RILEY Automobiles and Motorcycles Coventry, England, UK

Riley Motor

http://www.classiccarcatalogue.com/RILEY%201948.html

http://rileyrob.co.uk/specs/guide.htm

This article is about the British car manufacturer. For the American racing-car manufacturer, see Riley Technologies.

The Riley Cycle Company Limited (1896–1912)
Riley (Coventry) Limited (1912–1950)
Riley Motors Limited (1950–1960)

“As old as the industry, as modern as the hour”
Industry	Automotive
Fate	Acquired by William Morris in 1938 thereafter with Morris Motors Limited
Successor	Nuffield Organisation
Founded	1896 as The Riley Cycle Company
Headquarters	Coventry, England
Key people	William Riley (1851–1944) William Victor Riley (1876–1958) Allan Riley (c.1880– ) Percy Riley (1882–1941) Stanley Riley (c.1889–1952) Cecil Riley (c. 1895– )

12/18 c. 1910

and chauffeur for William Beveridge

Riley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. Riley became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was merged into the British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. ln July 1969 British Leyland announced the immediate end of Riley production, although 1969 was a difficult year for the UK auto industry and cars from Riley’s inventory may have been first registered in 1970.

Today, the Riley trademark is owned by BMW.

Riley Cycle Company

The business began as the Bonnick Cycle Company of Coventry, England. In 1890 during the pedal cycle craze that swept Britain at the end of the 19th century William Riley Jr. who had interests in the textile industry purchased the business and in 1896 incorporated a company to own it named The Riley Cycle Company Limited. Later, cycle gear maker Sturmey Archer was added to the portfolio. Riley’s middle son, Percy, left school in the same year and soon began to dabble in automobiles. He built his first car at 16, in 1898, secretly, because his father did not approve. It featured the first mechanically operated inlet valve. By 1899, Percy Riley moved from producing motorcycles to his first prototype four-wheeled quadricycle. Little is known about Percy Riley’s first “motor-car”. It is, however, well attested that the engine featured mechanically operated cylinder valves at a time when other engines depended on the vacuum effect of the descending piston to suck the inlet valve(s) open. That was demonstrated some years later when Benz developed and patented a mechanically operated inlet valve process of their own but were unable to collect royalties on their system from British companies; the courts were persuaded that the system used by British auto-makers was based on the one pioneered by Percy, which had comfortably anticipated equivalent developments in Germany. In 1900, Riley sold a single three-wheeled automobile. Meanwhile, the elder of the Riley brothers, Victor Riley, although supportive of his brother’s embryonic motor-car enterprise, devoted his energies to the core bicycle business.

Riley’s founder William Riley remained resolutely opposed to diverting the resources of his bicycle business into motor cars, and in 1902 three of his sons, Victor, Percy and younger brother Allan Riley pooled resources, borrowed a necessary balancing amount from their mother and in 1903 established the separate Riley Engine Company, also in Coventry. A few years later the other two Riley brothers, Stanley and Cecil, having left school joined their elder brothers in the business. At first, the Riley Engine Company simply supplied engines for Riley motorcycles and also to Singer, a newly emerging motorcycle manufacturer in the area, but the Riley Engine Company soon began to focus on four-wheeled automobiles. Their Vee-Twin Tourer prototype, produced in 1905, can be considered the first proper Riley car. The Riley Engine Company expanded the next year. William Riley reversed his former opposition to his sons’ preference for motorised vehicles and Riley Cycle halted motorcycle production in 1907 to focus on automobiles. Bicycle production also ceased in 1911.

In 1912, the Riley Cycle Company changed its name to Riley (Coventry) Limited as William Riley focused it on becoming a wire-spoked wheel supplier for the burgeoning motor industry, the detachable wheel having been invented (and patented) by Percy and distributed to over 180 motor manufacturers, and by 1912 the father’s business had also dropped automobile manufacture in order to concentrate capacity and resources on the wheels. Exploitation of this new and rapidly expanding lucrative business sector made commercial sense for William Riley, but the abandonment of his motor-bicycle and then of his automobile business which had been the principal customer for his sons’ Riley Engine Company enforced a rethink on the engine business.

Riley (Coventry) Limited

Riley (Coventry) Limited share certificate issued 17 May 1937

In early 1913, Percy was joined by three of his brothers (Victor, Stanley, and Allan) to focus on manufacturing entire automobiles. The works was located near Percy’s Riley Engine Company. The first new model, the 17/30, was introduced at the London Motor Show that year. Soon afterwards, Stanley Riley founded yet another business, the Nero Engine Company, to produce his own 4-cylinder 10 hp (7.5 kW) car. Riley also began manufacturing aeroplane engines and became a key supplier in Britain’s buildup for World War I.

In 1918, after the war, the Riley companies were restructured. Nero joined Riley (Coventry) as the sole producer of automobiles. Riley Motor Manufacturing under the control of Allan Riley became Midland Motor Bodies, a coachbuilder for Riley. Riley Engine Company continued under Percy as the engine supplier. At this time, Riley’s blue diamond badge, designed by Harry Rush, also appeared. The motto was “As old as the industry, as modern as the hour.”

Riley grew rapidly through the 1920s and 1930s. The Riley Engine Company produced 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines, while Midland built more than a dozen different bodies. Riley models at this time included:

• Saloons: Adelphi, ‘Continental'(Close-coupled Touring Saloon), Deauville, Falcon, Kestrel, Mentone, Merlin, Monaco, Stelvio, Victor
• Coupes: Ascot, Lincock
• Tourers: Alpine, Lynx, Gamecock
• Sports: Brooklands, Imp, MPH, Sprite
• Limousines: Edinburgh, Winchester

Introduced in 1926 in a humble but innovatively designed fabric bodied saloon, Percy Riley’s ground-breaking Riley 9 engine- a small capacity, high revving unit- was ahead of its time in many respects. Having hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined overhead valves, it has been called the most significant engine development of the 1920s. With twin camshafts set high in the cylinder block and valves operated by short pushrods, it provided power and efficiency without the servicing complexity of an OHC (overhead camshaft) layout. It soon attracted the attention of tuners and builders of ‘specials’ intended for sporting purposes. One such was engineer/driver J.G. Parry-Thomas, who conceived the Riley ‘Brooklands’ (initially called the ‘9’ Speed Model) in his workshops at the banked Surrey circuit. After Parry-Thomas was killed during a land speed record attempt in 1927, his close collaborator Reid Railton stepped in to finish the job. Officially backed by Riley, the Brooklands, along with later developments and variations such as the ‘Ulster’ Imp, MPH, and Sprite, proved some of the most successful works and privateer racing cars of the late 1920s and early 1930s. At Le Mans in 1934, Rileys finished 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 12th, winning the Rudge-Whitworth Cup, the Team Prize, two class awards, and the Ladies’ Prize. Rileys also distinguished themselves at the Ulster TT, at Brooklands itself, and at smaller events like hill climbs, while providing a platform for the success of motorsports’ first women racing drivers such as Kay Petre, Dorothy Champney and Joan Richmond. Another engineer/driver,Freddie Dixon, was responsible for extensive improvements to engine and chassis tuning, creating a number of ‘specials’ that exploited the basic Riley design still further, and contributed greatly to its success on the track.

For series production, the engine configuration was extended into a larger 12 horsepower ‘4’, six-cylinder and even V8 versions, powering an increasingly bewildering range of touring and sports cars. The soundness and longevity of the engine design is illustrated by Mike Hawthorn’s early racing success after WW2 in pre-war Rileys, in particular his father’s Sprite. By about 1936, however, the business had overextended, with too many models and few common parts, and the emergence of Jaguar at Coventry was a direct challenge. Disagreements between the Riley brothers about the future direction of the enterprise grew. Victor Riley had set up a new ultra-luxury concern, 1938 Autovia, to produce a V8 saloon and limousine to compete with Rolls-Royce. By contrast, Percy, however, did not favour an entry into the luxury market, and the Riley Engine Company had been renamed PR Motors to be a high-volume supplier of engines and components. Although the rest of the Riley companies would go on to become part of Nuffield and then BMC, PR Motors remained independent. After the death of Percy Riley in 1941, his business began producing transmission components and still exists today, producing marine and off-highway vehicle applications, as PRM Newage Limited based in Aldermans Green, Coventry. Percy’s widow Norah ran his business for many years and was Britain’s businesswoman of the year in 1960.

Riley sports saloons and coupés

Nine Biarritz 4-door saloon 1930 Nine Monaco 4-door saloon 1932 Nine Gamecock 2/4-str sports 1932 Nine Lynx instrument panel Nine Lynx tourer 1934 Nine Merlin 4-light saloon 1935 Nine Kestrel 4-light saloon 1934 12/4 Kestrel 4-light saloon 1934 1½-litre Kestrel 4-light saloon 1935 1½-litre Kestrel 6-light saloon 1938 Riley 12/4 Kestrel 6-Light 16/4 2½-litre Kestrel 6-light saloon 1937 16/4 2½-litre Kestrel 6-light saloon 1937 14/6 Lincock fixed head coupé ’34 1½-litre Falcon 4-door saloon 1935 15/6 Adelphi six-light Saloon 1935 12/4 Lynx sports tourer 1937 12/4 Continental sports saloon 1937 Twelve six-light saloon 1939 First Nuffield Model

Riley racing and sports cars
Nine Brooklands open 2-seater 1931 1½-litre Sprite TT Replica 1935 1½-litre Sprite 2-seater sports 1936 Nine MPH 2-seater sports 1936 Vincent MPH replica

Nuffield Organisation

Riley 12/4 Kestrel 6-Light

 

2½-litre Kestrel 1938
with the new Big Four engine

 RMD 2½-litre drophead coupé 1950

RMA 1½-litre saloon as a weddingcar 1951

 RMH 2½-litre Pathfinder 1953
the last real Riley with the Big Four engine 1956 example

By 1937, Riley began to look to other manufacturers for partnerships. A contract with Briggs Motor Bodies of Dagenham to provide all-steel bodies for a cheaper, more mass-market saloon had already turned sour, with dozens of unsold bodies littering the factory. It had withdrawn from works racing after its most successful year, 1934, although it continued to supply engines for the ERA, a voiturette (Formula 2) racing car based on the supercharged 6-cylinder ‘White Riley’, developed by ERA founder Raymond Mays in the mid-thirties. BMW of Munich, Germany was interested in expanding its range into England. But the Riley brothers were more interested in a larger British concern, and looked to Triumph Motor Company, also of Coventry, as a natural fit. In February 1938, all negotiations were suspended. On 24 February the directors placed Riley (Coventry) Limited and Autovia in voluntary receivership. On 10 March the Triumph board announced merger negotiations had been dropped.

It was announced on 9 September 1938 that the assets and goodwill of Riley Motors (Coventry) Limited had been purchased from the receiver by Lord Nuffield and he would on completion transfer ownership to Morris Motors Limited “on terms which will show very considerable financial advantage to the company, resulting in further consolidation of its financial position”. Mr Victor Riley then said this did not mean that the company would cease its activities. On 30 September Victor Riley announced that Riley (Coventry) Limited would be wound up but it would appear that the proceeds of liquidation would be insufficient to meet the amount due to debenture holders. Nuffield paid £143,000 for the business and a new company was formed, Riley Motors Limited. However, in spite of the announced intention to wind-up Riley (Coventry) Limited, perhaps for tax reasons, continued under the management of Victor Riley presumably with the necessary consents of debenture holders (part paid) creditors (nothing) and former shareholders (nothing). Nuffield passed ownership to his Morris Motors Limited for £100. Along with other Morris Motors subsidiaries Wolseley and MG, Riley would later be promoted as a member of the (1951) Nuffield Organisation. Riley Motors Limited seems to have begun trading at the end of the 1940s when Riley (Coventry) Limited disappeared..

Nuffield took quick measures to firm up the Riley business. Autovia was no more, with just 35 cars having been produced. Riley refocused on the 4-cylinder market with two engines: A 1.5-litre 12 hp engine and the “Big Four”, a 2.5-litre 16 hp unit (The hp figures are RAC Rating, and bear no relationship to bhp or kW). Only a few bodies were produced prior to the onset of war in 1939, and some components were shared with Morris for economies of scale. Though they incorporated a number of mechanical improvements- notably a Nuffield synchromesh gearbox- they were essentially interim models, suffering a loss of Riley character in the process. The new management responded to the concerns of the marque’s loyal adherents by re-introducing the Kestrel 2.5 litre Sports Saloon in updated form, but as the factory was turned over to wartime production this was a short-lived development.

After World War II, Riley took up the old engines in new models, based in concept on the 1936-8 ‘Continental’, a fashionable ‘notchback’ design whose name had been changed prior to release to ‘Close-Coupled Touring Saloon’ owing to feared objections from Rolls-Royce. The RMA used the 1.5-litre engine, while the RMB got the Big Four. Both engines, being derived from pre-war models, lent themselves as power units for specials and new specialist manufacturers, such as Donald Healey. The RM line of vehicles, sold under the “Magnificent Motoring” tag line, were to be a re-affirmation of Riley values in both road behaviour and appearance. ‘Torsionic’ front independent suspension and steering design inspired by the CitroënTraction Avant provided precise handling; their flowing lines were particularly well-balanced, marrying pre-war ‘coachbuilt’ elegance to more modern features, such as headlamps faired into the front wings. The RMC, a 3-seater roadster was an unsuccessful attempt to break into the American market, while the RMD was an elegant 4/5-seater two-door drophead, of which again few were made. The 1.5-litre RME and 2.5-litre RMF were later developments of the saloon versions, which continued in production into the mid-fifties.

Victor Riley was removed by Nuffield in 1947. In early 1949 the Coventry works were made an extension of Morris Motors’ engine branch. Riley production was consolidated with MG at Abingdon. Wolseley production was moved to Cowley. Nuffield’s marques were then organised in a similar way to those of General Motors: Morris was the value line, and Wolseley the luxury marque. Aside from their small saloons MG largely offered spartan performance, especially with their open sports cars, while Riley sought to be both sporty and luxurious. With Wolseley also fighting for the top position, however, the range was crowded and confused.

British Motor Corporation

Two-Point-Six saloon 1959

4/72 saloon 1965

One-Point-Five saloon 1965

Kestrel saloon 1968

Elf Mk III saloon 1968

The confusion became critical in 1952 with the merger of Nuffield and Austin as the British Motor Corporation. Now, Riley was positioned between MG and Wolseley and most Riley models would become, like those, little more than badge-engineered versions of Austin/Morris designs.

The first all-new Riley under BMC, however, was designated the RMH, and because of its distinctive engine and suspension design, has been called ‘the last real Riley’. This was the Pathfinder, with Riley’s familiar 2.5-litre four developed to produce 110 bhp. (The RMG ‘Wayfarer’, a projected 1.5-litre version, was rejected as underpowered). The Pathfinder body was later reworked and, with a different engine and rear suspension, sold as the Wolseley 6/90. The Riley lost its distinct (though externally subtle) differences in 1958, and the 6/90 of that year was available badge engineered as a Riley Two-Point-Six 1957 Riley two-point-six 1957 207 CWL. Although this was the only postwar 6-cylinder Riley, its C-Series engine was actually less powerful than the Riley Big Four that it replaced. This was to be the last large Riley, with the model dropped in May 1959 and Riley refocusing on the under-2-litre segment.

Riley and Wolseley were linked in small cars as well. Launched in 1957, the Riley One-Point-Five and Wolseley 1500 were based on the unused but intended replacement for the Morris Minor. They shared their exteriors, but the Riley was marketed as the more performance-oriented option, having an uprated engine, twin S.U. carburetters and a close-ratio gearbox. With its good handling, compact, sports-saloon styling and well-appointed interior, the One-Point-Five quite successfully recaptured the character of the 1930s light saloons.

At the top of the Riley line for April 1959 was the new Riley 4/Sixty-Eight saloon. Again, it was merely a badge-engineered version of other BMC models. The steering was perhaps the worst feature of the car, being Austin-derived cam and peg rather than the rack and pinion of the One-Point-Five. Overall, it could not provide the sharp and positive drive associated with previous Rileys, being based on the humble Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford. Sharing many features with the similarly upmarket MG Magnette Mark III and Wolseley 15/60, it was the most luxurious of the versions, which were all comfortable and spacious, and (nominally) styled by Farina. The car was refreshed, along with its siblings, in 1961 and rebadged the 4/Seventy-Two.

The early 1960s also saw the introduction of the Mini-based Riley Elf. Again, a Wolseley model (the Hornet) was introduced simultaneously. This time, the Riley and Wolseley versions were differentiated visually by their grilles but identical mechanically.

The final model of the BMC era was the Kestrel 1100/1300, based on the Austin/Morris 1100/1300 saloon. This also had stablemates in Wolseley and MG versions. Following objections from diehard Riley enthusiasts, the Kestrel name was dropped for the last facelift in 1968, the Riley 1300.

Between 1966 and 1968 a series of mergers took place in the British motor industry, ultimately creating the British Leyland Motor Corporation, whose management embarked on a programme of rationalisation—in which the Riley marque was an early casualty. A BLMC press release was reported in The Times of 9 July 1969: “British Leyland will stop making Riley cars from today. “With less than 1 per cent of the home market, they are not viable” the company said last night. The decision will end 60 years of motoring history. No other marques in the British Leyland stable are likely to suffer the same fate “in the foreseeable future”.

In spite of the decline of the marque under BMC, surviving well-preserved examples of the period are now considered desirable classics, the Riley ‘face’ and badge lending a distinctive character. The needs of enthusiasts are met by the Riley Motor Club, the original factory Club founded in 1925.

The future

Riley production ended with the 1960s, and the marque became dormant. The last Riley badged car was produced in 1969. For many enthusiasts, however, the name of Riley still has resonance into the 21st century. Many of the original racing Rileys compete regularly in VSCC (Vintage Sports Car Club) events, and pre-war racing ‘specials’ continue to be created (controversially) from tired or derelict saloons. For a short while, following BMW’s purchase of the Rover Group in 1994, there were hopes that Riley might be revived, since the then Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder was an enthusiast for many of the defunct British marques. After Pischetsrieder’s removal in 1999, and BMW‘s divestment of the MG Rover Group in 2000, however, these hopes faded; though the rights to the Triumph and Riley marques, along with Mini were retained by BMW.

