This is an interesting one; I've known the toy all my life and always assumed that it was an airport refuelling vehicle, because of its futuristic shape I guess. Now I'm thinking it was a design exercise, probably sponsored by BP, to show how modern they were. I found a picture on the internet of the real vehicle being exhibited at the 1960 London Motor show. It's smaller than you'd think, probably 6' or so to the top of the cab.
It is described as: 'Thompson Autotanker Leyland Dromedary BP'. Let's analyse that - because I can't find much more on the net. Thompson were a firm of boilermakers founded in about 1810 who graduated to making road tankers, they made the bodywork for the - '4,000 gallon Autotanker, six compartment, aluminium alloy, frameless integral road tanker for petrol' - according to a website telling their history, where there is an illustration of this same vehicle.
Leyland I get, but 'Dromedary'? A Government website laying down rules about road traffic defines dromedary as: "Dromedary truck-tractor" means a motor truck designed to carry a load and also pull a semitrailer by using a kingpin to fifth wheel connection", not an 8 wheel rigid like this then. It sounds like an artic which carries part of the payload on the unit - like a modern car transporter. So my guess is since it was made in 1959/60 and it has a Leyland chassis which means it has to be an Octopus. So there you have it - Thunderbirds style road transport before there were Thunderbirds, F.A.B. Virgil.
'Major Pack No1' is a very grand reference from Matchbox, does that mean it was a new departure for them into bigger toys? a precursor of the King Size range? The BP Petrol Tanker was released in 1963, it was always corporate BP green and yellow in colour, the only variation being knobbly or smooth black plastic wheels. The knobbly wheels version is the one to go for.
