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Reynolds Boughton RB44

Reynolds Boughton RB44

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Reynolds Boughton RB44Reynolds Boughton RB44Reynolds Boughton RB44Reynolds Boughton RB44
Lot number 150
Hammer value £4,000
Description Reynolds Boughton RB44
Registration K316 CHB
Year 1992
Colour Sahara Beige
Engine size 4,000 cc
Chassis No. R37964RB900764
Engine No. AB50305U607249W

Reynolds Boughton may not be a household name, but the roots of the company date back to 1897 when they started producing agricultural machinery.

Branching out into specialist truck bodywork, the bulk of their work came from manufacturing skip-handling vehicles. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the firm won a number of contracts with the military, making sophisticated trailers and Dodge-based four-wheel-drive command and control vehicles.

This purposeful machine is one such vehicle, starting life as a Radio Comms Unit, fitted with ceiling lights and a heater. The early versions (this example is a later model) suffered from brake issues and although these were quickly resolved, the RB44 as it was known was not particularly popular within the Forces.

The vendor of this particular RB44 had a specific purpose in mind when he purchased it from Withams of Lincolnshire in 2011. From a choice of four, he chose the best, a late model which had hardly seen any use. He and his wife loaded up the aluminium compartment in the rear and set off for Timbuktu – as you do…

After an enjoyable and trouble-free journey across Europe, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Mali (by way of the ‘Road of Despair’ and the ‘Road of Hope’), they arrived at their destination at almost exactly the same time as an invading rebel army. Their rapid exit from town was thwarted as they met the rebels attempting to force their way in, and having got caught up in a terrifying gun battle, they had to make a quick about-turn and hide out in Timbuktu until they could find an escape route.

Their only chance of escape would be to join a convoy of other refugees in a dash across the desert, but their fellow travellers refused to let the RB44 join the group as it stuck out like sore thumb and looked too much of a military target. They were forced to abandon the truck in Timbuktu and hitched a ride in a fast-moving convoy of pickup trucks across the desert.

After several weeks staying with friends in Nouakchott back on the coast, they returned to try and get their truck back (that tells you what a good bit of kit it must be!). They managed to find a guide who was able to negotiate with the Mauritanian Military (MNLA) and paid him to drive it back to their nearby retreat. The rest of their journey home went off without a hitch.

This rugged 4x4 had some minor work done to the rear brakes in October 2012 and a new power steering pump fitted in December 2014. Its MOT expires in December 2015 and it is ready and waiting for its next adventure.

The vendor is including a number of useful items which he suggests are essential to take on such a trip. These include a secondary spare wheel, a complete new set of engine belts, an eight-tonne bottle jack with power-arm brace, a complete new filter set and some spare bulbs. We would suggest adding a flak jacket and an emergency pair of underpants to the list! 

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