In 2007, William Riley, who claims to be a descendant of the Riley family, although this has been disputed, formed MG Sports and Racing Europe Ltd. This new business acquired assets relating to the MG XPower SVsportscar from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the administrators of the defunct MG Rover Group, and intended to continue production of the model as the MG XPower WR.

In September 2010 the motor magazine ‘Autocar’ reported that BMW were considering the revival of the Riley brand in the form of a variant of the redesigned MINI. This would most likely be a luxury version taking its cues from the ‘Elf’ of 1961-9, with a ‘notchback’ (booted) body, and the interior trimmed in wood and leather in the manner of earlier Rileys. No sources were quoted, however, and in the absence of any statement from BMW reports of the possible resurrection of Riley must be regarded as highly speculative. ‘Autocar’ reiterated this information in April 2016.

List of Riley vehicles

Pre-World War I

• 1907–1911 Riley 9
• 1907–1907 Riley 12
• 1909–1914 Riley 10
• 1908–1914 Riley 12/18
• 1915–1916 Riley 10

Inter-war years

• 1913–1922 Riley 17/30
• 1919–1924 Riley Eleven
• 1925–1928 Riley Twelve
• 1926–1937 Riley Nine
• 1929–1934 Riley 14/6
• 1933–1935 Riley 12/6
• 1935–1935 Riley 12/4
• 1935–1938 Riley 15/6
• 1935–1938 Riley 1½-litre
• 1936–1938 Riley 8/90 V8
• 1937–1940 Riley 16
• 1938–1938 Riley Victor
• 1939–1940 Riley 12 Nuffield body

Notable bodies

• 1927–1931 Riley Brooklands Nine
• 1934–1935 Riley Imp Nine
• 1934–1935 Riley MPH 12/6 14/6 or 15/6
• 1936–1938 Riley Sprite 12/4 1½ litre

Post-war

• Roadster
  • 1948–1951 RMC
  • 1949–1951 RMD
• Mid-sized
  • 1945–1952 RMA
  • 1952–1955 RME
  • 1957–1965 One-Point-Five (Wolseley 1500)
  • 1959–1961 4/Sixty-Eight (Wolseley 15/60)
  • 1961–1969 4/Seventy-Two (Wolseley 16/60)
• Large
  • 1946–1952 RMB
  • 1952–1953 RMF
  • 1953–1957 Pathfinder
  • 1958–1959 Two-Point-Six (Wolseley 6/90)
• Mini
  • 1961–1969 Elf (Mini)
• Compact
  • 1965–1969 Riley Kestrel/1300 (Morris 1100)

Riley 1.5litre Sprite with Kestrel body 1936. The 6-light Kestrel body was given to the new 1½-litre car in 1936

Riley 12/4 Kestrel 6-Light

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Notes

1. Jump up^ Information extracted from Notice issued in compliance with the Regulations of the Committee of The Stock Exchange, London (with regard to the issue of 150,000 Preference Shares of £1 each on 17 January 1934).

   The Company was incorporated in England on 25 June 1896 under the name The Riley Cycle Company Limited, changed to Riley (Coventry) Limited on 30 March 1912.

   In and around the year 1927 closer working arrangements were made between the Company and the Riley Engine Company and the Midland Motor Body Company whereby the designing and manufacturing resources of the three businesses were pooled.

   (During 1932) these two associated concerns were absorbed by the Company which became a completely self-contained manufacturing unit on modern lines.

   The Company’s works at Coventry and Hendon cover a combined area of 16½ acres, in addition to which the Company owns adjoining land at Coventry of approximately 6 acres.

   About 2,200 workpeople are regularly employed.
   Riley (Coventry) Limited. The Times, Thursday, 18 January 1934; pg. 18; Issue 46655

2. Jump up^ Riley Motors Limited, Company no. 00344156 was incorporated 8 September 1938—and changed its name in 1994 to BLMC Engineering Limited. Curiously the name Riley (Coventry) Limited continued to be used in all Nuffield group advertising until 1946 as if the original company had not been liquidated but continued to survive.
   Riley Motors Limited was used in all advertising between 1950 and July 1960

References

1. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Peter King (1989). The Motor Men: Pioneers of the British Car Industry. Quiller. ISBN 1-870948-23-8.
2. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h} “‘Renowned since ’98“. Motor. Vol. nbr 3515. 1 November 1969. pp. 19–22.
3. Jump up^ Riley (Coventry) Limited. The Times, Thursday, 18 January 1934; pg. 18; Issue 46655
4. Jump up^ “Collections”. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
5. Jump up^ The Future Of Riley (Coventry).The Times, Saturday, 26 February 1938; pg. 17; Issue 47929.
6. Jump up^ Merger Negotiations Dropped. The Times, Friday, 11 March 1938; pg. 21; Issue 47940.
7. Jump up^ Riley Motors. Purchase by Lord Nuffield, The Times, Saturday, 10 September 1938; pg. 17; Issue 48096
8. Jump up^ Riley (Coventry) Winding Up. The Times, Saturday, 1 October 1938; pg. 17; Issue 48114
9. ^ Jump up to:^a b Obituary, Mr. Victor Riley. The Times, Tuesday, 11 February 1958; pg. 10; Issue 54072
10. Jump up^ Report of the A.G.M. of Morris Motors Limited, The Manchester Guardian; 9 May 1939;
11. Jump up^ rileyrob.co.uk/specials/index.htm
12. Jump up^ M.G. and Riley to combine, The Manchester Guardian; 22 January 1949; p.6
13. Jump up^ News in Brief. End of the line for Riley. The Times, Wednesday, 9 July 1969; pg. 2; Issue 57607
14. Jump up^ Riley, V. W. (19 July 2008). “Riley dynastic claim is a non-starter”. Financial Times. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
15. Jump up^ “MG is back on the road”. Birmingham Mail. Midland Newspapers Limited. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
16. Jump up^ “Mini Countryman Coupe revealed – Autocar”. http://www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
17. Jump up^ “Mini saloon to be fifth model in new-look range – Autocar”. http://www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.

• Brochures (incomplete)

1930 Riley Nine

1937 Riley Motors

• Riley 12-18 tourer 1909
• The Riley RM Club – The Club for the Preservation of all Rileys from 1945-1957
• Riley Motor Club ‘The Club for all Rileys’
• The 1100 Club based in the UK
• Austin and Longbridge All about the history of Longbridge and models produced

Riley (merk)

1936 Riley Sprite, 85PS, 1500ccm, open two-seater

Riley Sprite

Riley is een historisch merk van motorfietsen en automobielen.

De bedrijfsnaam was Riley Cycle Co. Ltd., City Works, Coventry (1899–1908).

Riley was een Engels merk, opgericht door William Riley, dat in 1901 motorfietsen ging maken, nadat al eerder driewielers met De Dion-motor werden geproduceerd.

De merknaam Riley is in handen van BMW.

Motorfietsen

De motorfietsen werden aangedreven door motorblokken van Minerva en MMC. Die laatste waren overigens in licentie geproduceerde De Dions. In 1903 probeerden William’s zoons Percy, Victor en Allan hun vader en hun oom te overreden een bedrijf te kopen waar men zelf motorblokken kon bouwen. William en zijn broer wilden er niet aan beginnen, maar de zoons kregen toch financiële steun en richtten de Riley Engine Company op. Zodoende beschikte Riley vanaf 1904 over eigen 2-, 2½- en 2¾ pk eencilinders en V-twins. In dat jaar waren er fietsen, twee- en driewielers in productie. In 1908 werd de productie beëindigd en Riley ging automobielen maken.

Automobielen

• 1907-1911 Riley 9
• 1907-1907 Riley 12
• 1909-1914 Riley 10
• 1908-1914 Riley 12/18
• 1915-1916 Riley 10

• 1913-1922 Riley 17/30
• 1919-1924 Riley Eleven
• 1925-1928 Riley Twelve
• 1926-1937 Riley Nine
• 1927-1931 Riley Brooklands
• 1928-1937 Riley Six
• 1929-1934 Riley 14/6
• 1933-1935 Riley 12/6
• 1934-1935 Riley Imp
• 1934-1935 Riley MPH
• 1935-1938 Riley 15/6
• 1935-1938 Riley 1 1/2 litre
• 1936-1938 Riley Sprite
• 1936-1938 Riley 8/90
• 1937-1938 Riley Big Four
• 1938-1938 Riley Victor
• 1939-1940 Riley 12
• 1939-1940 Riley 16

• Roadster
  • 1948-1951 RMC
  • 1949-1951 RMD
• Mid-sized
  • 1945-1952 RMA
  • 1952-1955 RME
  • 1957-1965 One-Point-Five (Wolseley 1500)
  • 1959-1961 4/Sixty-Eight (Wolseley 15/60)
  • 1961-1969 4/Seventy-Two (Wolseley 16/60)
• Large
  • 1946-1952 RMB
  • 1952-1953 RMF
  • 1953-1957 Pathfinder (Wolseley 6/90)
  • 1958-1959 Two-Point-Six (Wolseley 6/90)
• Mini
  • 1961-1969 Elf (Mini)
• Compact
  • 1965-1969 Riley Kestrel/1300 (Morris 1100)
  • 2007-2008 De Engelsen laten het niet over hun kant gaan dat Jan en alleman er met hun automobiele historie vandoor gaat. Op de plek waar vroeger TVR zat, wordt nu weer een oud merk nieuw leven ingeblazen.

William Riley, een nakomeling van de oprichter van het merk, wil in Blackpool, op de plek waar vroeger TVR’s werden gebouwd het merk Riley opnieuw gaan stichten. Riley kwam in 1907 voort uit een bedrijf dat fietsen maakte. In 1969 ging het onder de vleugels van British Leyland ter ziele. Aanvankelijk wilde William Riley zijn auto’s gaan bouwen op de basis van TVR-modellen. Nu is het plan de auto te baseren op de MG SV. Die sportauto was nauwelijks op de markt toen in 2005 MG Rover failliet ging. Van de SV zouden zeshonderd exemplaren worden gebouwd, maar uiteindelijk is het gebleven bij een handjevol. Riley is inmiddels druk bezig in Blackpool de weg te plaveien voor een wedergeboorte. Als alles goed gaat, worden in 2010 1.800 auto’s gebouwd en werken er honderd mensen.

Heropleving

William Riley, een nakomeling van de oprichter van het merk, wil in Blackpool, op de plek waar vroeger TVR’s werden gebouwd het merk Riley opnieuw oprichten. Aanvankelijk wilde William Riley zijn auto’s gaan bouwen op de basis van TVR-modellen. Nu is het plan de auto te baseren op de MG XPower SV. Deze sportauto was nauwelijks op de markt toen in 2005 MG Rover failliet ging. Van de SV zouden zeshonderd exemplaren worden gebouwd, maar uiteindelijk is het gebleven bij een handjevol. Men wil in 2010 1.800 auto’s bouwen.

#######

PININFARINA Italian design house and coachbuilder

Pininfarina

Pininfarina S.p.A.

Type	Società per Azioni
Traded as	BIT: PINF
Industry	Automotive
Founded	Torino, Italy (May 23, 1930)
Founder	Battista Farina
Headquarters	Cambiano, Italy
Key people	Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman Silvio Angori, CEO Gianfranco Albertini, CFO
Services	Automotive design
Net income	€32.9 million (2012)
Number of employees	821 (2012)
Parent	Mahindra Group (76.06%)
Website	www.pininfarina.com

Pininfarina Design Center

Pin­in­fa­rina S.p.A. (short for Carozze­ria Pin­in­fa­rina) is an Ital­ian car de­sign firm and coach­builder in Cam­biano, Italy. It was founded by Bat­tista ”Pinin” Fa­rina in 1930.On De­cem­ber 14, 2015, Mahin­dra Group, ac­quired Pin­in­fa­rina S.p.A. in a deal worth about 168 mil­lion euros ($185 million).

Pin­in­fa­rina is em­ployed by a wide va­ri­ety of au­to­mo­bile man­u­fac­tures to de­sign ve­hi­cles. These firms have in­cluded long-es­tab­lished cus­tomers such as Fer­rari, Alfa Romeo, Peu­geot, FIAT, GM, Lan­cia, and Maserati, to emerg­ing com­pa­nies in the Asian mar­ket with Chi­nese man­u­fac­tures like AviChina, Chery, Changfeng, Bril­liance, and JAC and Ko­rean man­u­fac­tur­ers Dae­woo and Hyundai.

Since the 1980s Pin­in­fa­rina has also de­signed high-speed trains, buses, trams, rolling stocks, au­to­mated light rail cars, peo­ple movers, yachts, air­planes, and pri­vate jets. With the 1986 cre­ation of Pin­in­fa­rina Extra they have con­sulted on in­dus­trial de­sign, in­te­rior de­sign, ar­chi­tec­ture, and graphic design.

Pin­in­fa­rina was run by Bat­tista’s son Ser­gio Pin­in­fa­rina until 2001, then his grand­son An­drea Pin­in­fa­rina until his death in 2008. After An­drea’s death his younger brother Paolo Pin­in­fa­rina was ap­pointed as CEO.

At its height in 2006 the Pin­in­fa­rina Group em­ployed 2,768 with sub­sidiary com­pany of­fices through­out Eu­rope, as well as in Mo­rocco and the United States. As of 2012 with the end of se­ries au­to­mo­tive pro­duc­tion, em­ploy­ment has shrunk to 821. Pin­in­fa­rina is reg­is­tered and pub­licly traded on the Borsa Ital­iana (Milan Stock Exchange).

On De­cem­ber 14, 2015, Mahin­dra Group, an­nounced a deal to ac­quire Pin­in­fa­rina S.p.A. in a deal worth about 168 mil­lion euros ($185 million).

History

The days as a specialist coachbuilder

When au­to­mo­bile de­signer and builder Bat­tista ”Pinin” Fa­rina broke away from his brother’s coach build­ing firm, Sta­bil­i­menti Fa­rina, in 1928 he founded “Car­rozze­ria Pinin Fa­rina” with fi­nan­cial help from his wife’s fam­ily and Vin­cenzo Lan­cia. That first year the firm em­ployed eigh­teen and built 50 au­to­mo­bile bodies.

On May 22, 1930 pa­pers were filed to be­come a cor­po­ra­tion, So­cietà anon­ima Car­rozze­ria Pinin Farina head­quar­tered in Turin, Italy, at 107 Corso Trapani. Dur­ing the 1930s, the com­pany built bod­ies for Lan­cia, Alfa Romeo, Isotta-Fras­chini, His­pano Suiza, Fiat, Cadil­lac, and Rolls-Royce. With its close re­la­tion­ship with Lan­cia, the pi­o­neer of the mono­coque in au­to­mo­bile de­sign, Pin­in­fa­rina be­came the first coach­builder to build bod­ies for the new tech­nique also known as uni­body con­struc­tion. This de­vel­op­ment hap­pened in the mid-1930s when oth­ers saw the frame­less con­struc­tion as the end of the in­de­pen­dent coachbilder.

In 1939, World War II ended au­to­mo­bile pro­duc­tion, but the com­pany had 400 em­ploy­ees build­ing 150 bod­ies a month. The war ef­fort against the Al­lies brought work mak­ing am­bu­lances and search­light carriages. The Pin­in­fa­rina fac­tory was de­stroyed by Al­lied bombers end­ing the firm’s operations.

After World War II

Cisitalia 202 – Museo Torino

Nash-Healey roadster

1987 Cadillac Allanté

After the war, Italy was banned from the 1946 Paris Motor Show. The Paris show was at­tended by 809,000 vis­i­tors (twice the pre-war fig­ure), lines of peo­ple stretched from the main gate all the way to the Seine. Pinin Fa­rina and his son Ser­gio, de­ter­mined to defy the ban, drove two of their cars – an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S and a Lan­cia Aprilia cabri­o­let – from Turin to Paris, and found a place at the en­trance to the ex­hi­bi­tion to dis­play the two new cre­ations. The man­agers of the Grand Palais said of the dis­play, “the devil Pin­in­fa­rina”, but to the press and the pub­lic it was the suc­cess­ful “Turin coach­builder’s anti-salon”.

At the end of 1945 the Cisi­talia 202 Coupé was de­signed. An el­e­gantly pro­por­tioned de­sign with a low hood, it is the car that usu­ally is given credit for es­tab­lish­ing Pin­in­fa­rina’s reputation. The Pin­in­fa­rina de­sign was hon­ored in the Mu­seum of Mod­ern Art’s land­mark pre­sen­ta­tion “Eight Au­to­mo­biles” in 1951. A total of 170 Coupés where pro­duced by Pininfarina.

The pub­lic­ity of the Mu­seum of Mod­ern Art ex­hibit brought Pin­in­fa­rina to the at­ten­tion of Nash-Kelv­ina­tor man­agers. The sub­se­quent co­op­er­a­tion with Nash Mo­tors re­sulted in high-vol­ume pro­duc­tion of Pin­in­fa­rina de­signs and pro­vided a major entry into the United States mar­ket. In 1952, Mr. Fa­rina vis­ited the U.S. for the un­veil­ing of his de­sign for the Nash Am­bas­sador and States­man lines, which, al­though they did carry some de­tails of Pin­in­fa­rina’s de­sign, were largely de­signed by Nash’s then-new in-house styling staff when the orig­i­nal Fa­rina-de­signed model proved un­suited to Amer­i­can tastes, ex­hibit­ing a pop­u­lar 1950s ap­pear­ance called “pon­ton“. The Nash-Healey sports car body was, how­ever, com­pletely de­signed and as­sem­bled in lim­ited num­bers from 1952 to 1954 at Pin­in­fa­rina’s Turin fa­cil­i­ties. Nash heav­ily ad­ver­tised its link to the fa­mous Ital­ian de­signer, much as Stude­baker pro­moted its long­time as­so­ci­a­tion with Ray­mond Loewy. As a re­sult of Nash’s $5 mil­lion ad­ver­tis­ing cam­paign, Pin­in­fa­rina be­came well known in the U.S.

