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PASSENGER 'THERE is no doubt that the new I Bedford

14th September 1962
Page 137
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Page 137, 14th September 1962 — PASSENGER 'THERE is no doubt that the new I Bedford
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VAL twin-steer passenger chassis, which is suitable for use with 36-ft.-long bodies, will provide the greatest interest for the passenger-vehicle man at the Show this year, despite there being several other extremely interesting r ew designs on display. Vehicles which have not been exhibited in Earls Court brf ore include the A.E.C. Renown and Albion Lowlander low-height doubledecker chassis, the A.E.C. 36-ft. Reliance, the Daimler SRD 6 single-decker chassis, with horizontal rear engine, the Dodge forward-entry single-decker chassis, and the modified Guy Wulfrunian built specially for WolverhamptOn Corporation with entrance behind the front wheel and with drum brakes. A challenge to British makers comes from MercedesBenz, whose 41-seater is now being offered for use in this country.

Austin will be featuring a " baby " bu3 based on a J2 petrol-engined chassis, with the equivalent Morris version on the Morris Commercial stand. These two will be the smallest passenger vehicles on display, with the exception of the Dennis, Karrier, Land-Rover and Volkswagen ambulances. It is unfortunate that the A.E.C. and Albion forward-engined lowframe chassis—the Renown and the Lowlander—will both be exhibited in bodied form, because this will prevent details of their chassis being studied.

Both have similar basic layouts, however, even to the extent of air-suspension at the rear axle and both are intended P49 to meet the requirements of operators who need low-bridge double-deckers on forward-engined chassis without the need for unconventional upperor lower-saloon layouts. Careful chassis-frame design has in both cases made it possible to provide• clear, low-step entrance platforms which assist in speedy loading and unloading of the vehicle.

The two other A.E.C. passenger-vehicle exhibits are of interest also. One of these is a Reliance 590 chassis with Plaxton 36-ft. 49-seat luxury body, whilst the other is an export Regal Mk. VI, to be seen in chassis form, which features full air suspension at both axles, Dunlop Pneuride air springs being employed. Albion's second passenger exhibit is a Victor overseas chassis with 35-seat body.

Full details of the Bedford VAL chassis are given elsewhere in this issue so further description of this new design would be superfluous here. The VAL will be shown as a chassis on the Bedford stand, whilst bodied examples will be found on the Duple and Plaxton stands, with a third coach in the Demonstration Park being displayed by MetropolitanCammell-Wey mann. Ltd. The chassis lends itself to some attractive coach bodywork but, as with all 36-ft. designs, care has to be taken to preserve a good overall balanced appearance, and not all these 36-ft. coaches being displayed next week are going to be regarded as attractive.

Equally " different" in its own way is the new Daimler single-decker chassis, which is to be exhibited in prototype form• and which is based on the Fleetline double-decker chassis, examples of which will be seen on the Daimler stand also. The new single-decker has its Daimler diesel engine mounted horizontally across the rear of the chassis, driving through a special Daimatic semi-automatic gearbox with right-angle output, whence the drive passes forward into the back of the rear axle. Because of the very low frame line of this chassis, single-deck bus bodies without any gangway steps can he mounted on it, and in this respect, the new Daimler design is unique.

New Dodge P.S.V. Chassis

An M.C.W. 42-seat forward-entry single-deck bus body will be mounted on the new Dodge passenger chassis, 'which has a wheelbase of 15 ft. 10 in. and frontmounted Leyland 0.370 six-cylinder diesel engine. The chassis has a quite conventional layout except for the slightly set-back front axle and features include a 10-in.-deep chassis frame and air-hydraulic brakes. The all-metal body is 30 ft. long, and its layout makes it particularly suited for one-man operation in rural areas, particularly as the chassis will be appreciably less expensive than heavier underfloor-engined types on which this type of body is normally mounted.

Guy Motors (Europe), Ltd., feature their low-frame Arab Mark V doubledecker chassis, the frame height of which is 2.5 in. less than that of the previous Arab model, and •a modified version of the Wulfrunian air-sprung double-decker chassis which has the front wheels moved forward to make room for an .entrance platform behind the engine. The revised weight distribution given by this changed layout has made it possible to use drum brakes at front and rear, whereas the standard Wulfrupian has air-hydraulic disc brakes. The front-end frame layoui has been altered also, although the cianges will not be seen because this vehicle is shown as a complete bus. Alsc on this stand will be a Victory single. deck chassis with Belgian 46-seat coactbody and Leyland 150-b.h.p. diese engine.

Danish bodywork is featured on fin Leyland Leopard coach exhibit, whilsi another passenger model on this static will be an example of the populai Afiantean rear-engined double-decker with M.C.W. 78-seat double-deck body.

The Mercedes-Benz 0 321 H-L is E rear-engined coach of integral construe tion with coil-spring front suspension shown in 41-seater form.

Tags

Organisations: Earls Court
People: Guy Wulfrunian
Locations: Austin

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