Dennis B.P. petrol delivery lorry

Dennis B.P. petrol delivery lorry, 1922, scale model.

This is a 1:12.5 scale model of an early petrol delivery lorry used by British Petroleum. In the early days of motoring, petrol was supplied in small two-gallon cans. As the number of cars and lorries increased, filling stations were opened around the country where people could quickly and easily refuel their vehicles. Delivery lorries fitted with tanks were used to distribute petrol from central depots in large towns to these filling stations, a system still used today. For this model, the lorry's chassis and engine were made by Dennis Brothers of Guildford, one of the leading firms of commercial vehicle makers. The model is believed to have been made in 1922 for British Petroleum, and shows the colourful livery typical of road-freight vehicles at that time.