Wrigley Autotruck - A quirky little machine!

We love finding something a little different, and it seems our followers do too! This quirky little machine attracted plenty of interest and sold within just 24 hours of being listed on our website.

This charming Wrigley Autotruck is fitted with a Villiers petrol engine and a two-speed gearbox. Built in England during the 1950s and 1960s by Wessex Industries, the Wrigley Autotruck was designed as a compact, three-wheeled utility vehicle for moving goods around farms, factories, warehouses and other confined spaces. Today, these unusual machines are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of vintage agricultural and industrial equipment.

This particular Autotruck came from a museum collection, where it had been in storage since the museum's closure. After some straightforward recommissioning—including fresh petrol, cleaning the ignition points and fitting a new spark plug—it fired into life immediately and has been running beautifully ever since.

Powered by a single-cylinder Villiers engine driving the front wheel, the Wrigley Autotruck features an ingenious steering system where the entire engine and drive wheel assembly rotates to change direction. It's a wonderfully simple yet effective design that makes these machines such an interesting piece of engineering history.

This example starts easily, runs smoothly, and both the woodwork and metalwork are in excellent condition, making it a superb example of its type.

Whether displayed at vintage rallies, added to a private collection, or put to work around a garden or smallholding, this Wrigley Autotruck would have been a practical, characterful and fascinating addition.

Although this one has now found its new home, we are always on the lookout for unusual and interesting vintage machinery. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels—you never know what will turn up next!