Yeates gets Javelin
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• Less than a month after becoming dealers for Caetano bodywork (CM, February 21) Loughborough-based WS Yeates has now been appointed as executive private sector distributors for Dennis Specialist Vehicles' new Javelin mid-engined coach chassis.
To back its commitment to the Javelin, Yeates has already placed an order, worth £2 million, for over 70 Javelin chassis, which it expects to sell by the end of the 1987/88 coaching season.
The initial Javelin chassis order mix for Yeates will consist of 12, 11 and 8.5 metre long models, with some of the chassis supplied with full air suspension. Others, including the 8.5m versions, will be fitted with steel leaf springs.
Yeates' first Javelin demonstrator, however, will be a 12m long Hestair Duplebodied model. This will be shortly followed by 11 and 12m Duple, and Plaxton-bodied models. An 8.5m bodied Javelin will be delivered after these.
According to fleet sales manager Brian Walker, Yeates will be looking to win sales with the Javelin primarily in the private sector, particularly with those operators who have previously bought British PSV chassis.
"The Javelin is totally British, and the cheapest alternative since the demise of Bedford and Ford," he says.
Standard power unit for the 11 and 12m Javelin is the 8.3litre Cummins C Series engine, rated at 179kW (240hp), mounted vertically at the rear of the chassis. A lowerpowered 157kW (211hp) engine is available as an option.
The shorter 8.5m chassis, however, has the 157kW C Series as standard, and the option of the 179kW engine. All models come with a ZF 5680 six-speed manual gearbox.
The Javelin chassis provides for an above average amount of luggage space. With a 3.2m high coach body, a 12m Javelin can carry up to 9.3m3 of luggage, while an 11m long model can handle up to 7.2m3.
Although Yeates will be initially offering the Javelin with either Hestair Duple or Plaxtons bodywork, as dealers for Portuguese Caetano bodies, it will be possible for operators to eventually order a Javelin with Caetano coachwork.
Delivery of Yeates' Javelin chassis will commence in July, and prices will start at around £25,000 excluding VAT.
Following the launch of the Javelin at last year's NEC Motor Show, Dennis is currently holding negotiations with Yeates and Cummins to provide 20 Javelin UK service outlets. Dennis is looking to set up a 29-hour emergency service with service outlets supported by strategically-located parts stocks. It also aims to establish full service cover on the Continent.
Each Javelin chassis will be sold with a service and spare parts kit, a two-year engine warranty and a first-year breakdown service which can be extended for up to two more years at an extra charge.