Collections close up: Carbodies FX4S Plus taxi, 1988

As well as the red bus, the other iconic vehicle of London’s streets is the black cab. This FX4S Plus taxi, manufactured by the Coventry-based company Carbodies in 1988, is a typical later example of the kind of taxis that filled London’s streets from 1958 to 1997. The retro styling and assured knowledge of their drivers has exerted an enduring influence.

After the Second World War, London’s taxi ranks continued to be filled by the cabs of the 1930s. But in the 1950s, London cab design became increasingly standardised. Austin’s FX3 was the best-selling cab of the post-war years.

In 1958 Austin launched the FX4, a classic design that was in production, in numerous variants, for 40 years. It was introduced in the same period as the Routemaster bus, with both becoming symbolic of London the world over.

In 1982, the Coventry-based manufacturer Carbodies (later London Taxis International) that had built FX-series taxis since the late 1940s, took over their intellectual property rights. They continued to build variants of the series, including the FX4S Plus in our collection.

From 1997, the FX-series was succeeded by the TX-series. Modern features were combined with a distinctive ‘retro’ appearance. In 2018, a hybrid-electric TX, manufactured by the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), was introduced.

For passengers with the money to pay the comparatively high fares, London’s black cabs have held an appeal for their privacy, space, door-to-door service and detailed knowledge of their drivers.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, licensed drivers of London’s taxis have had to pass ‘the Knowledge’, a detailed exam testing their awareness of London’s streets. The increasing use of mobile phone-based map applications, particularly in private taxi-hailing services like Uber, has often created a sense of tension among licensed drivers that have undergone ‘the Knowledge’.

London is the only city in the world where all licensed cabs have to meet special performance standards such as a tight turning circle and full wheelchair accessibility. As a result, all licensed London cabs have to be purpose-built and are not adapted cars or people carriers.

This FX4S Plus taxi, registration number E272MYL, was donated to the Museum in 2007 by its former owner, Steve Sutherland. He worked as a London cabby for over 30 years, using his training in ‘the Knowledge’ to navigate around London for paying passengers.

This model of the FX-series was introduced in the mid-1980s. Powered by a 2.5-litre diesel engine, it had space for five passengers and grey interior trim. A similar converted FX-series model manufactured around the same time, the FX4W, was the first to allow disabled access. The subsequent Fairway model, from 1989, was the first to have full wheelchair accessibility.  

Overall, this style of London cab dominated the Capital’s streets for half a century. On display in the Museum, it represents this era of taxis.
 

This vehicle, and a larger selection of this content, is on display at the Museum.

Look at the Museum Guide, plan a visit, book a ticket.