Going strong since 1970: Sascha Bee and the LP 811

Classic vehicles

From the very beginning.

For half a century now, an LP 811 has been on the road in the service of Esslingen-based beverage distributor Bee. Quite a few memories on board – and now it sparkles thanks to its recent restoration.

Father and son: Tom Bee (right) is looking forward to his first trip behind the wheel of the LP 811.


The series.

Over the years, the model series that started with the LP 608 has been supplemented with an increasingly wide range of various tonnages, wheelbases and motorisations. Beginning in 1970, the LP 811 and 813 models have been equipped with an in-line six-cylinder engine.

A test report from 1971 attests to the “engine superiority” of the OM 352 with 85 kW, with which it could “keep up well at all times in big-city traffic, which is mainly made up of passenger vehicles”.

The vehicle.

In 1970, Horst Bee acquired an LP 811 to add to the fleet of his beverage distribution business, a family operation which is headed by his son Sascha today. 50-year-old Sascha share not only his birth year with the LP 811, but also quite a few memories. When he was a child, he accompanied his father on his trips around the Swabian town of Esslingen.



Photos and video: Jan Potente

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