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Midland Red's surprise package

6th July 1973, Page 21
6th July 1973
Page 21
Page 21, 6th July 1973 — Midland Red's surprise package
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by Martin Hayes

• A super luxury coach produced by Metro-Scania went into trial service on Midland Red's Birmingham-Bristol motorway route on Wednesday. The 37-seater, 12m coach is the first luxury vehicle to come out of the Anglo-Swedish link-up of Metro-Cammell and Scania. The joint venture, for which Scania produces running units and Metro-Cammell an integral body, is known for its single-deck city bus which is in service in several British cities.

However, the new coach, although assembled in Birmingham, is basically Swedish in design. Scania-produced body panels have been used together with Swedish trim.

The coach is being evaluated for a month by Midland Red as part of an extensive appraisal programme of coach types by National Travel (NBC) Ltd, the long-distance coach operating division of the National Bus Company. At present National Travel is also evaluating a Volvo B58 with Alexander bodywork and a Leyland Leopard with Alexander M-type bodywork, similar to that used by the Scottish Bus Group.

The Metro-Scania is clearly built to the highest standards and designed to match the best in the coaching world. It has air suspension, double glazing, Continental reclining seats, a toilet and a sophisticated self-seeking radio. Mr John Jepson, chief engineer of National Travel, told me this week that though the coach appraisal programme had two foreign Vehicles "we must give preference to British coaches". The company had no arrangements to buy the Metro-Scania which was on loan purely for evaluation purposes. But it seems to me that it would be unlikely for any manufacturer to build such a complex vehicle (a full specification and more pictures appear on page 27) without first ascertaining its market potential.

The coach is based on the Scania CR 145 and has a 14.2-litre V8 engine mounted longitudinally at the rear. The engine, which develops 260 bhp at 2300 rpm, is a naturally-aspirated version of the DS14 type used in Scania's 140 heavy truck range. It drives through a four-speed semi-automatic gearbox produced by British Leyland's Self Changing Gears subsidiary. The integral body was produced at MetroCammell's Birmingham factory.

Metro-Cammell was unable to provide a possible price for the vehicle this week. But Mr Jepson said he understood it to be "much less" than the £25,000 I had heard quoted. It could be little more than National Travel paid for existing coaches (usually in the 112-15,000 area).

In a 230-mile motorway trip, unladen, the Metro-Scania is reported by Midland Red to have returned about 7.5 mpg. This compares with a figure of 11.5 mpg for the Bristol vehicle used on the first service to Frankfurt (see p.30). In a very brief ride on the Metro-Scania I was impressed by its ride and general air of opulence. However, the roof-mounted extraction fans seemed unnecessarily noisy. I was told that the coach can sustain 70 mph cruising on any motorway gradient.

During the Frankfurt trip Mr Jepson revealed National Travel thinking on airconditioning. Currently, there are five Plaxton-bodied Bristols operating with units produced by Stone-Platt and IBK-Smiths. These units enable interior temperatures to be reduced by 25 deg F compared with external levels and can provide thermostatically controlled temperatures of 74 deg F and below. The units cost £2,500£3,000 but have an indefinite life. I understand that air-conditioning may be offered as an option on the Metro-Scania.

That this trend will come to fruition seems obvious from a comment by NBC chairman, Freddie Wood, last week. Looking at the bus after 1975 he said: "For long distances it will be an air-conditioned, smoothly running coach with loo, reclining seats, and may have stewardesses and a galley."

Specification and more pictures on page 27.


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