Black and White Provides Car Comfort
Page 52
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I N a new vehicle recently delivered to Black and White Motorways, Ltd., Cheltenham, luxury of the kind associated with expensive private cars has been achieved. Based on a Leyland Royal Tiger chassis, the new coach has bodywork by Willowbrook, Ltd., Loughborough, in which interesting appearance has been coupled with up-to-date lines.
Full-fronted in the modern style, the coach seats 33 passengers in its overall length of 30 ft. It is 8 ft. wide and the leg room and elbow space are exceptional, even for a present-day design. Particular interest attaches to the seats, which are upholstered in fine hide over Dunlopillo fillings.
Deep headrolls and separate sections iu the back create a soft seat much like a domestic easy chair. Behind each pair of seats there are folding tables and ashtrays; rubber-covered footrests complete the seating specification.
No division is fitted in this vehicle, and thus forward visibility through the deep double screen is excellent. Top sliding ventilating panels are fitted in the main side windows; providing good ventilation without obstructing vision. Fresh air for the heating installation is drawn in through the ornamental motif on the front panelling.
The driver's instruments and switch panel are recessed horizontally in a broad dash panel beneath the windscreen. This arrangement is both neat 534 and accessible, and yet is comparatively rare in coach-body design. At the rear a large luggage locker is provided, The spare wheel is contained in a tray under the front of the vehicle and may be raised or lowered by a simple jack, access to which is gained through an aperture low down on the near side of the body.
Both front and rear of the body arc raked at a greater angle than is common to-day, probably because emphasis has been placed on good appearance and comfort rather than on seating capacity. A sliding central entrance is a feature common to all Black and White coaches, and the emergency exit is normally used as the driver's door, Interior trim is particularly restful and clean-looking. The lower half of the body is trimmed in light-brown moquette. Above this, cream Rex inc is used for the upper sides and quarters, and the roof is finished in a light veneer, contrasting with the dark mahogany window finishers and roof-trim lines. There is no sliding roof.
Externally, the use of plated decorative mouldings to give a full-length wing effect is aided by building out the panelling at the front. The resulting impression is of a long and wide vehicle with clean lines and few unnecessary flourishes.
The retention of the usual mudwings, however, prevents the side view of the vehicle from being over-massive and ponderous.