

Registered with the DVLA as a '1948 Ford Snow Plough', it may well have been part of the 'lend lease' scheme during WW2 and thus seen service on Allied airfields.

This unique creation marries the cab, bonnet and front wings from a c.1941 Ford V8 1½ Ton All-Wheel-Drive Truck to the chassis and running gear of a 1998 Chevrolet 4x4 Military Ambulance. Inspired by America’s ‘Moonshine’ bootleggers, the vendor was determined that the resultant hybrid should have a deliberately gnarly / patinated look.

The cab was professionally extended to accommodate a rear bench seat with the whole then being re-trimmed at a cost of some £4,500 in a cowboy inspired mix of hides and furs.

Surface rust was covered with a protective clear coat lacquer and any more recent metal painted to blend in. Powered by a 6.5 litre V8 turbo diesel engine allied to automatic transmission, ‘HYK 516’ also boasts power assisted steering, ABS brakes and electric windows.

The exhaust system is routed through a copper hot water cylinder whose contents are thus heated for showering. An old gas canister has been modified into a barbeque and there are numerous other ingenious design touches such as beer keg storage lockers.

Although it sports ‘dual wheels’ the rear axle is commendably narrow thanks to its ambulance origins meaning that the ‘Moonshine’ truck is easier to drive and place than its dimensions might otherwise suggest. ‘HYK 516’ has been regularly MOT tested since its transformation.

Sure to turn heads wherever it goes, the seller estimates that this one-off truck cost him £30,000 to have built.