The Bedford Rascal also built as the Suzuki Supercarry is a microvan

Microvan

A microvan is a van that fits into Japanese kei car classification or similar. In certain regions, these models are inexpensive and widely used for small business because of tax and insurance benefits; for example, in Japan they are exempted from a certification that there is adequate parking...

 that was developed as a joint venture between General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 (GM) and Suzuki

Suzuki

is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

. It was sold under GM's British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-based Bedford

Bedford Vehicles

Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...

 marque as well as in Suzuki form. Other names were used in a few international markets.

The van was produced at the IBC Vehicles plant in Luton

Luton

Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, adjacent to the main Vauxhall

Vauxhall Motors

Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...

 factory (GM's British-based passenger car marque). Alongside the Bedford, the Suzuki-branded twin was manufactured for the Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an market (where Bedford is a less established brand).

Sold from 1984 to 1994, the Rascal / Supercarry was a small and economical van, intended for many purposes. The vehicle's strengths were its diminutive size and maximum payload weight; 550 kg for the van and 575 kg for the pickup.

The principal visible difference between Bedford and Suzuki versions is the front trim: Supercarry has two separate plastic headlamp surrounds and the Rascal has a single full width one with "Bedford" moulded in the middle.

Timeline

• 1984: launched
  
• 1990: rebadged as the Vauxhall Rascal, as the Bedford marque was being retired
  
• 1993: production moved to Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
  , where it was made until 1999
  

Mostly sold as vans, pick-up

Pickup truck

A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

 and camper versions were also made.

Other international names

The vehicle was also sold as:

• The Holden Scurry (using GM's Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  n Holden
  Holden
  GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
  
   marque) in Australia between 1985 and 1986.
  
• In Ecuador
  Ecuador
  Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
  
  , as the Chevrolet Supercarry
  
• In India – with a smaller 3-cylinder engine – as the Maruti Omni.
  

Typical specifications

Engine specifications:

• Engine : 4 cylinder in-line OHC, 970 cc (Suzuki)
• Power : 44 bhp @ 5300 rpm
• Torque : 75 newton metre @ 3200 rpm
• Acceleration (0-30 mph) : 9.5 seconds:
• Bore: 62.5 mm
• Stroke: 72 mm
• Displacement: 970 cc
• Cylinder pressure: 13.2 bar (normal), 12.0 bar (limit) with 1 bar cylinder to cylinder difference
• Fuel octane rating: 92 RON
• Compression Ratio: 8.8:1
• Normal operating oil pressure: 3.0 to 4.5 bar
• Firing order: 1-3-4-2 (number one cylinder at timing belt end)
• Idle speed: 900 rpm
• Clutch type: Single dry plate with diaphragm spring, cable operated release mechanism
• Friction plate diameter: 180 mm
• Gearbox : 4- or 5-speed
• Brakes : discs front / drums rear

Measurements:

• Length : 3.29 metres (129.5 in)
• Height : 1.7 metres (66.9 in)
• Width : 1.49 metres (58.7 in)
• Wheelbase : 1.84 metres (72.4 in)
• Turning Circle : 8.8 metres (28.9 ft)

Weights:

• Kerb weight: 820 kg (van) 760 kg (pickup)
• Maximum gross weight: 1410 kg

Loading abilities:

• Loadspace volume : 2.62 cu m
• Length : 1.89 metres (74.4 in)
• Width : 1.11 metres (43.7 in)
• Height : 1.23 metres (48.4 in)
• Loadfloor height : 0.56 metres (22 in)
• Width between rear wheel arches : 0.96 metres (37.8 in)

Gearbox ratios:

• 1st = 3.652 : 1
• 2nd = 1.947 : 1
• 3rd = 1.423 : 1
• 4th = 1.000 : 1
• 5th = 0.795 : 1
• Reverse = 3.466 : 1

Front Brakes:

• Type: Disc with single piston caliper
• Disc diameter: 215mm
• Disc thickness: 10.0mm
• Min thickness: 8.5mm

Rear Brakes:

• Type: drum with leading and trailing shoes
• Drum diameter: 220mm
• Maximum diameter: 222mm

External links

• Bedford Rascal – Information and spares