The van was introduced in 1969 to replace the CA model, and was sized to compete directly with the Ford Transit, which had entered production four years earlier.

The Bedford brand continued on certain badge engineered light vans from Isuzu and Suzuki, before being retired in 1991 in favour of Vauxhall or Opel.

Introduced in November 1969[4] to replace the 17-year-old Bedford CA, the CF van variants soon became some of the most popular light commercial vehicles on British roads.

In 1976, a 2.1 L (2,064 cc) overhead valve (OHV) diesel engine from Opel replaced the outdated Perkins units.

[9] Units exported to Germany (Bedford Blitz) received a smaller, 2.0 L (1,998 cc) diesel, producing 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp).

By then the CF's replacement was put on hold and then ultimately dropped when Bedford decided that rebadging other GM owned brands was much cheaper.

Most were sold to government agencies, the Royal Mail,[12] and local authorities for trials, which collectively were driven for more than 7,000,000 mi (11,000,000 km).

[13] However, with a price tag much higher than a standard CF, and battery technology at the time not advancing quickly, Bedford cancelled the program in July 1986 after 300 to 475 vehicles had been built.

[16]: A-16  The DC traction motor had a rated output of 37 kW (50 hp), with a weight of 142 kg (312 lb) and was made by Lucas, model MT286.

[16]: Table 1-1, A-15  The motor control system was housed under the bonnet and a small diesel heater provided cabin heating.

The system also featured regenerative braking, however this could be turned off as it was found that in wet conditions the motor could lock the rear wheels up in a similar way as applying the handbrake.

[16]: Table 1-2 A heavily modified version of the CF Electric also was exported in left-hand drive form into the United States where it was rebadged and sold as the GMC Griffon.

[24] The Griffon also was used to test the viability of a prototype 36 V lithium/iron sulfide molten-salt battery invented by Argonne National Laboratory; in a simulated test, the van was able to travel 200 mi (320 km) with a 900 lb (410 kg) load before requiring recharging,[25] giving it an energy density three times greater than a conventional lead-acid traction battery of equivalent weight.

[citation needed] Along with the Transit, the CF was usefully wider than competitor vehicles from Austin-Morris, Rootes and Volkswagen.

In 1986, the Isuzu Fargo started getting produced by IBC as the Bedford Midi with local modifications for the European market.

GM Europe would not return in the large panel van market until 1997 and 1998 when production of the Renault-based Opel/Vauxhall Arena and Movano started, both of which serve as the true successors to the CF range.