Back to the future

When the Radwinter Wild Game Company were looking for a vehicle that would not only catch the eye and promote their brand in a cost effective way but that was practical as well, they could do no better than chose a classic 1968 Morris Minor Van.

With bodywork modifications and a full chassis, bodywork and drive train overhaul provided by Karikool of Wethersfield, Essex, Radwinter Wild Game chose a Hubbard 360 Alpha supplied and installed by vehicle cooling specialists Coldlink of Norwich to deliver twenty first century performance.

The 360 Alpha refrigeration system was chosen because it is designed to operate in micro vans, panel vans and compartmental bodies that have been suitably insulated. The 360 Alpha is suitable for temperatures down to 0°c and was ideal for the compact shape of the classic Morris Minor and the performance requirement of up to eight door openings per hour.

The system is driven using a compressor that is mounted within the engine compartment and belt driven from the crankshaft. The 360 Alpha series use environmentally friendly R134a refrigerant.

The system is operated by an easy to use in-cab, digital controller, that is fully programmable and provides constant temperature read-out to ensure that Radwinter’s finest game and poultry are kept perfectly fresh.

Andy Gissing of Coldlink says: “The van was driven from Wethersfield under its own steam and, we then had to install the full refrigeration system, its digital controller and the evaporator into the custom made one piece insulated cargo bay liner too. Working on a forty year old classic was a great treat for our engineers who were surprised how easily an ultra modern, high efficiency Hubbard system suited the classic lines of the Morris. We are extremely pleased with the end result. It’s nice to be recycling rather than discarding forty year old working equipment and of course Hubbard is a British based manufacturer who was founded in 1968, the year that this vehicle was first registered. This project was ideally suited to our organisation as we specialise in supporting smaller customers and are used to working on one off orders”