The Dennis Bus Ambulance
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I REFER to the letter by J. B. Cheverton appearing in CM of February 4 edition regarding a Dennis Bros prototype ambulance and would like to confirm that such a vehicle was in existence and used by the Surrey Ambulance Service.
The vehicle for this prototype, developed by Dennis Bros, included a chassis and body which in their day were rather revolutionary. Only the engine was of known design, that of Jaguar.
The vehicle was fitted with normal front wheels with the engine mounted over the front axle plus an automatic gearbox. The rear wheels were comparatively small and, with no back axle, enabled the loading height to be reduced to a minimum. The body was fairly standard with the proposed up and over rear door being dropped in favour of the standard twin rear doors — independent springing was used.
Having driven the "brute", it left much to be desired! The ride was rough, the steering heavy and the maintenance costs were astronomical; eg, the front brakes required a complete overhaul between 3,000 and 5,000 miles and this often included new brake drums.
However, as already stated, the vehicle was a prototype and in the very early stages of development which, unfortunately, coincided with management changes within Dennis Bros. The project was simply abandoned without further consideration — a great pity as I believe it had potential. R. GRAINGER Chief Ambulance Officer, East Sussex