SOLD to a good home…our London Black Cab (1 of 250 made)

2004 LTI TXII

2004 LTI TXII

 

Several years ago, while on a business trip in London riding in one of that beautiful city’s iconic black cabs, I was suddenly struck by the crazy idea that the vehicle I was in would make an ideal family car:

  • it’s highly fuel efficient,
  • it has a cavernous passenger compartment which seats 5 large adults,
  • it can turn around on the narrowest of streets,
  • it’s constructed with an extremely safe body-on-chassis design, and
  • it’s so reliable, many are still on the road after more than 300,000 miles of punishing commercial use.

When I returned from my UK trip I started searching for my London Taxi. In order to drive one in the States with our rigorous emission standards, I assumed that I would have to buy a pre-75 model (which would also only be available in Right Hand Drive), which would undermine my “ideal family car” justification. I was surprised to learn, however, that LTI made 250 vehicles for the U.S. market in 2003 & 2004. These LHD models were marketed by LTI in the U.S. as the “London Executive Sedan”. I tracked this one down and purchased it almost 5 years ago. My wife thought I had lost my mind when I presented it to her, but quickly grew to appreciate it. 

DSC_2409-s

rear-facing passenger jump seats

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rear bench with passenger climate controls

Her primary complaint with the London Taxi was that she didn’t like sitting by herself in the driver’s seat on the other side of the partition from the passengers (a value-added feature as far as I was concerned). I installed a custom jump seat (which is only really practical for short trips around town) and retractable seatbelt in the large luggage storage area on the front passenger side. The fold-up jump seat keeps this luggage area usable. The taxi also comes equipped with the standard-issue London Taxi pull cord which London cabbies use to close the passenger door after the luggage is loaded without getting out of the cab in inclement weather (quite important presumably when you work in London).

jump seat installed in front luggage storage area

jump seat installed in front luggage storage area

The best feature of this taxi is its “smiles per mile” factor.  Wherever you drive in the black cab, people smile when they see you or give you the “thumbs up” sign as you drive by.  It’s interesting that more children than adults in the U.S. are familiar with the iconic black cab, because an LTI TXII named Chauncy Fares was featured in Pixar’s animated film “Cars 2”.

LTI (London Taxis International Limited)  manufactured the TXII model from 2002 to 2006.  Until 2012, LTI was a wholly owned subsidiary of Manganese Bronze Holdings plc, an English automotive engineering company, which was best known for manufacturing of Norton and Matchless motorcycles in the UK in the 1960s.  In 2012, Manganese went bust and LTI was purchased by Chinese auto company Geely, with the goal of maintaining taxi production of the iconic black cab in Coventry England.

The TXII’s 2.4liter Ford DuraTorq turbo diesel engine may not be very fast, but it is efficient (rated at 25.3 MPG city and 30.7 MPG highway).  Its 14 gallon tank gives the taxi a range of approximately 400 miles.  If properly maintained, a London Taxi will faithfully serve its owner for several hundred thousand (yes, you read that correctly) miles—especially impressive when you consider that’s under heavy commercial taxi use.

However, what’s even more impressive about London taxis is their maneuverability. Since 1906, all hailed taxis licensed in London (officially called “London Hackney Carriages”) have had to comply with the “Conditions of Fitness”, which require (among many other rules), that a London Hackney Carriage must have separate passenger and driver compartments, high internal headroom (supposedly required so a gentleman wouldn’t have to remove his hat), a ramp for wheelchair user access (a more recent requirement) and the ability to “turn through 180° on either lock between two walls 8.535 m (28 ft) apart” so a cabbie could drop off a fare on one ‘kerb’ and pick up a new fare on the opposite ‘kerb’ without blocking traffic.  Only two vehicles currently meet that formidable requirement and this spacious vehicle’s 25-foot turning radius is among the worlds tightest. Rear seating easily accommodates five large adults, there is a built-in intercom for conversation between passengers and driver and a wheelchair ramp is built into the passenger compartment floor. Wheelchairs can be locked into a recessed area in front of one of the rear jump seats and a seatbelt extension is included for the wheelchair passenger.

This vehicle has just 20,000 miles on the odometer (of which I have clocked about 5,000) and is in exceptional condition.  TXIIs were sold in several colors.  When I purchased my car it was white, but I bought it knowing I would be painting it black as a proper “black cab” should be painted.  The interior is unchanged from the standard (and extraordinarily) durable grey & yellow fabric. This taxi has been exceptionally well cared-for (because I’m totally compulsive about maintaining my unusual fleet of cars we refer to as “scuderia bizarri”).  It is fully-equipped as imported, totally compliant with the Conditions of Fitness and most interesting of all, features left-hand drive. Sticker price when new was between 33,000 and 40,000 British pounds (about $50-65,000).  The U.S. Spec TXII meets all California, US and Canadian environmental and safety regulations, and the taxi is perfect for pleasure, business, livery or promotional use—or all the above. This London cab comes with unused OEM spare, two OEM wheel chocks, OEM Jack, wheelchair ramp extension, blind spot mirrors (recommended to me by a London cabbie on whose taxi the same type were mounted), North American factory service manual, an owner’s manual and several assorted spares and consumables. Features:

