Key dates in the history of Lister and the Auto-Truck

Up until 1920 Lister's used horses to pull materials around the factory, however by this time something mechanical was needed, various ideas were tried without success, this was mainly due to the terrain of the factory and the need to carry a ton.

1924/5 - Auto Mower Engineering Co Ltd demonstrated it's design of an Auto-Truck , Lister's factory tried it, liked it and brought the patents, designs and rights to manufacture. It is thought the 1st one was sold in 1926. The engines was provided by J A Prestwich & Company who also produced fine motorcycle engines, two petrol engines were offered, a 600cc single cylinder and a now rare 750cc V twin engine version. The idea was to make it to a basic standard design for under £100 that could be easy to alter to suit the customers needs. In fact there have been more than 3,000 different versions made.

1938 - More than 10,000 Auto-Trucks had been sold.

1954 - Listers started producing an air cooled range of diesel engines,  ideal for use in the Auto-Truck range. The LD1 single was offered as well as the LD2 twin cylinder, in fact the first of each was kept at the factory used as runabouts until the 1990s.

1955 - Petrol engine model production scaled down.

1965? - Battery powered truck production commenced. The range consisted of 24 volt or 36 volt models depending on the customer 's requirements. If you know a different date please let us know!

1965 - The Lister family sold out to Hawker Siddeley Group Ltd. however some of the family was still working for the company several years later.

1973 - Auto-Truck production  transferred to  Cromptons of Tredegar.however there are reports of Auto-Truck chassis being made as late as 1975.

1974 - Lister training school expanded into part of the old "Auto-Truck shop"