Pin­in­fa­rina also built the bod­ies for the lim­ited-se­ries Cadil­lac El­do­rado Brougham for Gen­eral Mo­tors in 1959 and 1960, as­sem­bled them and sent them back to the U.S. There were 99 Broughams built in 1959 and 101 in 1960. A sim­i­lar arrange­ment was re­peated in the late 1980s when Pin­in­fa­rina de­signed (and par­tially as­sem­bled) the Cadil­lac Al­lanté at the San Giusto Canavese fac­tory. The car bod­ies were as­sem­bled and painted in Italy be­fore being flown from the Turin In­ter­na­tional Air­port to De­troit for final ve­hi­cle assembly.

The Ferrari partnership

It started in 1951 with a meet­ing at a restau­rant in Tor­tona, a small town halfway be­tween Turin and Mod­ena. This neu­tral ter­ri­tory was cho­sen be­cause nei­ther Pin­in­fa­rina nor Enzo Fer­rari wanted to meet at the other’s head­quar­ters. Pinin’s son, Ser­gio Pin­in­fa­rina re­called, “It is not dif­fi­cult to imag­ine how I felt that af­ter­noon when my fa­ther, with­out tak­ing his eyes off the road for one mo­ment told me his de­ci­sion as we drove back to Turin: “From now on you’ll be look­ing after Fer­rari, from A to Z. De­sign, en­gi­neer­ing, tech­nol­ogy, con­struc­tion—the lot!”—I was over the moon with hap­pi­ness.” “

Since that meet­ing the only road-go­ing pro­duc­tion Fer­raris not de­signed by Pin­in­fa­rina are the 1973 Dino 308 GT4 and 2013’s LaFerrari. Their re­la­tion­ship was so close that Pin­in­fa­rina be­came a part­ner of Fer­rari in “Scud­e­ria Fer­rari SpA SEFAC”, the or­ga­ni­za­tion that ran Fer­rari’s race team from 1961–1989, Pinin was a vice pres­i­dent of Ferrari, and Ser­gio later sat on Fer­rari’s board of directors.

The move to large-scale manufacturing

Paris – Mondial de l’automobile 2010 – Alfa Roméo Giulietta Spider

In 1954 to 1955 Pin­in­fa­rina pur­chased land in Grugliasco, out­side of Turin, for a new fac­tory. “The fac­tory in no way would look like the one of Corso Tra­pani. It would be a car no longer on my mea­sure­ments but on those of my chil­dren, built look­ing like them; I had this in mind and wanted it,” said Pininfarina.

Around the same time, Alfa Romeo ac­cepted Pin­in­fa­rina’s de­sign over Bertone for the new Giuli­etta Spi­der. The Alfa was the first ve­hi­cle that Pin­in­fa­rina pro­duced in large num­bers, in fact Alfa Romeo chose Pin­in­fa­rina to pro­duce the Spi­der in large part be­cause they felt con­fi­dent that they could pro­duce 20 cars a day for a run of 1,000 bod­ies. The Spi­der was a huge suc­cess for Alfa Romeo and Pin­in­fa­rina, Max Hoff­man the im­porter for the United States said he could sell as many as they could make. In 1956, the first year of pro­duc­tion, they pro­duced 1025 units which then ex­panded to over 4,000 in 1959 the first full year of the new Grugliasco factory.

Usine Pininfarina 406 coupe

2006 Volvo C70

The second generation of leadership

Start­ing with the plan­ning for the new plant in Grugliasco in 1956, Pinin started to groom his re­place­ments–Ser­gio his son and Renzo Carli his son-in-law. To his heirs ap­par­ent, Pinin said of the Corso Tra­pani fa­cil­ity “This old plant has reached the lim­its of its growth. It has no room for ex­pan­sion and is far from being up to date. If I were alone I’d leave it as it is. But I want you to de­cide which way to go–to stay as we are or to en­large. Ei­ther way is fine with me. It’s your de­ci­sion to make and I don’t want to know what it is. I’m fin­ished and it’s your time to take over. The fu­ture is ab­solutely up to you.” In 1958, upon leav­ing for a world tour Pinin added “In my fam­ily we in­herit our lega­cies from live peo­ple–not from the dead.”

1961 at the age of 68, “Pinin” Fa­rina for­mally turns his firm over to his son Ser­gio and his son-in-law, Renzo Carli, it was the same year that the Pres­i­dent of Italy for­mally au­tho­rized the change of Fa­rina’s last name to Pininfarina.

Pin­in­fa­rina was run by Bat­tista’s grand­son An­drea Pin­in­fa­rina from 2001 until his death in 2008. An­drea’s younger brother Paolo Pin­in­fa­rina was then ap­pointed as successor.

Modernizing for a new world

Start­ing in the mid-1960s, Pin­in­fa­rina started to make in­vest­ments in the sci­ence of au­to­mo­tive de­sign, a strat­egy to dif­fer­en­ti­ate it­self from the other Ital­ian coachbuilders.

In 1966, Pin­in­fa­rina opened Studi e Ricerche, or the Stud­ies and Re­search Cen­tre in Grugliasco. The re­search cen­tre oc­cu­pied 8000 sq. me­tres (2 acres) and em­ployed 180 tech­ni­cians ca­pa­ble of pro­duc­ing 25 pro­to­types a year.

The Cal­cu­la­tion and De­sign Cen­tre was set up in 1967, the first step in a process of tech­no­log­i­cal evo­lu­tion which, dur­ing the 1970s, would take Pin­in­fa­rina into the lead in au­to­mated body­work design.

Then in 1972 con­struc­tion of a full-sized wind tun­nel was com­pleted. The pro­ject was started in 1966. When it opened, it not only was the first wind tun­nel with the abil­ity to test full-sized cars in Italy, but also one of the first in the world with this ability. To put this fore­sight in per­spec­tive, GM’s full-sized wind tun­nel didn’t open until 1980.

New infrastructure and expansion

The 1980s started a pe­riod of ex­pan­sion for Pininfarina.

In 1982 the com­pany opened “Pin­in­fa­rina Studi e Ricerche” in Cam­biano. It was sep­a­rate from the fac­tory and wind tun­nel in Grugliasco, to keep de­sign and re­search ac­tiv­i­ties in­de­pen­dent from man­u­fac­tur­ing. On Oc­to­ber 14, 2002, Pin­in­fa­rina in­au­gu­rated a new en­gi­neer­ing cen­ter. The new fa­cil­ity, which was built at the Cam­biano cam­pus, to give greater vis­i­bil­ity and in­de­pen­dence to the en­gi­neer­ing operations.

In 1983 Pin­in­fa­rina reached an agree­ment with Gen­eral Mo­tors to de­sign and build the Cadil­lac Al­lanté. The Al­lanté pro­ject led to the build­ing of the San Gior­gio fac­tory in 1985.

In 1996, Mit­subishi en­tered into talks for Pin­in­fa­rina build their new com­pact SUV, the Pa­jero, in Italy. While Mit­subishi rec­og­nized Pin­in­fa­rina’s ex­per­tise in de­sign and en­gi­neer­ing, the rea­son for choos­ing them was that man­u­fac­tur­ing costs were half of those in Germany. After en­ter­ing into an agree­ment in 1996, Pin­in­fa­rina pur­chased an in­dus­trial site at Bairo Canavese near Turin, Italy. in April 1997, Bairo Canavese was ded­i­cated to the pro­duc­tion of the new Mit­subishi Pa­jero Pinin.

Pin­in­fa­rina Sverige AB in Ud­de­valla, Swe­den, was es­tab­lished in 2003 as a joint ven­ture (JV) be­tween Volvo Cars and Pin­in­fa­rina to pro­duce a new Volvo con­vert­ible that will be sold in Eu­rope and the United States. The JV is owned 60% by Pin­in­fa­rina and 40% by Volvo. The C70 model de­signed by Volvo’s John Kin­sey—was launched on 13 April 2006, shar­ing the Volvo P1 plat­form used in the S40.

New economic realities

In April 2008, after three years of se­ri­ous losses to­tal­ing 115 mil­lion euros at the end of 2007, Pin­in­fa­rina made the first of sev­eral moves to raise cap­i­tal and re­struc­ture its enor­mous debt:

April 29, 2008

Pin­in­fa­rina’s an­nounced Piero Fer­rari, Al­berto Bom­bas­sei, chair­man of Brembo, and the Mar­siaj fam­ily, founders of the Sabelt seat­belt com­pany, will join with Vin­cent Bol­lore, a French fi­nancier, and Ratan Tata, head of India’s Tata con­glom­er­ate, who al­ready an­nounced their plans to in­vest, re­ports Reuters. The five will to­gether in­vest €100 million.

Fund­ing will come through the sale of stock to other in­vestors. The Pin­in­fa­rina fam­ily is will­ing to re­duce its share from its cur­rent 55% to 30%, which is still enough to se­cure a con­trol­ling interest.

December 31, 2008

On De­cem­ber 31, 2008, Pin­in­fa­rina an­nounced a debt re­struc­tur­ing that would re­quire the fam­ily to sell its stake in the com­pany. The agree­ment was made after Pin­in­fa­rina’s value dropped 67 per cent dur­ing 2008, and it then had a mar­ket cap­i­tal­iza­tion of about €36 mil­lion. It had total debts of €598 mil­lion at the end of No­vem­ber. Of that amount, €555 mil­lion was the sub­ject of the debt re­struc­tur­ing agree­ment that was agreed on with a con­sor­tium of banks.

March 24, 2009

Pin­car, Pin­in­fa­rina’s fam­ily hold­ing com­pany, an­nounced it has hired Leonardo and Co to find a buyer for its 50.6% stake in Pin­in­fa­rina per the debt re­struc­tur­ing agree­ment reached in December.

January 4, 2011

Pin­in­fa­rina re­leased a state­ment say­ing that it is still gath­er­ing “pos­si­ble of­fers from po­ten­tial buy­ers,” adding it would re­lease more in­for­ma­tion when it was appropriate.

Com­pany sources added, the fam­ily will not sell its en­tire 50.7% stake but that Pin­car would no longer be a ma­jor­ity shareholder.

February 14, 2012

Italy’s Pin­in­fa­rina fam­ily is set to lose con­trol of the car de­sign com­pany as lengthy debt re­struc­tur­ing talks head to­ward the fin­ish line, peo­ple fa­mil­iar with the sit­u­a­tion said on Tues­day. A 16.9 mil­lion euros loss in the first nine months of 2011 oc­curred after clos­ing its man­u­fac­tur­ing op­er­a­tions to re-in­vent it­self as a smaller niche de­sign player.

An agree­ment with cred­i­tor banks in­clud­ing In­tesa San­paolo, Uni­Credit, Mediobanca and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena to re­struc­ture net debt of 76 mil­lion euros is on track and will be reached in the com­ing months, said three sources close to the sit­u­a­tion. “The debt sit­u­a­tion is sta­ble and the talks are not con­tentious, so there is no hurry,” said one of the sources, speak­ing on con­di­tion anonymity. “The agree­ment will fix the cap­i­tal struc­ture for the fore­see­able future.”

When fi­nalised, the debt ac­cord will give con­trol of the fam­ily’s 77 per­cent stake to its cred­i­tor banks, end­ing the Pin­in­fa­rina fam­ily’s ownership.

The deal will close a chap­ter that began in 2008 when the banks swapped 180 mil­lion euros in debt in ex­change for a promise of pro­ceeds from a fu­ture sale of part of the Pin­in­fa­rina’s fam­ily stake.

But no tak­ers ma­te­ri­alised. Po­ten­tial buy­ers were not will­ing to ac­quire a de­sign com­pany when they can eas­ily con­tract its ser­vices, said one of the peo­ple fa­mil­iar with the situation.

February 15, 2012

In a state­ment re­leased on 15 Feb­ru­ary, the Cam­biano-based com­pany, which owes over €100 mil­lion to a num­ber of Ital­ian banks, said its debt re­pay­ment date has been ex­tended to 2018, from 2015.

The agree­ment, which will be signed in the next few weeks, will also see the com­pany take ad­van­tage of in­ter­est rates “sig­nif­i­cantly lower than [cur­rent] mar­ket rates”. With the new debt re­struc­tur­ing deal with its cred­i­tors Pin­in­fa­rina will re­main under the con­trol of the Pin­in­fa­rina family.

May 16, 2012

Au­to­mo­tive News re­ports Pin­in­fa­rina pro­jects it will turn a profit for 2012, thanks in part to debt re­struc­tur­ing. The Ital­ian de­sign stu­dio hasn’t seen a profit in eight years, but signed a deal in April to re­struc­ture $182.6 mil­lion in debt. The move ef­fec­tively stretched the stu­dio’s re­pay­ment dead­line from 2015 to 2018. At the same time, Pin­in­fa­rina an­nounced it will likely see an op­er­at­ing loss this year, but a one-time gain of $57.6 mil­lion will re­sult in the net profit. Last year, the com­pany lost $8.3 mil­lion in the first quar­ter, though that fig­ure has dropped to just under $4 mil­lion dur­ing Q1 2012.

Pin­in­fa­rina also saw its net rev­enue in­crease by $2.9 million.

March 26, 2013

Pin­in­fa­rina in the black for first time since 2004 Ital­ian de­sign house Pin­in­fa­rina pre­dicted last May that it would face an op­er­at­ing loss for 2012 but still come out with a net profit. Both pre­dic­tions have come true – the com­pany is re­port­ing an op­er­at­ing loss of 8.2 mil­lion euros and a net profit of 32.9 mil­lion euros ($42.5 mil­lion US).

Ac­cord­ing to Reuters, the good news came be­cause of a debt re­struc­tur­ing arranged last year that gives the com­pany three more years to repay its $182.6 mil­lion in debt, and a one-time gain of roughly 45 mil­lion euros ($57.6 mil­lion US). It is the com­pany’s first profit since 2004.

Acquisition by Mahindra group (2015–present)

Mahin­dra Group, owner of In­dian au­to­mo­bile com­pany Mahin­dra & Mahin­dra agreed to buy Ital­ian car de­signer Pin­in­fa­rina SpA in a deal worth about 168 mil­lion euros ($185 million). Mahin­dra group, to­gether with af­fil­i­ate Tech Mahin­dra, have 76 per­cent stake from hold­ing com­pany Pin­car for 25.3 mil­lion euros. The In­dian com­pany will offer the same price for the re­main­ing stock. In ad­di­tion to buy­ing stock, Mahin­dra will in­vest 20 mil­lion euros in Pin­in­fa­rina and pro­vide a guar­an­tee to cred­i­tors of 114.5 mil­lion euros.

Corporate Governance (2016)

• President:Paolo Pininfarina
• CEO – General Manager: Silvio Pietro Angori
• Board of Directors: Manoj Bhat, C.P.Gurnani, Romina Guglielmetti, Jay Itzkowitz, Licia Mattioli, Sara Miglioli, Antony Sheriff.
• Statutory Auditors: Nicola Treves (president), Margherita Spaini, Giovanni Rayneri.

The end of car production operations

On De­cem­ber 10, 2011 Pin­in­fa­rina an­nounced it would end all au­to­mo­tive pro­duc­tion. In truth pro­duc­tion ended in No­vem­ber 2010 with the con­clu­sion of the con­tract to pro­duce the Alfa Romeo Brera and Spi­der at the San Gior­gio plant.

Grugliasco factory

Opened in 1958 with nearly 1,000 em­ploy­ees, by 1960 out­put ex­ceeded 11,000 car bodies. In 2009 Pin­in­fa­rina sold the fac­tory to Fin­piemonte, the pub­lic fi­nance of the Pied­mont Re­gion, at the price of 14.4 mil­lion euro. Fin­piemonte, as part of the deal, leases the plant to Gian Mario Rossig­nol at a rent of €650,000 per year for six years renewable.

The Grugliasco sale did not in­clude an ad­ja­cent struc­ture that houses the wind tunnel.

San Giorgio plant

Opened in 1986 to build Cadil­lac Al­lante bod­ies for Gen­eral Motors, the same year Pin­in­fa­rina was first listed on the Stock Ex­change in Milan. Au­to­mo­tive pro­duc­tion ended at San Gior­gio with the con­clu­sion of the Ford pro­duc­tion in July 2010, and Alfa Romeo pro­duc­tion in No­vem­ber 2010.

Fol­low­ing the end of con­tract man­u­fac­tur­ing ac­tiv­i­ties San Gior­gio Canavese is being used for pro­duc­tion of spare parts for cars man­u­fac­tured in the past.

Bairo Canavese

Pin­in­fa­rina opened its third man­u­fac­tur­ing plant in 1997. Cur­rently Pin­in­fa­rina leases the plant and 57 em­ploy­ees to the Ce­comp Group. This agree­ment to pro­duce 4,000elec­tric Bol­loré Blue­cars runs April 1, 2011 to De­cem­ber 31, 2013. On Sep­tem­ber 13, 2013 a new lease agree­ment was an­nounced, this new agree­ment will run from Jan­u­ary 1, 2014 until the end of 2016.

Uddevalla, Sweden Pininfarina Sverige AB

A joint ven­ture be­tween Pin­in­fa­rina S.p.A. and Volvo Car Cor­po­ra­tion began in 2003. Volvo and Pin­in­fa­rina S.p.A. have agreed upon the ter­mi­na­tion of the joint ven­ture agree­ment re­gard­ing Pin­in­fa­rina Sverige AB and its op­er­a­tions in Ud­de­valla, Swe­den. As of De­cem­ber 31, 2011 the ter­mi­na­tion this agree­ment would re­sult in a 30 mil­lion euros fee paid to Pininfarina.

On June 25, 2013 the last Volvo C70 was pro­duced and the Ud­de­valla as­sem­bly plant was closed.

Designers

Al­though Pin­in­fa­rina rarely gave credit to individuals, that pol­icy seems to have changed in re­cent years and many of the de­sign­ers of the past have be­come known. As of 2011 Pin­in­fa­rina em­ploys 101 peo­ple in their styling de­part­ment. That is down from 185 in 2005.

