This was my trusty cargo,only sold 4/5 month ago
Hi Andy,
For my money, the original Cargo was one of the best-looking trucks Ford ever built - purposeful, functional, yet modern and stylish too. It just looked ‘right’, in the same way that the Bedford TK did (and just like the Bedford, later ‘updating’ spoiled its looks and turned it into just another Euro-box on wheels).
Back in 1990, I drove a 7.5-tonne Cargo box-van (on free loan from BRS, Preston) all the way to Romania - and back! - as part of an aid convoy to hospitals and orphanages. At that time (and probably still) the Romanian roads were horrendous. Even the official TIR route had pot-holes you could sink an average family car into. Local truckies were amazed that the Cargo only had a single front leaf-spring, but the wagon took the worst that was thrown at it and coped well. That said, the ‘off-road-driving-courses’ that were the average Romanian highway, managed to shake the tacho’ out of its mounting and would vibrate the driver’s seat loose every few miles. Great fun! I spent several weeks in close proximity to that truck, eating and sleeping in it (no sleeper cab on that model), and will always have a soft spot for the Cargo. Later on, I drove another example for a helicopter company, moving fuel drums around the Lake District in support of an aerial survey. Again, really nice wagon; very comfortable and never missed a beat.
I’ll try and post some photos of the Romanian trip (‘try’ being the operative word), which you are free to use with pleasure on your site. As you’ll probably know already, the Cargo was marketed extensively in the States, and I’ll post some images taken from a Ford (US) brochure which you might find interesting. One of these shows a Cargo with a stake body. I remember seeing one of this type in the UK, in use by the US Air Force, busy putting up Christmas decorations in the middle of Woodbridge, near one of their bases.
All the best! 
Biffer (a.k.a. Andy).
Delivering aid to hospital in Bucharest. February, 1990.
Outside orphanage. Note local ROMAN truck on right.
Weary truck (and driver) on way home. Hungary, 1990.
Back home in the UK and in need of a wash (me too!).
Falling asleep at the wheel (good job I’m parked up at home)
US-spec’ Cargo. Milk tanker.
US-spec’ Cargo. Telecomms’ truck.
US-spec’ Cargo. Refuse truck.
US-spec’ Cargo. Road sweeper.
US-spec’ Cargo. Fire tender.
US-spec’ Cargo. Stake truck.
US-spec’ Cargo. Concrete pourer.
US-spec’ Cargo. Fitted with crane
US-spec’ Cargo. Soft-drinks truck.
US-spec’ Cargo. Grain truck.
US-spec’ Cargo. Box van.
US-spec’ Cargo. Road sweep/gulley cleaner.
US-spec’ Cargo. Tractor unit.
US-spec’ Cargo. Cab interior.
US-spec’ Cargo. Dashboard.
cargo’s are still made in india by ASHOK LEYLAND TRUCKS. type in search , and you can see the different model’s with a lot of old british names, comet and bison etc, it used to be partner of british leyland. to see video of
stallion (cargo) in action, and being made, click on defence vehicles, then gallery.
regards ft.
Spotted this in NYC in 2008
Hi All
The E reg recovery truck was in Warminster a couple of weeks ago.
The road trains carring people in MGM studios Orlando are still Cargos.
Love Cargos myself (always have!); ever since having a job for a few years on a (very rare) 2428 tipper back in the day. Used to annihilate all other six-wheelers bar none! Also drove an even rarer 3828TS on container work too around a similar time. Very good truck that required the SKILL of balancing driver input with gearbox and engine RPM (not seen today). I’d give my left nut to have one today and would not think twice about substituting one for my current auto transmission FM12 regardless of engine power…
This is what the Indians get up to with the Cargo cab, Ashok Leyland ‘Stallion’ !!
Andrew
I always thought if Ford would have widened this cab flush with the mudguards, and stretched it up a couple of feet it would have replaced the Transcontinental !
I hated the F@^*&ing things 
Sent from hell by some evil creator, the best thing they did was let Iveco build better trucks using the ‘Cargo’ name.
They STILL make the deathtraps over under the ‘Stirling’ name.
I remember climing Corley back southbound on the M6 one night and comming across a bloke driving one who had rear ended a heavy crane, the front was crushed and blood was pouring out from under the cab, he seemed to be totally un-aware of his condition. There was another Fed Ex driver there also who told me to head in to Nuneaton and he would stay. I was in the canteen when he came in and told me the driver had bled to death 
Poor bloke.
tribsa:
Hi All
The E reg recovery truck was in Warminster a couple of weeks ago.
The road trains carring people in MGM studios Orlando are still Cargos.
Thats right mate …I sold it to man in warminster…he wanted it for its wheel base 3.2m
to pull a boat…what a waste…but he he paid good money for it 
This one passed me a few months ago in Wisconsin
taken at silverstone in the 80s.
the last 3 pics took at the truck show at b/ham in the 80s.
a rare maggie deutz engined unit with a 30ft tr in the early 80s.
i passed my class one in a cargo belonging to len owens driving school in bolton. i got no idea what engine it had but it struggled with the empty trailer… 
The deutz engine … wasn’t it an aircooled V6■■ If i remember rightly it was a ‘stopgap’ engine ( & not very popular ) until the ■■■■■■■ L10 was ready 
saw this one in norway the other month
I did a test drive in a cargo cement mixer with the deutz engine when I went for a job in the 90s drove it for only about 20 minutes it was full of concrete went from silvertown upto the canning town roundabout and back it pulled well up the slight hill in silvertown way and I have to say it flew along but hey you can1t judge a motor in 20 minutes I did`nt take the job so never found out if they were any good, freed
nianiamh:
This one passed me a few months ago in Wisconsin
…
Hello nianiamh
Is that a good old rope and sheet load your hauling■■?
Regards R-Jacko
heres my old 6 legger with ■■■■■■■ 10 litre 290 bhp power lol and eaton range change,had her from new with spider transport from slough,29ft flat bed with a 16 ft drag…
Two 7.5 ton Cargo tippers are still operating in Witney area. One for Eynsham builders J.G Pimm and one in Bampton ( can’t remember who owns it but it’s in good condition)
There used to be 2x 6 wheel mixers based at Cemex Kidlington depot until recently. Both were operated by retired drivers who rated them because they could get cheap scrapyard spares for them, and the fact they were so light.
Rare in red. Trailer was specially commissioned and sold off one-month after taking delivery because it didn’t fit in with the scheme of things. I was tasked with trialing it and duly ran it up to 70mph on the M6 with Cargo in nearside lane and over-engineered trailer doing its best to go down the middle lane. Scary.
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