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Nice is happy hunting ground for Tiger
Page 57
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Leyland Bus' new prodigy wasn't at all overawed by some exotic company at the Nice Coach rally, reports Noel Millier. Pictures by Dick Ross
)RGANISED by the Association )our le developpement et le )erfectionnement de L'Autocar ADPA), which loosely translated neans Association for the Detelopment of Perfection in 2oaches, the 25th international veek of the bus and coach at Vice on the French Riviera atracted over 160 passenger ,ehicles from France and the -est of Europe.
Great Britain was represented Dy a Duple Dominant-bodied _eyland Tiger entered by E. J. 3ostock and Sons of Congleton,
heshire, and a Van Hool-bodied _eyland Tiger from Leyland Bus.
Also there was Gilbert Kinch's mpressive Plaxton Master Executive Volvo BlOM and a Plaxton Viewmaster-bodied DAF MB2 0 0 DKTL of Young's Coaches of Cambridge.
A British-registered MAN SR280 of European Ferries was also present at the rally.
When Leyland Bus invited me to join them and share the driving on the road to Nice in the Van Hool-bodied Tiger, I gladly accepted.
With Leyland demonstration driver Terry Hopkins, the lightly loaded Tiger departed from Brighton early on Monday morning after the British Coach Rally. Using the Sealink Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, we were quickly on the toll motorway leading towards Paris and the sun.
As a passenger on the Tiger, I found little to criticise. The 46seat Van Hool Alizee-body on the 12m vehicle allowed a quiet and relaxed ride. The full air suspension meant the ride was comfortable while avoiding the soft bounciness which has been a feature of other air-suspension coaches in the past.
When I took my turn behind the wheel I found the vehicle relaxing and enjoyable to drive. This Van Hool-bodied machine is fitted with Leyland's Pneumocyclic five-speed gearbox with a fully charged 19in fluid coupling, with solid-state Leyland LVS 45 semi-automatic control. It also has a gearbox-mounted Telma retarder.
Leyland has paid a lot of attention to driver's comfort with the Tiger. It boasts an ergonomically designed instrument panel and 32° raked steering used on the National, Titan and Olympian buses — the wheel itself is small, 18in in diameter.
Starting off in second gear (first is a crawler) and quickly changing through the box the coach reached 90km/h (56mph) on the autoroute, and would have kept on to well over 110km/h (68.4mph) if I had allowed it.
Cruising at just over 90kr (56mph) with the engine turn over at just under 1,500rpm, Tiger was quiet and stable combination of crosswinds, high flat-sided Van Hool bc and the small steering wlmeant I had to correct the sti ing from time to time.
Travelling in convoy with E tack's Duple Dominant 2/4 died Tiger, which is fitted r the optional ZF 6-80 mar gearbox, it quickly beca apparent that the extra gear advantageous on long incl when the Bostock vehicle cle had the edge and our sr dropped as low as 70kr (43.5mph) from time to time.
After spending Monday n at Macon, Peter Bostock me the opportunity to drive Duple coach. The ZF gearbo; the new vehicle was precise pleasant to use. A similar ur available in the Leyland I pard, Volvo B58 and DAF ME and is well known to rr coach drivers.
The ratios used on Tiger a well spaced gearing for smi acceleration to reach crui speed quickly while maintaii fuel economy.
The Duple Dominant t fitted to the Bostock Ti contrasted with the Van Hoc the other vehicle. Fitted wit fixed seats the Duple was rit luxurious as the Van Hool, was well finished and to rattle and draught-free.
The polished veneer and mica finish of the Du contrasted with the softer n typically European moqu trim used on the Van Hoo Unusually, the Duple