Paolo Martin at work

• Franco Scaglione 1951, designer for two months before he left for what is now known as Gruppo Bertone
• Franco Martinengo 1952–72, Director of the Centro Stile
• Adriano Rabbone
• Francesco Salomone
• Aldo Brovarone 1954–74, Designer; 1974–88, Managing Director Studi e Ricerche
• Tom Tjaarda 1961–65, Designer
• Filippo Sapino 1967–69
• Paolo Martin 1968–72, Chief of the Styling Department
• Diego Ottina 1970—
• Lorenzo Ramaciotti 1973-2005 deputy director of Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche, Director General and Chief Designer, CEO of Pininfarina SpA Research and Development
• Ian Cameron 1975–81
• Enrico Fumia 1976–91; 1982: Manager at Pininfarina R&D – Models and Prototypes Development; 1988: Manager at Pininfarina R&D – Design and Development; 1989: Deputy General Manager at Pininfarina R&D
• Guido Campoli
• Emanuele Nicosia 1977–85
• Elvio d’Aprile 1982–95
• Piero Camardella 1984–93
• Marco Tencone
• Leonardo Fioravanti 1988–91, Managing Director and CEO of Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche
• Maurizio Corbi 1989-
• Davide Arcangeli
• Jeremy Malick 2000–02, Designer; 2009—-, Senior Designer
• Dimitri Vicedomini 2001–12, Senior Car Designer
• Jason Castriota 2001–08
• Ken Okuyama 2004–06, Creative Director
• Luca Borgogno 2005— , Lead Designer
• Nazzareno Epifani 2006— , Lead Designer
• Lowie Vermeersch 2007–10, Design Director
• Brano Mauks 2007— , Senior Designer
• Carlo Palazzani 2010— , Lead Designer
• Felix Kilbertus 2011— , Lead Designer
• Fabio Filippini 2011— , Vice President Design and Chief Creative Officer

Vehicles

Pin­in­fa­rina de­signs, man­u­fac­tures, as­sem­bles, and tests pro­to­types and pro­duc­tion ve­hi­cles under con­tract for other automakers.

Past production

As of De­cem­ber 10, 2011 Pin­in­fa­rina an­nounced it would end all mass au­to­mo­tive pro­duc­tion with the sale of its 40% stake in the Ud­de­valla, Swe­den plant to Volvo in 2013. In the past Pin­in­fa­rina has pro­duced both cars and car-bod­ies under con­tract from other au­tomak­ers. This pro­duc­tion in­cludes Pin­in­fa­rina-de­signed cars and ve­hi­cles de­signed by others.

A sortable list of com­plete cars or car bod­ies man­u­fac­tured in one of the five Pin­in­fa­rina factories:

1947 Maserati A6 1500 PininFarina1953 Maserati A6G 2000 bodied by Zagato PininFarina1951 Cistialia 202 SC Pininfarina CoupéAlfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina CabrioletAlfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Coupé, coachbuilding by Pininfarina1949 Maserati A6 1500 Coupé Pininfarina1950-52 Lancia Aurelia B50 cabriolet by Pinin Farina1950-58 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, 6th Series. Lancia Flaminia Coupe Pininfarina1952 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Cabriolet PF1952 ALFA ROMEO 1900 C SPRINT PININFARINA COUPE1952 Alfa Romeo 1900C PF 2+2 Cabriolet1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Pininfarina coupé1952 Lancia D20 Pininfarina + last one at le mans 19531953 Nash Healey Pininfarina Roadstar1954 Ferrari 375 MM and Ingrid Bergman and her husband Robert Rossellini to her right.Carrozzeria Pinin Farina1953 Lancia D23 Spider Pininfarina

1953 Lancia D24 Pininfarina Spider Sport; top car design rating and specifications

1953-54 Lancia D24 Spyder Sport PininFarina1954 fiat-1100-tv-coupe-pininfarina-1954-(italie)

1954 FIAT 1100 TV PininFarinaLancia Aurelia B24 (+B25 remakes) Spider America PininFarinaMaserati A6 GCS/53 Berlinetta PininFarina1956 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider boasts a race-developed V6 engine, outstanding handling and beautiful Pininfarina styling1956 Alfa Giulietta Spider Pininfarina Grey Main1958 LANCIA APPIA SERIES2+2 PININFARINA COUPE1959 Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Pininfarina1962 Alfa Giulietta Spider Pininfarina1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham by Pininfarina1959 Lancia Flaminia Coupé Pinin Farina1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Pininfarina1966 Peugeot 404 Pininfarina Coupé1967 Peugeot 404 Coupe Cabriolet Pininfarina1962 MHV Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupé-011965 Lancia Flavia-Pininfarina Mk11968 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Convertibile1971 Lancia 2000 HF Pinifarina Coupe1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Series 105 Pininfarina1963 Alfa-Giulia-Spider-DV-10 1600 Pininfarina1963-68 Ferrari 330 gtc pininfarina1967 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Pininfarina1964 MHV Ferrari 330GT America Pininfarina 011968 Interior of Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Pininfarina (serie II)1966 Ferrari 330 GTS Pininfarina1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Pininfarina during the Saxony Classic Rallye 20101962 Ferrari 330 LM Berlinetta Pininfarina1967 Alfa Romeo 1600cc Duetto-white Pininfarina-DV-16-CI1968-72 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Tubolare Zagato (TZ) Coupe by Pininfarina1968-70 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider Veloce North America (105) designed by PininfarinaPeugeot 504 Coupé designed by PininfarinaPeugeot 504 Cabriolet designed by Pininfarina1972 Ferrari 365 GTC 4 Pininfarina1971-75 Lancia 2000 Pininfarina Berlina 1973 1991ccFerrari 400 GT4 2+2 desined by PininfarinaLancia Monte-Carlo PininfarinaPeugeot-Talbot Samba Cabrio Design Pininfarina (Clássico)

Fiat Campagniola ?1986 Ferrari-Testarossa-Spider-by-Pininfarina1984-86 Alfa Romeo 33 1.5 4×4 Giardinetta (905) designed by Pininfarinaferrari-412 pininfarina

Ferrari 412 GT

peugeot 205-cabriolet-pininfarina1990 Cadillac Allante 25 Pininfarina1987-93 CADILLAC Allante Cabriolet PininfarinaFerrari 456 GT PininfarinaPininfarina Ferrari 456GT Venice Convertible Brunei 161993-00 Pininfarina designed Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model1993-02 peugeot 306 pininfarina designed cabrioletBentley Azure Mark I Convertible disigned by Pininfarinalancia kappa-sw-designed by pininfarinaPeugeot 406 Coupé designed by pininfarina2002 Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin ZR 5-door wagonAlfa Romeo GTV & Spider 916 series designed by pininfarinaHONDA ARGENTO VIVO BY PININFARINAford streetka designed by pininfarinapininfarina designed ford streetka2012 Pininfarina designed Alfa Romeo Brera Milan Design Week Superstudio in 20122006 Alfa Spider VI Pininfarina2006 Alfa Romeo Spider VI Pininfarina with extracted roof2015 ford-focus-cabrio-render-pininfarina2015 ford-focus-cabrio-render-pininfarina a2011 Volvo C70 II Pininfarina2008 mitsubishi colt czc pininfarina2006-09 Pininfarina Mitsubishi Colt CZCLancia Beta Montecarlo pininfarinaLancia Beta Montecarlo cabrio pininfarinaPininfarina designed Lancia 037 en version stradale1975 Fiat 130 Coupe PininfarinaFiat Dino 2.0-pininfarina-coupelancia gamma-coupe pininfarina1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Touring Cabriolet

Years	Model	Factory	Quantity
1946–1949	Maserati A6 1500 Turismo	107 Corso Trapani	58
1947–1952	Cisitalia 202	107 Corso Trapani	170
1947–1951	Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Cabriolet	107 Corso Trapani	64
1948–1951	Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Cabriolet	107 Corso Trapani	25-30
1948	Maserati A6 1500 Spider	107 Corso Trapani	2
1950–1952	Lancia Aurelia B50 Cabriolet	107 Corso Trapani	265
1950–1958	Lancia Aurelia B20 Coupé	107 Corso Trapani	2,640
1952	Alfa Romeo 1900 C Cabriolet	107 Corso Trapani	88
1952–1953	Alfa Romeo 1900 C Coupé	107 Corso Trapani	100
1952–1953	Ferrari 212 Inter cabriolet	107 Corso Trapani	2
1952–1953	Ferrari 212 Inter coupé	107 Corso Trapani	11
1952–1953	Lancia D20 coupé	107 Corso Trapani	7
1952–1954	Nash-Healey	107 Corso Trapani	402
1953	Ferrari 375 MM Spider	107 Corso Trapani	15
1953	Lancia D23 Spyder	107 Corso Trapani	4 (re-bodied D20s)
1953-1954	Lancia D24 Spyder	107 Corso Trapani	6
1954–1957	Fiat 1100 TV Coupé	107 Corso Trapani	126
1954–1955	Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider America	107 Corso Trapani	240
1954	Lancia D25 Spyder	107 Corso Trapani	4 (re-bodied D24s)
1954	Maserati A6 GCS/53 Berlinetta	107 Corso Trapani	4
1956	Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider	107 Corso Trapani	521
1956–1958	Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider	107 Corso Trapani	5,493
1957–1959	Lancia Appia Pininfarina Coupe 2 +2 Series II	–	302
1958–1960	Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Pininfarina	Grugliasco	335
1959–1962	Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider	Grugliasco	11,503
1959–1960	Cadillac Eldorado Brougham	Grugliasco	200
1959–1967	Lancia Flaminia Coupé	Grugliasco	5,236
1960–1963	Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2	Grugliasco	955 including prototypes
1961–1968	Peugeot 404 Coupé and Cabriolet	Grugliasco	17,223 ( 10,389 Cabriolets, 6,834 Coupés)
1962–1971	Lancia Flavia Coupé	Grugliasco	26,084
1962–1965	Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider	Grugliasco	10,336
1963	Ferrari 330 America	Grugliasco	50
1964-1967	Ferrari 330 GT 2+2	Grugliasco	1080
1966–1968	Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Duetto 1600 Spider	Grugliasco	6,322
1966-1968	Ferrari 330 GTC	Grugliasco	604
1966-1968	Ferrari 330 GTS	Grugliasco	100
1966–1985	Fiat 124 Sport Spider	Grugliasco	198,120
1967	Ferrari 330 GTC Coupe Speciale	Grugliasco	3
1968–1972	Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider 1300 and 1600 Junior	Grugliasco	4,913
1968–1972	Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider Veloce	Grugliasco	8,920
1969–1983	Peugeot 504 Coupé	Grugliasco	22,975
1969–1983	Peugeot 504 Cabriolet	Grugliasco	8,191
1971–1972	Ferrari 365 GTC/4	Grugliasco	505
1971–1975	Lancia 2000 Coupé Berlina	Grugliasco	–
1976–1985	Ferrari 400	Grugliasco	1,808
1981–1984	Lancia Beta Coupé HPE	Grugliasco	18.917
1981–1985	Peugeot Talbot Samba Cabriolet	Grugliasco	13,062
1981–1986	Fiat Campagnola	Grugliasco	15,198
1984–1993	Ferrari Testarossa	Grugliasco / San Giorgio	–
1984–1986	Alfa Romeo 33 Giardinetta	Grugliasco	12,238
1985–1989	Ferrari 412 & 412 GT	Grugliasco	576
1984–1993	Peugeot 205 Cabriolet	Grugliasco	72,125
1986–1993	Cadillac Allanté	San Giorgio Canavese	21,430
1992–1996	Ferrari 456 GT	–	3289
1993–2000	Fiat Coupé	–	72,762
1993–2002	Peugeot 306 Cabriolet	San Giorgio Canavese	–
1996–1999	Bentley Azure Mark I Convertible	–	895
1996–2000	Lancia Kappa SW	–	9,208
1996–2004	Peugeot 406 Coupé	San Giorgio Canavese	107,633
1999–2005	Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin	Bairo Canavese and Grugliasco	68,555
2000–2004	Alfa Romeo GTV & Spider 916 series	San Giorgio Canavese	15,788
2002	Honda Pininfarina Argento Vivo	–	4–5
2002–2005	Ford Streetka	Bairo Canavese	37,076
2005–2010	Alfa Romeo Brera	San Giorgio Canavese	21,786
2006–2010	Alfa Romeo Spider	San Giorgio Canavese	12,488
2006–2010	Ford Focus Coupé Cabriolet	Bairo Canavese	36,374
2006–2013	Volvo C70 II	Uddevalla, Sweden	–
2006–2008	Mitsubishi Colt CZC	Bairo Canavese	16,695
1974–1981	Lancia Beta Montecarlo Cabrio	Grugliasco	4,375
1975–1981	Lancia Beta Montecarlo Coupé	Grugliasco	3,203
1981	Lancia 037	Grugliasco	220
1971–1976	Fiat 130 Coupé	Grugliasco	4,491
1966–1972	Fiat Dino Spider	Grugliasco	1,583
1976–1984	Lancia Gamma Coupé	Grugliasco	6,790

Notable car designs

Austin A40 MkII. Main differences from the MkI were the wide grille and the 1098cc Aseries Engine behind it 1961 Austin A40 Farina Mk II

1961 Fiat 2300 Pininfarina

Ferrari Dino berlinetta

1982 Rolls-Royce Camargue

1987 Alfa Romeo 164

2006 Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina

Lancia Montecarlo Series 2 by Pininfarina

Pre World War II

Be­fore the war Pin­in­fa­rina built car bod­ies mostly for in­di­vid­ual cus­tomers, many of the bod­ies were “one offs” and not mass-produced.

1931 Lancia Dilambda – the first official Pinin Farina special, presented at the Concours d’Elegance at Villa d’Este1931 Hispano Suiza H6C Coupé Chauffeur1931 Hispano Suiza Pinin Farina Coupé 1931 Hispano Suiza Coupé 1931 Cadillac V16 Roadster – for the Maharajah of Orccha1932 Fiat 518 Ardita designed by Pininfarina 1932 Fiat 518 Ardita1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet (Pininfarina)1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 23001934 Alfa-Romeo-6C-2500-S-Stabilimenti-Farina-Cabriolet-14751 1934 Alfa Rome 6C 2300 B Cabriolet1936 Lancia Astura Cabriolet tipo Bocca – a series of six cars made for the Bocca brothers, Lancia dealers in Biella, Italy – designed by Pininfarina1935 alfa romeo 6C 2300 pescara coupe aerodinamico pininfarina 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C Pescara Coupé aerodinamico1936-39 Lancia Aprilia was manufactured by Lancia, one of the first designed using wind tunnel in collaboration with Battista Farina 1936 Lancia Aprilia1936 Alfa-Romeo-8C-2900B-Stabilimenti-Farina-Cabriolet-25684 1936 Alfa Romeo 8C 29001937 Alfa-Romeo-6C-2300-B-Pescara-Pinin-Farina-Berlinetta 1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300-B Pescara Berlinetta1937 Lancia Aprilia Aerodinamica Pininfarina

1938 Lancia Astura PF Convertible Front Laganland Bilmuseum, Sweden 1938 Lancia Astura1943 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Pinin Farina Cabriolet

Concept cars, Prototypes and Individual commissions

In ad­di­tion to pro­duc­tion ve­hi­cles, Pin­in­fa­rina cre­ates pro­to­type, show, and cus­tom cars for auto man­u­fac­tur­ers, as well as pri­vate clients. Most pro­to­types—such as the Fer­rari Mythos—have served solely as con­cept cars, al­though sev­eral have be­come pro­duc­tion mod­els, in­clud­ing the Fer­rari 612 Scagli­etti and Fer­rari F50.

A re­cent pri­vately com­mis­sioned cus­tom ex­am­ple was the Fer­rari P4/5 of 2006, a one-car re­body (chang­ing the ex­te­rior de­sign) of the Enzo Fer­rari ac­cord­ing to the client’s spec­i­fi­ca­tions. Its de­sign began in Sep­tem­ber 2005 with sketches by Jason Cas­tri­ota mov­ing through com­puter aided sculp­ture and strin­gent wind tun­nel test­ing. More than 200 com­po­nents were de­signed es­pe­cially for the car though the en­gine, dri­ve­train and many other com­po­nents are sim­ply mod­i­fied from the orig­i­nal Enzo Fer­rari. The Ve­hi­cle Iden­ti­fi­ca­tion Num­ber (VIN) is un­changed from the Enzo it was de­rived from. The P4/5 was pub­licly re­vealed on Au­gust 18, 2006 at the Peb­ble Beach Con­cours d’El­e­gance and shown again at the Paris Motor Show in late Sep­tem­ber. An­other re­cent pro­to­type is the Pin­in­fa­rina Nido, a two-seater sub-com­pact that could pos­si­bly make airbags obsolete.

The Pin­in­fa­rina B0 so­lar-elec­tric con­cept, de­signed with Bol­loré was shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show fea­tur­ing a range be­tween charges of more than 150 miles (241 km) with an elec­tron­i­cally lim­ited 88-mile-per-hour (142 km/h) top speed, and an es­ti­mated ac­cel­er­a­tion to 37 miles per hour (60 km/h) in 6.3 seconds. The car has solar pan­els on the roof and on the nose, while its bat­tery pack is said to last up to 125,000 miles (201,168 km).

On May 15, 2013 Pin­in­fa­rina an­nounced the BMW Pin­in­fa­rina Gran Lusso Coupé to be re­vealed on May 24 at the Con­corso d’El­e­ganza Villa d’Este. Pin­in­fa­rina an­nounced this one-off con­cept car as the first col­lab­o­ra­tion be­tween BMW and Pininfarina, but in 1949 BMW com­mis­sioned Pin­in­fa­rina de­sign and build a pro­to­type of the BMW 501—it was re­jected for being too modern.