  • Power windows
  • Air conditioning
  • Driver airbag
  • Separate climate controls for Driver and passenger compartment
  • AM/FM + CD player
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Front and rear windshield washers / wipers
  • Separate lockable driver and passenger compartments
  • LTI security system
  • Cup holder
  • Driver’s 12V power charger
  • Interior dome lights
  • Storage net (has been removed to install front passenger jump seat)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMPLETE PHOTO ALBUM

Price: $29,995 or best offer

Specifications:

Year: 2004 Interior Color: Grey/Yellow (std)
Make: LTI Cylinders: inline 4
Model: TXII Transmission: 4 speed automatic
Trim: London Taxi Body Type: Limousine
Engine: DOHC turbo diesel Warranty: None; sold AS IS
Displacement 2,402 cc Vehicle Title: Clear
Drive Type: 2WD Fuel Type: Diesel
Suspension, front Coil spring independent Safety Driver Airbag
Suspension, rear Live rear axle with parabolic leaf springs Disability Equipped: Yes
Mileage: 20,266 HP 90 BHP
Exterior Color: Black Wheelbase 102”

37 Comments

  1. Ping from allen:

    Car looks great, where is it located?

  2. Ping from Ew:

    Is this still available?

    • Ping from admin:

      EW – Sorry–but the taxi found a new home on the other coast last week. Thanks very much for your interest. Happy hunting. Jonathan

  3. Ping from AS:

    I love these cars, and enjoyed them myself. I have two in Morgan Hill if anyone is interested.

  4. Ping from Pravind Boozedhur:

    Dear Sir,

    My cousin is a Mauritian and is an owner of TLI car , Model TAXI II, Type Saloon Colur Black
    of Engine Capacity 2402.
    Unfortunately the front windscreen have been cracked. He wanted to know if he can get one to replace for your showroom and how much it will cost.

    Thanks in Advance and waiting for your reply.

    • Ping from admin:

      Pravind, thanks for your message. I purchased parts from suppliers in London and South Carolina. I don’t think either of these would be good options for you. You may want to contact LTI directly and ask for the closest parts supplier. Good luck. Jonathan

  5. Ping from Ali:

    Hi,
    I have two LTI TX2’s in Morgan Hill, California for sale. One has 115K miles and runs great! The other has 8500 miles and is pristine. Both are garage kept and polished. If anyone is interested, please let me know. Looking for a reasonable offer.

  6. Ping from Steve Epstein:

    Hello: A friend and I just purchased 6 TXII’s from Charleston, and we are interested in how you accomplished the front jump seat. I’m not sure if this thread is still alive, but if you get this and can let me know, I’d be much obliged. We’re keeping 2 and selling the others, 2 of which were never titled so basically brand new, the other 2 have miles on them but are in great shape, being worked on at Larry Bakers London Taxi Parts USA in Greensboro, NC.
    steven@flipitcap.com

  7. Ping from timo:

    The price , please ?

  8. Ping from Mark Moritz:

    Bakers Automotive in Greensboro NC is the only distributor of LTI parts. The owner is Larry and he is very helpful. Highly recommend.

  9. Ping from Ellyse Adele Vitiello:

    Dear Friends, when I saw the “left -hand drive” I knew I found my dream car. The parents of my son-in- law will arrive in the month of May, from London. What a pleasure to pick the up at LAX, in this beautiful London Taxi. If this one is gone, can I find another? Thank you, EAV, optimist

  10. Ping from Nanette Johnson:

    Sold or still for sale? I want a taxi!

  11. Ping from steve knight:

    I have a 1988 FX4S PLUS English taxi cab for sale it need’s TLC, has been garaged for 20 years, was running but transmission oil leaked, I have break pads & gasket kit for it.
    I’m north of Atlanta GA would welcome any interested party to contact or make me an offer, color is Eggplant, sun roof & material roof, shipped from Blackpool, UK

  12. Ping from BILL NIMTZ:

    LOOKING FOR ONE (1) LTI TXII MFR’D 2002-2006 FOR PERSONAL USE IN FLORIDA. PLEASE CONTACT BY E-MAIL OR CELL 414-405-5050. CALL FOR E-MAIL.

  13. Ping from Donovan Ducharme:

    I have a 2004 London taxi LTII, it’s black with a custom red leather interior. Right hand drive. It’s in Beautiful condition. It was originally owned by Linda Johnson of Johnson and Johnson (wepurchased from her and imported from New York. It is located in Vancouver bc. I would like to sell it quick. If anyone is interested get at me at 6049087518 or email donovan@surespan.com

  14. Ping from Nick Carter:

    Kindly advise what this vehicle was sold for and what others are available. I an interested.

  15. Ping from Margaret craft?:

    I would love to have a new one. How expensive are they?

  16. Ping from Isaiah:

    How did you get that poppy? I would love to have one for my TX2. I’m Canadian, and it would be great for remembrance day.

  17. Ping from Bill Duvall:

    Looking for a LTI tx2 Taxi…left hand drive if anyone knows of one, thanks Bill