A Luton body is a style of commercial vehicle

Commercial vehicle

A commercial vehicle is a type of motor vehicle that may be used for transporting goods or passengers. The European Union defines "commercial motor vehicle" as any motorised road vehicle, which by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for...

 body incorporating an enclosed box body extended over the cab. It takes its name from the town of Luton

Luton

Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

, in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

, where the Bedford

Bedford Vehicles

Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...

 commercial vehicle plant was located. It was "invented" by Mr B.E. "Bertie" Barrett who owned a haulage business in Luton which had, as its principal source of clientele, the millinery industry which made the town famous in the early twentieth century. Hats, many of which were made of straw, were distributed in hatboxes which were bulky, but had little weight. Since trucks were mostly delivered without bodies at the time (just a chassis and cab), Mr Barrett had bodies built which extended over the cab and most of the way over the bonnet of the truck as well. The front of the "Luton" was tied to the front bumper of the truck by means of a metal pole on either side.

The body style is common in medium commercial vehicles such as the Ford Transit

Ford Transit

The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...

, as well as larger vehicles especially those used by household removals companies. More modern examples may be streamlined to reduce wind resistance. Some commercial vehicles have a wind deflector on the cab roof, but this is not a Luton body: the Luton is functional and can be accessed from the main body. The portion of the body that rests over the cab is referred to as the peak, also referred to, in some quarters as a luton, or a kick.

Many commercial vehicles have tilting cabs. To allow for this the floor of the Luton may be hinged, and there may be a hinged flap at the front.