1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Coupe Speciale

1949 bmw-501-prototype-1949-designed-by-pininfarina 1949 BMW 5011952 Lancia-Aurelia-B52-PininFarina200-Cabriolet 1952 Lancia Aurelia B52 PF 200 spider –version 11952 Lancia Aurelia B52 PF 200 coupé –version 11953 Lancia Aurelia B52 PF 200 spider –version 2 and 31954 Cadillac Series 62 PF -built for Norman Granz1954 Lancia Aurelia B52 PF 200 coupé –version 21955 Ferrari 375MM Speciale DV PalmBeach Pininfarina design1955 Ferrari 375-America Speciale Designed by Pininfarina 1955 Ferrari 375 America Coupé Speciale

1955 lancia aurelia b55 pf200 coupe pininfarina 1955 Lancia Aurelia B55 PF 200 coupé –version 31955 Nash Pininfarina Special 1955 Nash Special1956 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Super Flow Coupe I1956 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Super Flow II Coupe Pininfarina1956 PininFarina Nash Rambler Palm Beach Coupe Special D-12575 1956 Rambler Palm Beach1957 Fiat Abarth 750 Pininfarina Record Car Photo 1957 Abarth 750 Bialbero Record1957 Abarth 500 750 1000 Coupe1957 Lancia Florida1959 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Spyder Super Sport1960 Ferrari Superamerica Superfast 21960 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Super Flow IV Coupe Pininfarina1960 Pininfarina X1961 Pininfarina Cadillac Brougham ‘Jacqueline’ Coupe 1961 Cadillac “Jacqueline” Brougham Coupé (named after Jacqueline Kennedy)1961 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe Speciale1962 Speciale designed by Pininfarina · Fiat 2300 Coupe 1962 Fiat 2300 Coupe Speciale1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Coupe Speciale (Pininfarina) 1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Coupe Speciale1963 Chevrolet Corvair Super Spyder Coupé Monza GT.1 designed by Pininfarina 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Super Spyder Coupé (2 built)1963 Pininfarina Chevrolet Corvette Rondine Coupé1963 Fiat 2300 Cabriolet Speciale Pininfarina 1963 Fiat 2300 Cabriolet Speciale1963 Pininfarina Fiat 2300 S Speciale Lausanne Coupe 1963 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale Lausanne1964 Pininfarina Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale 1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale1963 Pininfarina PF Sigma 1963 Pininfarina PF Sigma1963 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Coupe (Pininfarina) 1963 Mercedes-Benz 230SL concept car (“Pininfarina Coupé”)1964 Abarth 1000 Coupe Speciale (Pininfarina)1964 Abarth 1000 Spider (Pininfarina) 1964 Abarth 1000 Spyder1965 Pininfarina Abarth 1000 Coupe Speciale 1965 Abarth 1000 Coupe Speciale1965 Pininfarina Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport Tubolare 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sport Tubolare1965 Ferrari-206-P-Dino-Pininfarina-Berlinetta-Speciale 1965 Ferrari Dino 206 Berlinetta Speciale1965 Ferrari-250-LM-Pininfarina-Stradale-Speciale 1965 Ferrari 250 LM Pininfarina Stradale Speciale1965 Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale 3-posti (2 built) Pininfarina 1965 Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale 3-posti (2 built)1965 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale (Pininfarina) 1965 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale1967 Pininfarina BMC-1800 Berlina-Aerodinamica 1967 BMC 1800 Berlina-Aerodinamica1967 Ferrari Dino 206 Competizione (Pininfarina) 1967 Ferrari Dino 206 Competizione1967 Fiat Dino Parigi (Pininfarina) Paris 1967 Fiat Dino Parigi1968 Bentley T1 Coupe Speciale (Pininfarina) 1968 Bentley T1 Coupe Speciale1968 Pininfarina BLMC-1100 Berlina-Aerodinamica 1968 Pininfarina BLMC 11001968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 La Roadster Pininfarina1968 Ferrari P6 Berlinetta Speciale Pininfarina1968 MG EX.234 Roadster Pininfarina 1968 MG EX.234 Roadster1968 Ferrari 250 P5 (Pininfarina) Speciale 1968 Ferrari 250 P5 Speciale1969 Abarth 2000 (Pininfarina) 1969 Abarth 20001969 Alfa Romeo P33 Coupe (Pininfarina) 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Coupé 33/21969 Pininfarina Sigma Grand Prix monoposto F1 1969 Ferrari Sigma Grand Prix monoposto F11969 Ferrari 512S Speciale (Pininfarina) 1969 Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale1969 Pininfarina Fiat 128 Teenager Beach Buggy 1969 Fiat 128 Teenager1970 Ferrari 512S Modulo Pininfarina Concept 1 1970 Ferrari 512 S Modulo1971 Alfa Romeo P33 Cuneo (Pininfarina) 1971 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Cuneo Spider 33/21971 Peugeot 504 Break Riviera (Pininfarina) 1971 Peugeot Break Riviera1971 Pininfarina NSU RO-80 01 1971 NSU Ro 801973 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Spider (Pininfarina) 1973 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Spider1973 Autobianchi A 112 Giovani (Pininfarina) 1973 Autobianchi A 112 Giovani1973 Chevrolet XP-897GT Two-Rotor (Pininfarina) 1973 Chevrolet Corvette XP-897GT – Designed by GM, built by Pininfarina1974 Ferrari CR 25 (Pininfarina) 1974 Ferrari CR 251974 Fiat 130 Maremma (Pininfarina) 1974 Fiat 130 Maremma 1975 Alfa Romeo Eagle (Pininfarina) 1975 Alfa Romeo Eagle1975 Fiat 130 Opera (Pininfarina) 1975 Fiat 130 Opera sedan1975 Peugeot Peugette (Pininfarina) b-w 1975 Peugeot Peugette1978 Fiat Ecos (Pininfarina) 1978 Fiat Ecos1978 Jaguar XJ Spider (Pininfarina) 1978 Jaguar XJ Spider1978 Lancia Gamma Spider (Pininfarina) 1978 Lancia Gamma Spider1978 Pininfarina Studio CNR 1978 Pininfarina CNR-PF1980 Ferrari Pinin (Pininfarina) 1980 Ferrari Pinin1980 Lancia Gamma Scala (Pininfarina) 1980 Lancia Gamma Scala sedan1981 Audi Quartz (Pininfarina) 1981 Audi Quartz1982 Lancia Gamma Olgiata (Pininfarina) 1982 Lancia Gamma Olgiata1983 Fiat Ritmo Coupe (Pininfarina) 1983 Pininfarina Brio – based on Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125 TC1984 Honda HP-X (Pininfarina) 1984 Honda HP-X concept car1985 Peugeot Griffe 4 (Pininfarina) 1985 Peugeot Griffe 41986 Alfa Romeo Vivace Coupe and Spider (Pininfarina) 1986 Alfa Romeo Vivace Coupe and Spider

1988 Lancia HIT (Pininfarina) 1988 Lancia HIT 1989 pininfarina ferrari mythos 1989 Ferrari Mythos1990 Pininfarina CNR E21991 Opel Chronos Pininfarina1992 Fiat Cinquecento 4×4 pick-up1992 Pininfarina Ethos1993 Pininfarina Ethos 21994 Fiat Spunto1994 Pininfarina Ethos 3 1995 Honda Argento Vivo (Pininfarina) 1995 Honda Argento Vivo1995 Honda SSM (Pininfarina) 1995 Honda SSM1996 Fiat Sing e Song – a pair of concept cars based on the Fiat Bravo and Brava Pininfarina 1996 Pininfarina etabeta 1997 Peugeot Nautilus concept designed by Pininfarina 1998 Alfa Romeo Dardo Spider Pininfarina 1999 Fiat Wish Cabriolet / Coupé Pininfarina 1999 Pininfarina Metrocubo2000 Ferrari Rossa Pininfarina 2001 Ford Start (Pininfarina) 2001 Ford Start 2001 Citroën Osée Pininfarina2002 Hafei HF Fantasy Pininfarina 2003 Pininfarina Lotus Enjoy 2004 Pininfarina Double-Face 2004 Pininfarina Nido2004 Saturn Curve – Built by Pininfarina, designed by GM in Sweden 2005 Chery M14 (Pininfarina) 2005 Chery M14 2005 Maserati Birdcage 75th Pininfarina

2006 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti “Kappa” one-off for Peter S. Kalikow2006 Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina2008 Pininfarina B0 electric car2008 Pininfarina Sintesi2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Hyperion designed by Pininfarina 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Hyperion2009 Tata Pr1ma concept car designed by Pininfarina 2009 Tata Pr1ma concept car2009 Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta – one off for Edward Walson, based on the Ferrari 599 Pininfarina2009 Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta – one off for Edward Walson, based on the Ferrari 5992010 Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta concept car Pininfarina 2010 Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta concept car2010 Lancia Stratos for Michael Stoschek pininfarina 2010 Lancia Stratos for Michael Stoschek 2010 Pininfarina Nido EV2012 Pininfarina Cambiano concept car2012 Ferrari SP12 EC one-off for Eric Clapton

Pininfarina Sergio Concept Geneva 2013 2013 Pininfarina Sergio concept car

2013 BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe 2013 BMW Gran Lusso Coupé2014 Ferrari Sergio Pininfarina Tribute Car 2014 Ferrari Sergio2016 H2 Speed concept car pininfarina 2016 H2 Speed concept car

Production Cars Designed by Pininfarina

A list of Post WWII cars de­signed by Pin­in­fa­rina that went into production.

1948 Cisitalia 202 SC Coupe by Pininfarina 1948 Cisitalia 202

1949 Simca 8 Sport Pininfarina Coupé1949 Simca 8 Pininfarina Sport Cabriolet 1949 Simca 8 Sport Coupé and Cabriolet1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn Pininfarina continental coupe only 11952 Ferrari-250-GT-Pininfarina-Coupe-Speciale 1952 Ferrari 2501952 Nash Ambassador Pininfarina1952 Nash Healey Pininfarina Roadster 1952 Nash-Healey1953 Maserati A6GC53-Berlinetta-PininFarina1953 Maserati A6GCS 53 Spyder Pininfarina 1953 Four Berlinetta and one Spyder version of the Maserati A6GCS/531956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Pininfarina Spider1955 ferrari 410 superamerica pininfarna coupe 1955 Ferrari 410 Superamerica1955 Peugeot 403-berline-et-cabriolet pininfarina 1955 Peugeot 4031956 Austin A40 Farina (Mark I) 1956 Austin A40 Farina1957 Lancia-Flaminia-Zagato-Pininfarina Super-Sport-side-view 1957 Lancia Flaminia

1958 BMC 1800 Landcrab history AROnline Pininfarina 1958 BMC Farina cars

Austin A55 Mk2: ADO 9 or Austin Drawing office 9 was the nearest to production car to Farina’s design proposal. This was the only car in this family to be built exclusively at Longbridge. As launched in 1959, the A55 Mk II had a rather severe, square, mesh front grille, very prominent fins and a body style which left the wheels well tucked in and looking a touch too small for the rest of the machine.

1959 Austin A55 MkII Pininfarina Cambridge rear Austin A55 Cambridge Mk II1959 mg magnette pininfarina mkIII MG Magnette Mk IIIMorris Oxford Farina VRiley 4/68 Pininfarina

Wolseley 16/60 Wolseley 15/60 Pininfarina

1959-61 Fiat 1800-2100 (112-114) designed by Pininfarina 1959 Fiat 1800/21001961 Ferrari 250 GTE Coupe Pininfarina 1960 Ferrari 250 GTE1960 peugeot-404 pininfarina 1960 Peugeot 4041961 Fiat 2300 Pininfarina 1961 Fiat 23001962 ado16dev pininfarina 101972 BMC ADO16 Austin 1300GT 1380cc Pininfarina 1962 BMC ADO16

1963 Datsun 1200 Bluebird 410 Pininfarina 1963 Datsun Bluebird 4101964 BMC ADO17 Pininfarina

1964 Ferrari 275 GTB-C Berlinetta Speciale, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti 1964 Ferrari 275

1965 Ferrari-206-P-Dino-Pininfarina-Berlinetta-Speciale 1965 Ferrari Dino 2061965 MGB GT1965 Nissan Cedric 1301965 Peugeot 204 limo Pininfarina1974 Peugeot 204 Break PininfarinaPeugeot 204 Pininfarina CoupéPeugeot 204 Pininfarina Cabriolet1966 Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto Battista Pininfarina1966 Ferrari 275 Pininfarina GTB-4 Steel1967 Ferrari 275 GTB Pininfarina1967 Ferrari.275.GTB-4.NART.Spyder Pininfarina 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2 PlNINFARINA 2 DV-07-CC 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC1966 PININFARINA COUPE and the FIAT 124 SPIDER 1966 Fiat 124 Sport Spider1966-72 fiat-dino-spider-pininfarina 1966 Fiat Dino Spider1966 ika renault torino pininfarina 300 1966 IKA-Renault Torino1968 Ferrari Daytona1968 Peugeot 504 Cabriolet and Coupe Pininfarina1969 Peugeot 304 Cabriolet and Coupe Pininfarina1971 Fiat 130 Coupé designed by Pininfarina 1971 Fiat 130 Coupe

1971 Ferrari 365 GTB-4 designed by Pininfarina 1971 Ferrari 365 GTC/4

1973 – 1976 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB Pininfarina 1973 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB1977 Ferrari 308 GTS 3 0 Pininfarina 1975 Ferrari 3081975-1986 peugeot-604-Pininfarina 1975 Peugeot 6041975 Lancia Beta Montecarlo Pininfarina 1975 Lancia Montecarlo1975 Rolls-Royce Camargue designed by Pininfarina 1975 Rolls-Royce Camargue1976 Peugeot Peugette designed by Pininfarina concept car1978 Pininfarina Jaguar XJ VI Spider 1978 Jaguar XJ61979 peugeot 505 designed by Pininfarina 1979 Peugeot 5051980 Ferrari Mondial Pininfarina 1980 Ferrari Mondial1984 Ferrari Testarossa Pininfarina 1984 Ferrari Testarossa1984-87 Ferrari 288 GTO Pininfarina 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO1985-89 Ferrari 328 GTS Pininfarina 1985 Ferrari 3281985 Peugeot 205 Cabriolet and Saloon (4 doors) based on Peugeot’s Director of Exterior Design, Gerard Welter’s, initial design of the 205 (1983) designed by Pininfarina1987-98 Alfa Romeo 164 designed by Pininfarina 1987 Alfa Romeo 1641986-93 Cadillac Allante design by Pininfarina 1987 Cadillac Allanté1987-92 Ferrari F40 PininFarina 1987 Ferrari F401987 Peugeot 405 Pininfarina1989-95 Ferrari 348 Pininfarina 1989 Ferrari 3481989-99 Peugeot 605 Pininfarina 1989 Peugeot 6051991-96 Honda Beat designed by Pininfarina 1991 Honda Beat1992-94 Jaguar XJ220 Pininfarina 1992 Jaguar XJ220—rebodied an unknown number of cars1992-03 Ferrari 456 GT Pininfarina 1995 1992 Ferrari 456 GT1993-00 Fiat Coupé Pininfarina1993-00 Fiat Coupè Momo Pininfarina Interiors  1993 Fiat Coupé – Interior only1993-02 Peugeot 306 GTI6 designed by Pininfarina 1993 Peugeot 3061994-99 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta Pininfarina 1994 Ferrari F3551994-03 Opel Omega B Pininfarina 1994 Opel Omega1994–02 Peugeot 306 (N5) cabriolet Pininfarina closed 1994 Peugeot 306 Cabriolet1993-06 Alfa Romeo Spider PininfarinaAlfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 24V rear pininfarina 1995 Alfa Romeo GTV & Spider1995 Ferrari F355 Spider Pininfarina 1995 Ferrari F355 Spider

?  1995 MG F – Roof Structure only

1995 Ferrari F50 Pininfarina1996 Ferrari 550 Maranello Pininfarina1996 Lancia Cappa Coupé Pininfarina1996 Lancia Kappa SW and coupé pininfarina1996 Lancia Kappa Station Wagon Pininfarina 1996 Lancia Kappa SW1997 Peugeot 406 Coupé rouge lucifer 2.0l 137ch designed by Pininfarina 1997 Peugeot 406 Coupé1999-05 Ferrari 360 Modena designed by pininfarina 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena

1999-present Hafei Zhongyi Pininfarina 1999 Songhuajiang Hafei Zhongyi2000-present Daewoo Rezzo Pininfarina Front 2000 Daewoo Tacuma1999-05 Ferrari 360 Modena Pininfarina2000-2005 Ferrari 360 Spider Pininfarina convertible 2000 Ferrari 360 Spider2000 Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina 2000 Ferrari 550 Barchetta2001-2004 Hyundai (Matrix)Elantra LaVita (FC) GLS hatchback pininfarina2011-present Hyundai Matrix 1.6 Comfort Pininfarina 2001 Hyundai Matrix2002-11 Daewoo Lacetti Pininfarina 2002 Daewoo Nubira/Lacetti saloon and station wagon2002-04 Ferrari Enzo Pininfarina Alexandre Prévot (1) 2002 Enzo Ferrari2002-06 Ferrari 575M Maranello Pininfarina 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello2002-present Hafei Lobo Pininfarina 2002 Hafei Lobo1968 Maserati 4 Porte Pininfarina1971 Maserati Quattroporte AM121 Pininfarina1974 Maserati Medici Pininfarina Show car1986 Maserati Quattroporte III Pininfarina, seen in NY1987-1990 Maserati Quattroporte III Royale PininfarinaMaserati Quattroporte Pininfarina IV 22003 Maserati Quattroporte Pininfarina2012 Maserati Quattroporte Pininfarina VMaserati Quattroporte Sport Pininfarina GT 2003 Maserati QuattroporteFace Lifted Maserati Quattroporte Pininfarina2015 Maserati Quattroporte Pininfarina VI(16810746390)2012 Maserati Touring Superleggera Bellagio Pininfarina Fastback at Salon Privé2003 Ford StreetKa Pininfarina2004-11 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Pininfarina 2004 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti2004-09 Ferrari F430 Pininfarina 2004 Ferrari F4302005-07 Hyundai Matrix Pininfarina front 2005 Hyundai Matrix2005-09 Peugeot 1007 Pininfarina 2005 Peugeot 10072006-12 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano A6 Pininfarina 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano2006 mitsubishi colt czc pininfarina turbo 12006-08 Mitsubishi Colt CZC Pininfarina Worldwide2006-08 Mitsubishi Colt CZC Turbo Pininfarina Worldwide open 2006 Mitsubishi Colt CZCA Volvo C70 with retractable pininfarina hardtop 2006 Volvo C70 – Roof Structure engineering only2007–08 Hyundai Tiburon Pininfarina Coupé 2007 Hyundai Coupe

2007 Brilliance BS4 Pininfarina Zhonghua 2007 Brilliance BS4

2007 Chery A3 designed by Pininfarina 4-door sedan2012 Chery J3 (M1X) hatchback designed by pininfarina 2007 Chery A3 and Chery A3 Sport2007 Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet designed by Pininfarina 2007 Ford Focus CC by Pininfarina2008-17 Maserati Gran Turismo Pininfarina2013 Maserati GranTurismo Sport Pininfarina 2008 Maserati GranTurismo2008-13 Ferrari California designed by Pininfarina 2008 Ferrari California2009-15 Ferrari 458 Italia Pininfarina2011-16 Ferrari FF Pininfarina 2011 Ferrari FF2012-present Ferrari F12 berlinetta Pininfarina 2012 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta2016 Ferrari F12tdf pininfarina at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed2014-present Ferrari California T Pininfarina 2014 Ferrari California T

Electric propulsion

2008 Pininfarina Bolloré B0 Pininfarina B0

Pin­in­fa­rina has an area ded­i­cated to the new elec­tric car Pin­in­fa­rina Bol­loré. Bat­ter­ies are pro­duced by the French Bol­loré Group.

