Cliff Rescue Gen 3

History

Coastguard's cliff-rescue companies of the late 1970s ran short-wheelbase Gen 3 4×4s to carry their cliff ladders, lines and stretcher to the cliff top, and TYO 286S — an S-registration of 1977–78 — is one of them, now preserved in its service livery and shown on the rally circuit. The scheme is the Coastguard's of the period: dark navy with a yellow roof and bonnet top so the vehicle could be picked out from a helicopter, a chequer band along the body, HM COASTGUARD on the sides and across the bonnet, a blue light bar and spot lamps for night work on the cliff edge. The Flickr photograph shows it at the Alton Bus Rally in July 2014 with a 'Preserved Vehicle – Not in Service' notice on the roof: navy Shorty hard top with a side window, yellow roof and bonnet with mirror-written HM COASTGUARD, two rows of yellow and black chequer along the doors and rear body, HM COASTGUARD in yellow on the hard-top sides, a blue light bar with two chrome spot lamps on the roof front, a spare in a black cover and a spot lamp on the bonnet, chrome bumper, white TYO 286S plate and black steel wheels.