The Search

Ever since I first rode in one 20 years ago, I've wanted a London Taxi. They are about the same length and width as a small passenger car on the outside, but like Dr. Who's tardus they are huge on the inside.

Last summer Debbie relented and the search was on. Federal safety and pollution standards make it all but impossible to import a taxi unless it is at least 25 years old. Debbie decided she would not be able to drive a Right Hand Drive car. Carbodies made Left Hand Drive cabs in very small numbers over the years. Finding a 25 year-old LHD cab proved to be a challenge. We watched RHD cabs come and go on eBay. I even bid on a few. I joined the MSN London Taxi group and The London Vintage Taxi Association to widen the search beyond eBay.

I found the cab we were looking for in an ad in the LVTA newsletter. It was a London Coach Sterling. London Coach was an American company building US spec versions of the Carbodies FX4 taxi and FL2 limo. Carbodies in England built US DOT compliant LHD gliders and sent them to the US. London Coach put in a Ford power train to get around EPA. All three companies involved (Carbodies, Ford and London Coach) were hoping for a big success. Didn't happen. There were two models. The Sterling was the FL2 limo with leather seats. The "London Taxi" was the taxi. London Coach built and sold about 50 complete vehicles between MY 1985 and MY 1986. I'm not sure how many were completed as Taxis and how many as Sterlings. Carbodies may have made 150 LHD gliders total. I've never been able to find out what happened to the other 100. Various internet sources says there were 150 cars total. Bill Munro's book Carbodies: The Complete Story and www.austin-rover.co.uk both say 50. Perhaps there were 150 VIN numbers issued, but the actual gliders were never completed and sold.