Pin­in­fa­rina, has in­tro­duced its own elec­tric ve­hi­cle con­cept, the Pin­in­fa­rina B0 (pro­nounced “B Zero”). The four-seat hatch­back fea­tures a solid-state lithium-poly­mer bat­tery, su­per­ca­pac­i­tors, and a roof- in­te­grated solar panel to achieve a range of 153 miles (246 km). De­vel­oped in part­ner­ship with the Bolore Group, the ve­hi­cle is slated for lim­ited pro­duc­tion in 2009.

Pin­in­fa­rina will dis­play a tur­bine-pow­ered plug-in hy­brid called the Cam­biano at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show Pin­in­fa­rina re­vealed the H2 Speed, an elec­tric sports car concept. The H2 Speed is a hy­dro­gen ve­hi­cle with two race-spec­i­fi­ca­tion elec­tric mo­tors which are fed by a hy­dro­gen fuel cell. The hy­dro­gen power unit was de­signed by Swiss com­pany GreenGT.

Other vehicles

Nautical design

• Primatist Aerotop Pininfarina range: G46, G53, B62, G70.
• Magnum Marine 80′ Series
• Pershing 88′ Pininfarina Limited Edition, a one-off body designed by Pininfarina. Yacht was used in a Visa Black Card commercial.
• Fincantieri Ottantacinque by Pininfarina Project.
• Schaefer 620 and 800 by Pininfarina, interiors.
• Persico Marine WallyCento Project.
• Azimut 65 Pininfarina.

Mass transport

2000 Mercedes-Benz O405G Hispano Habit

The ETR 500 Frecciarossa of the Italian Railways Pininfarina design

SBB Re 460 Schottikon alternate crop Pininfarina design

 1991-1997 Re 460 locomotive and IC 2000 train

1987–2000 ETR 500 Italian high-speed trainset

1991 SBB-CFF-FFS Re 460 (electric locomotive for the Swiss Federal Railways)

Treno ad alta frequentazione Pininfarina design 1996 ALe 426/506 TAF “High Occupancy Train” for Italian commuter lines.

IC2000 Zurich – Lucerne with the control car leading the train Pinifarina design 1997 IC 2000 (double-decker train for the Swiss Federal Railways, matching the electric locomotive Re 460)

• 1999–2007 AnsaldoBredaType 8 Green Line Trolley Car for the MBTA.
• 2000 Hispano CarroceraHabit buses.
• 2000 SBB-CFF-FFS RABDe 500 (tilting train for the Swiss Federal Railways)
• 2001 AnsaldoBredaBM72electric multiple unit trains for the Norwegian Railways.
• 2001 Cobra tram for Zürich.
• 2004 AnsaldoBredaSirio tram, Athens version
• 2005 AnsaldoBredaIC4 inter-city diesel multiple unit trains for the Danish railways.

2008 Ansaldo Breda Pininfarina Fyra V250 4806 2008 AnsaldoBredaV250 Albatros high-speed train for NS Hispeed

• 2009 AnsaldoBreda-Firema Metrostar, suburban train for Circumvesuviana in Naples
• 2009 Eurostar appoints Pininfarina to undertake design work for train refurbishment.

Other works

Pin­in­fa­rina also works with other com­pa­nies such as Sim­pleTech for prod­uct design.

Other Pin­in­fa­rina prod­uct de­signs in­clude the 2006 Win­ter Olympics torch, caul­dron and medals, as well as major ap­pli­ance col­lec­tions for Gorenje.

Pininfarina logo on Coca-Cola Freestyle machine

Pin­in­fa­rina was a de­sign con­trac­tor for the de­vel­op­ment of Coca-Cola Freestyle.

Subsidiaries

Pin­in­fa­rina Extra, founded in 1986, is the Pin­in­fa­rina Group de­sign com­pany which does not work in the trans­port sec­tor. Ex­am­ples include:

• The Keating Hotel in San Diego, California
• 1100 Millecento Residences interiors in Miami, Florida announced in 2012
• Beachwalk waterfront residences interiors in Hallandale Beach, Florida announced in 2013
• Pininfarina Wine

See also

• Mahindra & Mahindra
• Magna Steyr
• Heuliez
• Valmet Automotive
• Ken Okuyama
• Sergio Pininfarina
• Battista Farina
• Andrea Pininfarina

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181. ^ “1996 Pininfarina Eta Beta”. carstyling.ru. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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185. ^ Simona. “2000 Ferrari Rossa By Pininfarina”. TopSpeed. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
186. ^ KIINO, RON. “Pininfarina Start 2001 Frankfurt Auto Show”. Car and Driver. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
187. ^ Giancarlo, Perini. “Pininfarina develops two new Chinese cars”. Car Design News. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
188. ^ “2003 Lotus Enjoy Concept”. conceptcarz. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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197. ^ “2010 Pininfarina Nido EV”. carstyling.ru. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
198. ^ Deacon, Clinton. “Eric Clapton’s Ferrari SP12 EPC caught on video”. http://www.worldcarfans.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
199. ^ Ciferri, Luca (1 March 2016). “Hydrogen Pininfarina concept wants to make your race track green”. autoweek. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
200. ^ Duffey, Michael. “1951 Simca 8 Super Sport”. Sports Car Market Magazine. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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202. ^ Auto Editors of Consumer Guide (27 October 2007). “1952 Nash-Healey”. auto.howstuffworks.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
203. ^ Fusi, Luigi. Alfa Romeo All Cars From 1910. Emmetigrafica, 1978, p. 527.
204. ^ Melissen, Wouter. “Ferrari 275 GTB/C”. ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
205. ^ “1976 Peugeot Peugette”. Carfolio. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
206. ^ Lamm, John (23 October 2013). “And the Beat Goes On: Honda Bringing S660 Concept to Tokyo [2013 Tokyo Auto Show]”. Car & Driver. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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210. ^ “New Electric Minicar from Pinifarina”. Minutia microcars and minicars. 11 October 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
211. ^ “Leaked: turbine-powered Pininfarina Cambiano plug-in hybrid”. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
212. ^ “Pininfarina returns with hydrogen H2 Speed at Geneva Show”. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
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223. ^ IC2000 arrives next year
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230. ^ Collier, Joe Guy (11 May 2010). “Coke targets Freestyle expansion for 2010”. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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232. ^ “1100 Millecento Residences Brickell”. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
233. ^ “Pininfarina SpA : Beachwalk, second Pininfarina project in Florida with The Related Group”. Retrieved 27 September 2013.

External links

• Official website
• Pininfarina Sverige
• Foster, Patrick R. (Winter 2001). “Nashes With an Italian Accent” (PDF). FORWARD: The American Heritage of DaimlerChrysler: 33–37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
• BMC 1800 & 1100 – detail on these influential design proposals
• The Cisitalia 2002 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
• Cisitalia Museum
• The Keating Hotel in downtown San Diego.
• Pininfarina Wine
• Pininfarina at coachbuild.com

Coachbuilders of Italy
Allemano Balbo Boano Boneschi Bertone Castagna Cecomp Coggiola Colli Coriasco De Simon Ellena Fantuzzi Fioravanti Stabilimenti Farina Fissore Fontana Frua Garavini Ghia Ghia-Aigle Italdesign Giugiaro Francis Lombardi Maggiora Marazzi Monterosa Monviso Motto Morelli Motto OSI Pininfarina Scaglietti Scioneri Studiotorino Drogo Sports Cars Touring Vignale Viotti Zagato

Automotive industry in Italy
Automotive industry Transport in Italy Economy of Italy
Active manufacturers	Passenger cars and LCVs Alkè De Tomaso DR Ducati Ferrari FCA Italy Abarth Alfa Romeo Fiat Fiat Professional Lancia Martin Maserati Fornasari Lamborghini Oto Melara Pagani Piaggio Commercial vehicles Bremach CNH Industrial Italy Iveco Astra Iveco Bus Quadricycles Casalini Giottiline Grecav Italcar Racing cars Dallara Osella Picchio Racing Cars Wolf Racing Cars
Defunct manufacturers	Passenger cars and LCVs ATS Bianchi Bizzarrini Ceirano Chiribiri Cisitalia Cizeta De Tomaso Diatto Fiat S.p.A. Autobianchi Innocenti Isotta Fraschini Itala Iso O.S.C.A. S.C.A.T. Siata Commercial vehicles OM S.P.A. Racing cars Stanguellini Bandini
Design, engineering, and coachbuilding	B Engineering Carrozzeria Barbi Carrozzeria Boneschi Carrozzeria Castagna Carrozzeria Ghia Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera Fioravanti Giannini Automobili Gruppo Bertone I.DE.A Institute Italdesign Giugiaro Carrozzeria Maggiora Pininfarina Studiotorino Zagato
Components	Alcantara Borrani Bremach Brembo Group AP Breco Marchesini Sabelt Colotti Trasmissioni Dell’Orto Fiat Powertrain Technologies VM Motori Fondmetal Graziano ICP Isotta Fraschini Landi Renzo Magneti Marelli Martin Momo OZ Group Pirelli Poltrona Frau SCAM Sparco SPICA
Related topics	Autostrade Bologna Motor Show

WILLOWBROOK Ltd Coachbuilders Loughborough Leicestershire England UK

WILLOWBROOK Ltd.

derby-road-loughborough-leicestershire-england-UK

After Willowbrook took over Brush in 1951 Duple took over Willowbrook in the seventies. Look for more under Brush + Duple

WHITSON Coach and Busbodybuilders Yiewsley, West Drayton, Middlesex England UK

Whitson

were not one of the larger coach or bus bodybuilders …Whitsons of Yiewsley, West Drayton, Middlesex

1947-dennis-lancet-iii-with-whitson-c33f-body

1948-maudslay-marathon-iii-with-a-whitson-fc33f-body-lph429

1949-aec-regal-whitson-observation-coach

1949-austin-k4sl-with-a-whitson-c29f-body-in-1959

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1949-crossley-sd42-whitson-bodied-gdl33

1949-crossley-sd42-whitson-bodied-gdl33

1949-crossley-sd42-whitson-bodied-gdl33

1949-lwe163-was-a-whitson-c33f-bodied-crossley-sd42-7-new-to-sansam-sheffield

1949-whitson-c29f-bodied-austin-cxb

1950-a-e-c-9621a-regal-iii-with-a-whitson-fc33f-body-gbu9

1950-a-e-c-9821e-regal-iv-with-a-whitson-c41c-body-lwt147

1950-austin-k4sl-with-whitson-c29f-body

1950-daimler-217-and-fnv577-a-leyland-tiger-ps2-whitson-bodied-bask-in-the-pouring-rain-on-the-bus-station

1950-jaw-334-foden-bus-salopia-whitson

1950-leyland-ps2-with-whitson-body-fnv557

1950-leyland-ps2-with-whitson-body-fnv557

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1950-n969-usaf-foden-whitson-observation-coach

1950-pvsc4-foden-whitson-hustwitt collect-2

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1951-aec-regaliv-whitson-r-simpson-observation coach

1952-chiltern-queens-woodcote-npa462-albion-victor-whitson-fc31f-at-woodcote-garage

1952-foden-pvrf6-whitson-c39c-kwu-24

1952-foden-pvrf6-whitson-c39c-kwu-24

1952-npa462-albion-victor-whitson-fc31f-in-woodcote-garage

1953-marshall-bradford-lwt149-aec-regal-iv-whitson-c41c

1953-foden-pvsc6-ewh-195-whitson-rc35c-observation-coach

1954-aec-regal-iv-whitson

1954-sentinel-slc6-30-with-whitson-c40c-body

1955-commer-t85a-avenger-iii-maw627-with-a-whitson-c41f-body-maw627

1955-kwu24-whitson-c36c-bodied-rear-engined-foden-outside-the-owners-garage-in-wix-essex-with-walsall-registered-ob-ndh663-lurking-inside © MJ Fisher

1955-whitson-bodied-austin-walsall

That’s all

VBK Vestfold Bil & Karosseri Horten, Vestfold County, Norway

Vestfold Car And Bodywork

Volvobus bodywork from VBK, Aure.

Photo: David Hatlen

DAF-bus with bodywork from VBK, Hamar and surrounding areas Car routes .
Photo: David Hatlen

Vestfold Car And Bodywork A/S (VBK) was one of Norway’s largest body factories. The factory was located at Horten in Vestfold County, Norway, and produced bus coachwork as well as cooling-and freezing the coachwork, train Interior and ambulances. At its peak had VBK-the Group of 600 employees (1981), and produced approximately 4,600 bus tub rose splines between 1953 and 1982. 

The company was founded on 17. January 1946 as Stedjeberg Auto A/S, owned by 20 men from the district. They ran the gas station and car dealership, as well as car and body repair shop. The first few years was the bus production modest. In 1951, the company took the name Vestfold Car and Bodywork A/S.

In 1953, were the shares of the company taken over by h. Astrup and Co. A/S, in the same year began the VBK to build bus coachwork, in part, of the alloy, after they had built from the start of traditional automotive body of steel. In 1957, began also to produce VBK body panels of glass fibre reinforced plastic .

VBK established in 1961, the subsidiary Kristiansund Let metal a/s in Kristiansund, Norway, that produced the VBKs bus models.In 1969 bought VBK factories t. Knudsen the bodywork factory in Kristiansand, Norway, and Larvik bodywork. These two factories also produced the VBKs bus models, but was put down after a short time, and bus production was moved to Horten.

In 1971 was VBK with to establish A/S the Interior the bodywork factory in Sjøvegan in Troms County, Norway . VBK were co-owners from the start, and took over the company completely in 1981.Also this factory produced buses for VBK.

In collaboration with the Scan Rescue A/S in London began in 1970 with the building the VBK and the decoration of the ambulances.In 1978, the Danish VBK bought cooling-frysekarosserifabrikken Frigor Trans in Viborg. Three years later, the Danish busskarroserifabrikken VBK bought j. Ørum-Petersen’s Body factory a/s in Herning. After this purchase had VBK-the Group of 600 employees, of which 350 employees at the hovedbedriften in Horten.

In 1982 sold VBK first bodywork factory in Troms County, Norway to the Inland Rutebil Troms County, Norway. Later in the same year became bus production in London closed down. The following year, also VBKs bus production in Denmark VBK and discontinued, had left 90 employees in London, who worked with the build up of ambulances, the cooling bodies and bus repairs. In 1987, took over the main workshop for VBK air force’s maritime literature, and star engines, after the Horten Shipyard had been closed down in 1986. This Department was on maintenance and overhaul of aircraft and ground equipment.

Today live VBK-the name forward in the two companies at Horten: VBK Bodywork Horten AS and VBK Nordic AS. These companies are up to, respectively, the body work on buses and trucks, and construction and the sale of ambulances and other special vehicles. 

In the fall of 2011 edited VBK Bodywork Horten AS the name back to the original VBK as.

1950-scania-vabis-vbk

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1961-scania-vabis-bf75-61-mod-tilhc3b8rende-vsb-vestfoldrutene-bussen-hadde-m58-karosseri-fra-vbk

1963-carson-vbk-bodied-volvo

1963-scania-vabis-b56-58-mod-med-m58-karosseri-fra-vbk

1964-leyland-worldmaster-with-body-from-norwegian-vbk-a15720

1964-magirus-deutz-saturn-ii-vbk

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1965-daf-tb-160-vbk

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1968-scania-vabis-bf75-61-1960-mod-levert-til-bc3a6rums-forende-bilruter-pc3a5-bekkestua-i-bc3a6rum-med-vbks-m58-karosseri

1968-volvo-b57-50-klm-vbk-snk-9941

1971-vbk-scania-bf80

1972-scania-vabis-m58-karosseri-fra-vbk-c4625

1972-vbk-m41-scania-b110

1973-mercedes-benz-ambulanse-vbk-rescueline-w115

1974-mercedes-benz-ambulanse-240d-vbk

1975-bc28393-is-a-scania-bf111-63-with-a-bus-body-by-vbk-vestfold-bil-og-karosseri

1975-volvo-b58-60-vbk

1976 volvo-vbk-litouwen

1976-volvo-vbk

1977-scania-bf-111-vbk-m42-bf-11163

1978-scania-br86s-vbk

1978-scania-br86s-vbk

1979-scania-bf111-63-kombinertbuss-mod-med-m42-karosseri-fra-vbk

1980-volvo-b10m-leddbussen-med-karosserie-fra-nc3a5-nedlagte-vbk

1981-scania-br112-vbk

1982-vbk-m500f-volvo-litouwen

1983 volvo-vbk-estland

1985-mercedes-benz-300-d-ambulanse-vbk-rescueline-w124

1997-ford-econoline-ambulanse-vbk-rescueline-200-e-350

chevrolet-b10439-vbk?

daf-ab-hamar-omland-bilruter-hh-vbk

daf-ab-hamar-omland-bilruter-hh-vbk

kz30890-is-a-vbk-bodied-scania

2009 mercedes-vbk-hb64579

scania-br86-super-vbk

scania-br86-super-vbk

scania-vabis-76-vbk-f5008

scania-vabis-t-knudsen-b5331 + vkb

scania-vbk-477

t-3493 vkb?

volvo-vbk

vbk-daf-30-94-zweden

vbk-volvo-b10m

vbk-volvo-hb-92-707-roskilde

1982 volvo-b10m-mk-i-vbk-50

volvo-b58-chassis-with-29-seat-vbk-vestfold-bil-karrosseri-bodies

volvo-policebus-b1312-vbk?

1983 volvo-vbk-lb

volvo-buss-med-karosseri-fra-vbk-aure

volvo-vkb-krsundoppdalauto-hh

2005 vw-vbk-vx29759

2001 w-m-buslinier-dj98231-scania-k112cl-med-karosseri-fra-vbk-i-herning-her-set

That’s what I could find

###

Bus and Coach builders STRACHAN (and BROWN) England UK

STRACHAN

and

BROWN

Strachans, at one time known as Strachan and Brown, was a significant supplier of bus and coach bodies from the ‘Twenties through to the late ‘Sixties. After that they appear to have quit the PSV market but continued to trade as a supplier to the Ministry of Defense. Based for many years in North Acton, London they moved to premises on Hamble Airfield in Hampshire around 1960. The last date I have where any activity is recorded is 1984.

Their products were particularly prominent before WW2 with many London operators using them, while during the War they were a supplier of “Utility” bodywork. Post-War they were particularly associated with Aldershot and District, but seemed to go into a decline in the late ‘Fifties. The ‘Sixties saw a minor resurgence when they bodied a number of rear-engined single decker chassis including the London Transport XMS class, and provided the coachwork on the only five Dodge chassis sold in the UK.

Surprisingly I have been unable to trace more than passing references to this company anywhere on the web, so a group to record its existence seems appropriate.

History

• 1865 Birth of James Marshall Strachan [pronounced Strawn] at Medians, near Aberdeen, Scotland.

• 1867 Birth of Walter Ernest Brown.

• 1881 W E Brown is apprenticed to coachbuilders Laurie and Marner (Oxford Street, London).

• 1894 W E Brown starts his own business at Shepherds Bush.

• 1896 W E Brown partners with S A Hughes [full name and dates?] as Brown and Hughes (Kensington).

• 1907 J M Strachan joins the partnership: Brown, Hughes and Strachan, with a large factory at Park Royal.

• 1915 J M Strachan and W E Brown establish a new partnership as Strachan and Brown Ltd, based at the former Brown and Hughes premises (Holland Gate Garage, High Street, Kensington).

• 1921 Strachan and Brown move to Wales Farm Road, Acton.

• 1928 Strachan and Brown partnership dissolved; J M Strachan continues as Strachans Ltd; W E Brown and sons Dennis and Reginald become directors of Duple Bodies and Motors; the rest is WKC history.

• 1929 Death of J M Strachan; Strachans is renamed Strachans (Acton) Ltd.

• 1934 Strachans (Acton) is renamed Strachans Successors Ltd.

• 1944 Death of W E Brown.

• 1962 Strachans Successors is sold to Giltspur but continues to operate as Strachans (Coachbuilders) Ltd based at Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire.

    1976 Strachans (Coachbuilders) ceases production.

• * This info comes from Mrs Jacky Mackenzie, great grand daughter of Walter Ernest Brown

1920-31-midland-red-a177-oh-1206-tilling-stevens-ts3-strachan-and-brown-b29f

1926-oc1-strachan-brown-of-acton-daimler-cf6-w-l

1927-aec-oc14-strachan-brown-of-acton

1929-oc14-strachan-of-acton-on-berliet

1930-hx-1388-a-e-c-regent-strachans-h2624r

1930-leyland-lt2-with-a-strachan-b32r-body

1932-leyland-ts4-originally-with-harrington-body-rebodied-in-1949-with-this-strachan-c33f-body

1933-gilford-zeus-strachan-h24-24r-079-xm

1936-aec-regent-originally-with-l-p-t-b-h30-26r-rebodied-in-may-1956-with-the-1947-strachan-l27-28r-body-rebodied-by-roe

1939-aec-strachan-double-decker-125-bhj195

1939-aec-strachan-double-decker-129-bhj199

1939-aec-strachan-double-decker-129-bhj199a

1943-bradford-guy-arab-1-fleet-no-467-reg-no-dky-467

1943-guy-arab-had-a-strachan-l27-28r-body

1943-strachan-utility-l27-28r-body-so-extensively-rebuilt-by-silcox-by-1956-into-the-condition-shown-that-it-is-no-longer-recognisable-as-of-strachan-origins

1944-bristol-k5g-strachan-ex-hants-dorset-glj971

1944-guy-arab-ii-rebodied-1960-massey-l57r-2005-gyl984-1945-guy-arab-ii-rebodied-1955-strachan-l56r

1944-guy-arab-ii-with-a-strachan-l27-28r-body

1945-barton-443-gnn704-was-a-guy-arab-ii-with-a-strachans-l27-28r-body

1945-bristol-k6a-stranchan

1945-guy-arab-ii-rebodied-1954-strachan-l56r-a

1945-guy-arab-ii-with-a-strachan-l27-28r-80-wide-body

1945-guy-arab-ii-with-a-strachan-l27-28r-body

1945-guy-arab-ii-with-strachan-h56r-body

1945-guy-arab-ii-with-strachan-l27-28rd-utility-body

1945-guy-arab-ii-with-strachan-lowbridge-body

1945-guy-arab-ll-strachan

1947-33-jde426-bristol-l5g-strachan-dp35f

1947-56-was-a-strachan-l27-28r-bodied-albion-cx19-whilst-81-was-the-roe-l27-26rd-rebodied-single-deck-albion-cx39n-chassis

1947-aec-regent-with-strachan-l27-28r-body-a

1947-aec-regent-with-strachan-l27-28r-body

1947-dennis-j3-lancet-with-a-strachan-c32r-body

1947-guy-arab-iii-with-a-strachan-l27-28r-body

1947-guy-arab-mklll-with-strachan-body

1947-leyland-ps1-1s-with-strachans-c33f-body

1947-maudslay-marathon-iii-strachans-fc33f-new-with-enterprise-coaches-of-kenton-middlesex

1948-38-jde-431-bristol-l5g-strachans

1948-aec-regal-iii-strachans-b35r-jfm575-crosville

 

1948-aec-regal-iii-with-strachan-b35r-body-a

1948-aec-regal-iii-with-strachan-b35r-body

 1948-aec-regal-iii-strachan-ta5

1948-bristol-l5g-strachan-dp35f

1948-guy-arab-114-nev609-with-a-strachan-l27-26r-body

1948-guy-arab-iii-single-decker-with-strachans-b34f-body

1949-aec-regal-iii-with-strachan-b36f-body

1949-crossley-dd42-3-which-was-fitted-from-new-with-this-strachans-fc33f-body.

1949-daimler-cvd6-with-strachans-bodywork

1949-guy-arab-iii-with-a-strachan-l27-28r

1949-guy-arab-iii-with-strachan-l27-28r-bodywork

1949-guy-arab-iii-with-strachans-l55r-body

1949-strachan-c35f-bodied-guy-arab-iii

1950-a-e-c-9612a-regent-iii-with-a-strachans-l27-28r-body

1950-a-e-c-9621e-regal-iii-with-a-strachan-c33f-body

1950-albion-venturer-cx37s-with-a-strachan-l55r

1950-dennis-j10-lancet-with-strachan-b38r-body

1950-dennis-j10-lancets-with-strachan-b38r-bodies-175-hou901

1950-dennis-j10-lancets-with-strachan-b38r-bodies-175-hou901

 1950-dennis-j10-lancets-with-strachan-b38r-bodies-175-hou901

 1950-guy-arab-iii-with-a-strachan-l27-28r-body

 1950-guy-arab-iii-with-strachan-c35f-body

 

1950-guy-arab-iv-with-uncommon-strachans-fl31-26rd-bodywork

 

1950-leyland-cpo1-comet-with-a-strachan-c37f-body

 

1950-leyland-tiger-ps2-1-strachan-b34r

 

1950-strachan-c35f-bodied-guy-arab-iii

1951-crossley-dd42-8-with-a-strachan-h31-28rd-body

 

1951-dennis-dominant-with-a-strachans-b41c-body

 

1951-guy-arab-iii-with-a-strachan-b38f-body

 

 

 

1951-guy-arab-iii-with-strachan-b38f-body-a

 

1951-guy-arab-iii-with-strachan-b38f-body

 

1951-guy-arab-iii-with-strachan-fl31-26rd-body

 

 

1951-leyland-royal-tiger-psu-1-15-strachan-c4k-gvn-952

 

1953-bedford-strachans-bus-photo-yugoslavia

 

1953-dennis-lancet-j10c-with-strachan-c38f-body

 

1953-strachan-h31-28rd-bodied-a-e-c-9613s-regent-iii

 

1954-aec-mu3rv-reliances-with-strachan-everest-c41c-bodies-a

 

1954-aec-mu3rv-strachan-c41c-at-aldershot-garage

 

1954-aec-mu3rv-strachan-c41c-in-hampton-court-station-goods-yard.

 

1954-aec-reliance-mu3rv-with-a-strachan-c41c-body-a

 

1954-aec-reliance-mu3rv-with-a-strachan-c41c-body

 

 

 

1954-aec-reliance-mu3rv-with-strachan-everest-c41c-bodywork

 

1954-dennis-falcon-lou65-with-strachan-bodywork

 

1954-dennis-p5-falcons-with-strachan-b30f-bodies

 

1954-leyland-psuc1-2-tiger-cubs-with-strachans-everest-c41c-bodies

 

1954-leyland-psuc1-2-with-strachans-c41c-body

 

1954-leyland-psuc1-2t-tiger-cub-with-strachan-everest-c41c-body

 

1954-strachan-bodied-aec-reliance

 

1954-strachan-bodied-aec-reliant

 

1954-strachan-everest-c41c-bodied-aec-reliance

 

1954-trojan-dt-strachans-c15f

 

1955-aec-mu3rv-reliances-with-strachan-everest-c41c-bodies

 

1955-aec-reliance-strachan-c41c

 

1955-dennis-lancet-ufs-with-strachan-dp41f-bodies

 

1955-guy-arab-iv-with-a-strachan-l27-28r-body

 

1955-guy-arab-iv-with-strachans-l28-28r-body

 

1955-oc1-strachans-successors-ltd-of-acton-on-aec-reliance-for-fales-coaches-of-bath

 

1955-strachan-everest-c41c-bodywork-on-its-aec-reliance-chassis

 

1955-valliant-xhn574-aec-reliance-strachans-c41c

 

1956-dennis-falcon-strachan-b30f-in-aldershot-garage-yard

1956-dennis-falcon-with-strachan-b30f-body

1956-dennis-falcon-with-strachan-b30f-body

1956-dennis-falcons-with-strachan-b30f-bodies

1956-dennis-p5-falcon-275-por421-with-a-strachan-b30f-body

1956-strachan-bodied-dennis-falcon-por428-at-stokes-bay

1956-trojan-with-a-strachan-c13f-body

 

1958-strachans-bodied-batch-of-seddons

1959-ford-611e-strachan-bxxf

1962-albion-nimbus-ns3n-with-strachan-dp31f-body

1962-barton-442-gnn703-strachan-bodied-guy-arab-ii

1962-guy-arab-iv-strachans-h72r

1962-guy-arab-iv-strachans-h72r

1962-strachans-bodied-bedford-val

1962-strachans-bodied-bedford-val14s

1963-aec-regent-v-stranchans

1963-aec-regent-v-one-of-a-trio-delivered-to-members-of-the-co-operative-all-carried-this-unusual-and-rare-strachans-bodywork

1963-ford-thames-traders-with-strachans-bodies-seating-33-upstairs-and-carrying-23-bikes-downstairs

1963-ford-thames-traders-with-strachans-bodies-seating-33-upstairs-and-carrying-23-bikes-downstairs

1963-ford-thames-traders-with-strachans-bodies-seating-33-upstairs-and-carrying-23-bikes-downstairs

1963-ford-thames-traders-with-strachans-bodies-seating-33-upstairs-and-carrying-23-bikes-downstairs

1963-ford-thames-traders-with-strachans-bodies-seating-33-upstairs-and-carrying-23-bikes-downstairs

1963-ford-thames-traders-with-strachans-bodies-seating-33-upstairs-and-carrying-23-bikes-downstairs

1963-hutchings-cornelius-strachans-bodied-dennis-lancet-tyc-319-lays-over-after-running-in-from-its-south-petherton-home-while-cyc-669c-a-bedford-sb5-strachans

1963-leyland-titan-pd2a-30-strachans-h61rd-d

1963-leyland-titan-pd2a-30-strachans-h61rd

1964-bedford-val14-strachan-b52f

1964-bedford-val14-with-unusual-low-height-strachan-b52f-bodywork

1964-bedford-val14-with-unusual-low-height-strachan-b52f-bodywork

1964-daimler-92-dcp836-passing-guy-arab-v-demonstrator-888duk-on-trial-with-the-corporation

1964-dodge-s307-strachans-c42f-by-the-kings-arms-at-hampton-court

1964-dodge-s307-strachans-c42f-in-hampton-court-station-goods-yard

1964-dodge-s307-190t-strachan-c42f-ayv-94b

1964-guy-arab-v-demonstrator-888duk-on-trial-with-halifax-corporation-in-summer-1964-it-carried-a-strachan-front-entrance-body

1964-guy-demonstrator-888duk-with-halifax-corporation-in-june-1964-it-carried-a-strachan-front-entrance-body

1964-leyland-leopard-l1-strachan-b45d

1964-leyland-leopard-l1-with-strachans-b45d-bodywork

1964-leyland-leopard-l1-had-bodywork-by-strachan

1964-leyland-leopards-in-1964-with-unusual-but-very-neat-strachans-dual-entrance-bodywork-seating-45

1964-leyland-pd2a-30-with-strachan-h35-28rd-bodywork

1964-strachan-dp49f-bodied-aec-2u3ra-reliance

1964-strachans-bodied-dodge-s307-190t-coaches

1964-strachans-low-bridge-bodied-guy-arab-iv-53dhk

1965-bedford-sb-strachan-pacesaver-b-f-demonstrator-parked-at-sandown-park-race-course-esher-surrey

1965-bedford-sb-strachan-pacesaver-b-f-in-windsor

1965-bournemouth-transport-bedford-vas-strachan-m4 © Richard Godfray

1965-ford-strachan

1965-guy-arab-v-6lw-built-in-1965-with-strachans-h41-31f-bodywork.

1966-aec-merlin-p2r-strachan-b25d-originally-london-transport-xms4

1966-aec-merlin-p2r-strachan-b25d

1966-aec-reliance-strachan-b39f

1966-fbr-53d-leyland-panther-strachans-ex-sunderland-metro-centre

1966-ford-r192-npt306d-with-strachans-b44f-bodywork

1966-ford-r192-with-strachan-b44f-bodywork

1966-ford-r226-with-strachan-b52d-bodywork

1966-leyland-demonstrator-ytb771d-on-test-with-halifax-corporation-a-leyland-psrc1-1-panther-cub-with-a-strachans-b43d-body

1966-leyland-panther-psur1-1r-strachan-53-fbr53d-sunderland-corporation

1966-leyland-panther-psur1-1r-with-strachans-b4719d-bodywork

1966-leyland-psu3-1r-strachans

1966-mbs15-the-only-strachans-aec-merlin

1966-strachans-aec-merlin

1966-wmpte-3661-ford-r192-with-strachans-body-ex-birmingham-city-transport

1967-a-e-c-swift-mp2r-with-strachan-b54d-bodywork

1967-a-e-c-swift-mp2r-with-strachans-b58f-bodywork

1967-aec-reliance-strachan-b39f

1967-aec-xms1-strachan-jla51d-from-gillingham-street-garage-on-red-arrow-route-500-in-park-lane

1967-bedford-sb-strachans-j33643

1967-bedford-vam14-with-strachan-b33d25-body

1967-bristol-rell6g-strachan-b34d-218-srd18-1959-aec-reliance-2mu3rv-burlimgham-b34d

1967-bristol-rell6g-with-strachans-b34d-body

1967-daimler-roadliner-src6-strachan-b54d-in-victoria-square-bus-statio

1967-guy-arab-v-with-strachan-h41-31f-body

1967-leyland-panther-88-gbr88e-with-strachans-bodywork-fbr53d

1967-leyland-panther-88-gbr88e-with-strachans-bodywork

1967-leyland-panther-strachan

1967-strachan-bodied-aec-reliance-ex-aldershot-district-273-mor604

1967-strachan-bodied-ford-r192

1967-two-strachan-bodied-guy-arabs-are-closest-152n-in-cream-blue-ansd-not-then-yet-withrawn-alongside-216n

1968-aec-swift-mp2r-strachan-b47d-at-portswood-garage

1968-aec-swift-mp2r-strachan-b47d-originally-southampton-corporation-4-in-guildford-farnham-road-bus-station

1968-aec-swift-mp2r-with-strachan-b47d-bodywork

1968-eyo-885j-another-bedford-vas-strachans-this-one-with-high-backed-coach-seats

1968-ford-r226-with-strachans-53-seater-body

1968-ford-r226-with-strachans-bodywork

1968-leyland-panther-cub-demonstrator-with-strachans-body-at-the-earls-court-motor-show

1968-leyland-panther-cub-psrc1-1-with-strachan-43-seat-bodywork

1968-leyland-panther-cub-psrc1-1-with-strachan-b43f-body

1968-leyland-panther-psur1-1r-with-strachan-b45f-bodywork

1968-leyland-panther-psur1-1r-with-strachan-b45f-bodywork.

1968 aec-swift-mp2r-strachan-b47d-mtr-420f

1969-bedford-vas-3-strachan-body-ex-mod

1970-ford-transit-with-strachan-b16f-body

1972-ford-transit-strachan-dp16f

1975-the-last-strachan-dda149c.

That’s it, it’s enough

SUPERIOR Coach Company Ohio USA

Superior Coach Company

Superior Coach was once a school bus body and professional car manufacturer, but today it focuses on building hearses and is located in Lima in Allen County, Ohio.

History

Garford Motor Truck Company – logo 1912

 Russian WWI Garford-Putilov armoured car based on Garford truck 1912

Garford Motor Truck Company

In 1909, the Garford Motor Truck Company was established in Elyria, Ohio, a small town 30 miles outside Cleveland.

By June 1912, the company was awarded a lucrative contract with the United States Post Office. The first order called for 11 trucks; the following for 20 trucks, for a total of 31 trucks. “This is very significant of the practical efficiency of this most advanced commercial car.” The post office had experimented for two years “with practically every truck made.” They tried not only all the leading American trucks but the foreign trucks as well. The test resulted in the Garford being awarded first honors. The Garford proved to be the most practical truck under all conditions.

 Truck of Garford 4×4 Motor Truck Company 1916

 Garford Motor Truck Company 1912

Superior Coach

ord Motor Truck Company

In 1909, the Garford Motor Truck Company was established in Elyria, Ohio, a small town 30 miles outside Cleveland.

By June 1912, the company was awarded a lucrative contract with the United States Post Office. The first order called for 11 trucks; the following for 20 trucks, for a total of 31 trucks. “This is very significant of the practical efficiency of this most advanced commercial car.” The post office had experimented for two years “with practically every truck made.” They tried not only all the leading American trucks but the foreign trucks as well. The test resulted in the Garford being awarded first honors. The Garford proved to be the most practical truck under all conditions.

Superior Body Company

In 1925, the company changed its name to the Superior Body Company and moved its operations to Lima, Ohio, where it occupied a new plant housing a large manufacturing facility and administrative offices. The company diversified, introducing a line of hearse and ambulance bodies (known as professional cars and becoming a major producer of school bus bodies for the U.S. and Canada as well as export markets. For its professional-car platforms, Superior signed an agreement with Studebaker, thus gaining instant access to some 3000 dealers and Studebaker’s chassis engineering. The company saw continuing success for several years and, on the strength of this arrangement, rose to a prominent position in the professional-car business; by 1930 Superior and Studebaker had the only complete line of professional cars in the North American market. In 1938, having achieved success and having established a dealer network of its own, Superior left the partnership with Studebaker and began building bodies on General Motors platforms.

Superior Coach Company

The company changed its name to Superior Coach Company in 1940. And the years that followed saw hearses styled on Cadillac, LaSalle and Pontiac chassis. By 1949, the company had added Chrysler, DeSoto and Dodge chassis to its funeral coach line, offering customers a smaller investment and lower overhead. School bus bodies were built primarily on Chevrolet/GM, Dodge, Ford, and International Harvester truck chassis. In 1951 the Lima facility was expanded and a new facility in Kosciusko, Mississippi was dedicated.

Sheller-Globe Corporation

In 1969, Superior Coach Company was acquired by an industrial conglomerate and auto parts maker, the Toledo, Ohio-based Sheller-Globe Corporation. The 1977 model year saw a major downsizing in the automobile chassis used for the professional car business. The ambulance sector switched to larger vehicles based upon van, cutaway van chassis, and truck chassis. The watershed year of 1977 also brought new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards-(FMVSS) for school buses built after April 1, which increased both costs and engineering challenges. In addition to higher costs, at the same time, a downturn in North American school bus purchase volumes began as the children of the Baby Boom completed their elementary and secondary educations.

By 1980, Superior was one of the “Big Six” school bus body manufacturing companies in the United States, competing with Blue Bird Body Company, Carpenter Body Company, Thomas Built Buses, Inc., Ward Body Company, and Wayne Corporation, as well as Gillig Corporation and Crown Coach Corporation (manufacturers which traded primarily on the West Coast). Bidding competition for reduced volumes became devastating to profits and even liquidity. In 1979, Ward declared bankruptcy, reorganizing as AmTran the following year which later became IC Bus.

Faced with these challenges, industry over-capacity among school bus manufacturers, and the loss of ambulance business in the professional car sector, Sheller-Globe Corporation liquidated its Superior-related investments in late 1980, and portions of its assets were sold.

 

1950s-supercruiser

1964-superior-3100-5200

1964-superior-3100-5200-gmc

1964-superior-5000-op-bedford

1964-superior-international harvester-saigon

1964-superior-traveler-colombia

1964-superior-traveler-manila

1964-superior-traveler-venezuela

1966-on-a-dodge-chassis

1967-superior-series-usa-10-67.

1970s-era-supercruiser-on-gmc-chassis

1972-superior-international harvester

1972-superior-on-chevrolet-chassis

1974-gmc-from-moffat-county

1976-butterfly-hood-superior-from-ohio

1976-international harvester-superior

1977-and-a-1979-superiors-but-with-different-style-international-chassis

1977-ford-superior-from-rowan-county

1977-superior-line-up-11

1978-international-on-loadstar-chassis

1979-small-superior-gmc-36-passenger

1980-s-series-superior-international-drivers-area

1980-s-series-superior-international-outside

1986-dk-conventional-bus

superior-usa

Eckland Bros

Studebaker

J BENCE – LONGWELL GREEN Coachworks Ltd Bristol England UK 1890-1944-1966

J.BENCE & Sons 1890-1944

LONGWELL GREEN Coachworks Ltd 1944-1966

W.J. Bence started a carrier/bus service in this area c.1890. Later in 1918 he started building bus bodies on military chassis that had been used during the recent World War. Bus body building continued until 1944 when a new name was sought and Longwell Green Coachworks Limited came into being. They built many buses and lorries until 1966 when the last 2 buses were completed. The firm then concentrated solely on lorries and vans until 1983 when it ceased to trade. On the bus building side some of their customers included the corporations of Cardiff, Newport, Aberdare, Gelligaer, Merthyr Tydfil and larger companies Rhondda Transport and South Wales Transport (to name but a few). Some of the clients for lorries, vans and crew buses were British Road Services, British Rail and the GPO (later Telecomms). A more detailed story is covered by Ian S. Bishop in his book ‘Longwell Green Our Village’ available from The Bristol and Avon Family History Society.

1906-w-j-bence-longwell-green

1913-view-of-downend-village-an-early-bences-motor-bus-from-longwell-green

1918-bence-motor-services-bitton-ford

1918-one-of-bences-early-longwell-green-built-buses

1918-one-of-bences-early-longwell-green-built-buses

1919-bence-motor-services-bitton

1920-bences-garage-hanham

1920-view-of-early-ford-buses-bence-sons-garage

1922-bences-motor-services-ford-t-model-14-seat-bus

1920s-view-of-early-ford-buses-bence-sons-garage

1925-longwell-green-aec-south-gloucestershire

1925-longwell-green-south-gloucestershire

1927-bence-motor-services-hanham

1930-bence-motor-services-albion-bus

1930-bence-motor-services-hanham

1936-oc4-jones-bence-of-bristol.

1938-two-bristol-trucks-under-construction-at-longwell-green-coach-works

1946-bristol-bus-no-2013-hy-8256

1947-aec-longwell-green-bences

1950-aec-regal-iii-with-duple-b35f-body-rebuilt-by-longwell-green-in-1959-for-one-man-operation

1950-bence-coach-works-longwell-green

1950-leyland-double-decker-bus-at-longwell-green-coach-works

1950-leyland-pdi-c4031-khy-400

1950-after an accident rebuild of this leyland-pdi-khy-400 by longwell green

1953-aec-regall-iiis-with-longwell-green-b35f-body

1953-leyland-royal-tiger-with-a-longwell-green-c41c-body

1954-leyland-bodywork-by-longwell-green-of-bristol

1955-aec-reliance-with-longwell-green-b44f-body

1955-leyland-bus-longwell-green-coach-a-works

1955-leyland-bus-longwell-green-coach-works

1955-leyland-with-longwell-green-body

1955-leyland-with-longwell-green-body

1956-aec-regent-v-md3rv-with-unusual-longwell-green-bodywork-which-started-off-as-l27-28r-later-l31-28r

1957-daimler-cvg6-with-longwell-green-h33-28r-body

1958-guy-arab-lufs-with-longwell-green-b44f-bodies-xny419

1958-guy-luf-with-longwell-green-b44f-body

1958-leyland-pd2-40-with-longwell-green-h30-28r-body

1958-leyland-pd2-40-with-longwell-green-h30-28r-body

1958-longwell-green-h35-29r-bodied-guy-arab-iv

1959-leyland-pd2-40-with-a-longwell-green-h30-28r-body

1959-leyland-pd2-40-with-longwell-green-l27-28rd-body-xwo473

1959-leyland-pd2-40-with-longwell-green-l27-28rd-body

1959-longwell-green-guy dd

1960-leyland-pd2-longwell-green

1960-leyland-titan-pd2-30s-that-carried-unusually-for-stockport-longwell-green-bodywork.

1960-longwell-green-h32-28r-bodied-leyland-pd2-30

1960-longwell-green-l27-28rd-bodied-leyland-pd2-40

1963-aec-reliance-2mu3rv-with-longwell-green-bodywork

1963-aec-reliance-with-longwell-green-b45f-body

1966-aec-regent-v-with-longwell-green-h34-26f-body.

That’s it

######

Coachbuilders HARRINGTON Sussex England UK II

Buses Body + Coachbuilders HARRINGTON Sussex England UK

1928 Leyland Tiger KD 5296 Harrington

1930 Shelvoke & Drewry Freighter Harrington B20R  Tramocar

Tramocar Harrington BP-9822

Harrington Limousine

1934 Albion Valiant PV70 LJ9501, with a post war Harrington body

1934 Albion Valiant with post war Harrington bodywork is the famous Harrington dorsal fin roof

1934 Albion-Single-Decker EJ-9501-Buses with post war Harrington bodywork

1935 AEC Regal CPK-168 Harrington

1935 AEC Regal III 9621A bodied by Thomas Harrington HCJ390

1935 AEC Regal III with Harrington C32 F Body

1935 Leyland PS 1 Harrington Half Cab Gives Way To The Full Front hyh 575

1936 Leyland PS 1 Harrington

1938 Albion Post Office Telephones Harrington

1946 Harrington Commer Commando LPA756

1947 Harrington bodied Leyland Comet KUF51 1047

1947 Leyland Tiger Harrington C33F JYC-855

1948 Harrington Bedford OB

1949 Harrington Ad

1949 Harrington Albion version of the same body KCD697

1949 Albion Victor 26 seat bus by harrington

1950 AEC Regal 3 with Harrington Dorsal Fin Boby and 9600cc engine

1950 AEC Regal 3 with Harrington Dorsal Fin Body and 9600cc engine sp

1950 Harrington Ad

1950 Harrington body Commer Avenger chassis 23A0500 jho917

1950 Harrington Coach Rear in the early fifties

1950 Leyland Comet CP01 with Harrington ‘Dorsal Fin’ C29F

1950 Leyland Comet CP01 with Harrington ‘Dorsal Fin’ C29F

1951 Leyland Comet-Harrington MYA590 showing ‘Dorsal Fin’ and ‘Pirates Hat’ strakes on rear wheel arches.

1951 Leyland Comet-Harrington ‘Dorsal Fin’

1951 Harrington Coach Rear in the early fifties

1951 Harrington Dorsal Fin Coach Builders UK

1951 AEC Regal III 6821A fitted with a Harrington C37F half cab body, along with PPF491

1951 Albion Victor Harrington FC31F

1951 Albion Victor

1951 Leyland Royal Tiger Harrington C41C originally Grey-Green

1952 AEC Harrington Contender

1952 Leyland Harrington Contender

1952 Harrington Contender

1952 Leyland Royal  Harrington Contender C41C HWV-793

1952 Harrington body

1953 AEC Regal III – Harrington FC33F

1953 Harrington Bedford SB 16955 registration PYA 973

1953 Harrington Leyland PS1 JP6468

1953 Harrington Wayfarer Mk 2 (Contender)

1954 AEC Reliance MU3RV with Harrington C37C bodywork

1954 Albions formed the core of Charlies Cars fleet and this is 68, ORU263, an FT39AL with FC35F Harrington body

1954 Harrington Commer Avenger chassis built to the appearance of the Wayfarer Mk 4

1954 Harrington Hawkey’s AEC Regal MAF 699

1954 Harrington OXO 116 is body number 1282 on chassis SBO 25987

1954 AEC Harrington-bodied-vintage-coach

1954 Leyland Royal Tiger Harrington Wayfarer c26C OUF-834

1955 Harrington Wayfarer II UK

1955 Harrington WayfarerII-bodied Leyland Tiger Cub of Silver Star

1955 Harrington Wayfarer MK III xpc97

1956 Albion Aberdonian with Harrington C41F body

1956 Bedford Harrington Wayfarer Mk 4 tlc320

1956 Harrington-Commer Contender integral with C41C body

1957 AEC MU3RV Reliance with Harrington Wayfarer V C37F body

1958 AEC Reliance 2MU3RV with Harrington C41F body

1958 Albion Victor Harrington bodied FT39

1958 Harrington Crusader mark 1 bedford crusader

1959 Harrington

1959 Harrington Bus UK

1959 Harrington Bus UK

1960 AEC Reliance Harrington Cavalier rnj900

1960 Albion Nimbus – Harrington B30F

1960 Ford Thames Harrington Crusader Mk2 cru2

1961 Ford Thames Harrington Crusader UK

1962 AEC Reliance Harrington Grenadier gren36

1962 body number 2673, Commer Avenger IV 94A0520 registered  in 1962

1962 Harrington Crusader I C41F bodied Commer Avenger IV

1962 Leyland Leopard with Harrington Cavalier C41F

1963 AEC Harrington Cavalier Vailliant bus

1963 AEC Harrington Cavalier Vailliant bus

1963 AEC Harrington Cavalier Vailliant bus

1963 Albion Nimbus NS3AN with Harrington bodywork

1963 Bedford Val 14 Harrington Legionair C52F

1963 AEC Harrington Cavalier C37F

1963 AEC Harrington Coach

1963 AEC Harrington Grenadier UK

1963-66 Bedford Val Harrington Legionair legline

1964 Bedford Val 14 Harrington C52F 991-VRR lr

1964 Ford Thames 570E Harrington Crusader IV C41F bodied

1964 AEC Harrington Grenadier UK

1964 AEC Harrington Grenadier UK

1964 Harrington Legionair MK II ccd370c

1965 AEC Reliance harrington Grenadier C47F FKL-135D

1965 Bedford Harrington Crusader IV cru4

1965 Bedford SB5 91392 Harrington Crusader III

1965 Leyland Leopard Harrington C47F DDG-256C

1966 Ford 676E Thames +Harrington Legionnaire II C52F body, JNK681C

Now several Harrington bodied buses together:

THE END

KENEX Coachworks Ltd England UK

Kenex Coachworks Ltd

Austin K8CVC – Kenex © PM Photogrphy PO Box 157 GH15 9GJ

The Kenex company offered two models which complied with current PSV regulations the Kenebus 12 seater and the Kenecoach for 11 passengers. The Kenebus had longitudinal seats and a bar type separator for the driver’s compartment, while the Kenecoach used transverse seating and had a panelled divider to keep the passengers from bothering the driver. Kenex also offered their own version of the ordinary 12 seater light bus without PSV certificate of fitness, this being the Kenebrake if supplied with upholstered seats, or the Yeoman if fitted with wood slat type seating. From a distance, the Kenex PSV types are distinguishable by their lifeguards, which are made up of solid panels as opposed to the slat type of Martin Walter models.

286 Austin K8CVC – Kenex © PM Photogrphy PO Box 157 GH15 9GJ

Kenex Offer 12-seat Bus

1950 Austin CXD Kenex C32F originally Fountain, Cowes, IOW on Derrington premises, London Road, Kingston on Thames

AVAILABLE on the Austin 152. Morris J2 and Thames 15-cwt. chassis, the Kenecoaeh, the latest conversion offered by Kenex Coachwork, Ltd., 54-56 Castle Street, Dover, Kent, is stated to be the only bodywork of its type complying with the requirements of the amended Conditions of Fitness Regulations.

1950 Austin K8 Mini Bus 2199cc S4 OHV a Kenex

children. Specifications include tubular steel luxury seating with Latex foam upholstery, three windows on each side (the rear units having sliding sections), and embossed Kenite interior panel lining.

1950 Austin K8, with a 12-seater Kenex body

The seating plan provides for a seat next to the driver, two single seats on the near side and two double seats on the offside arranged laterally, and two doublefacing seats at the rear. fixed rear step. al4 The corrugated-steel floor is covered with linoleum, and a fixed step is provided at the rear. A wide range of external colour schemes is available, as well as a choice of upholstery colours.

1950 Kenex Coachworks 32 Seat Austin Coach outside their Eastmead Works, Ashford, Kent

Cost of the conversion is £348 5s. for the Austin and Morris chassis (for which hinged cab doors need to be fitted, and not the sliding type), and £340 for the Thames, making a total of £850 -in each case. Two-colour exterior finish schemes cost £5 extra.

1951 Austin CXB Kenex FC32F Coach

1951-coxs-streamline-austin-kenex

1951-kenex-c32f-bodied-austin-cxd

1952-austin-cxd-hada-kenex-c32f-body

1953-kenex-c33f-bodied-commer-23a-avenger

1955-austin-morris-kenex-van-conversion

1957-morris-ld2-kenex-micro-bus-sales-brochure

1957 Kenex Aristocrat Original advert

1958 Martin Walter Austin 152 Omnivan Workobus 12 Seater Conversion brochure Aug Kenex

1961-austin-ldo-registered-923-myc-had-i-believe-started-life-in-somerset-with-blagdon-lioness-coaches-kenex-conversion-14-seater

1962-commer-1500-with-a-12-seated-kenex-body

Bedford Martin Walker Kenex

1964-ford-thames-400e-minibus-kenex-conversion

1965-austin-k8-cvc-with-a-kenex-c15f-body

atlas-standard-this-is-a-948-cc-standard-atlas-kenebrake-12-seater-built-by-the-kenex-company

bedford-ca-kenex-brochure-1

cox-maidstone-nkl-904-austin-k4cwa-kenex © PM Photogrphy PO Box 157 GH15 9GJ

ford-400-e-minibus-12-seater-6-aside-head-banger-special-drives-into-a-silver-city-bristol-freighter-kenex-12-seater-crew-bus

ford-thames-trader-l30b-with-a-kenex-martin-walter-b21f-body

k8-kenex-national-blood-transfusion-service

kenex-bodied-austin-drl357-on-the-isles-of-scilly

kenex-bodied-austin-ld-14-seaters

kenex-conversion-of-a-bedford-van

kenex-conversion-of-a-bedford-van

kenex-conversion-of-a-bedford-van

kenex-conversions-ad

kenex-converted-commer-12-seater

morris-j2-kenex-conversion

morris-j2-kenex-plaxton-conversion

John Thomas HEAVER, coachbuilder nearby Durington England UK

1938 Bedford WTB with Heaver body

John Thomas Heaver

was a coachbuilder from Fulham in London who was drafted into the army in 1915 at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. Demobbed from military service Heaver set himself up in business by 1920 at Bulford road nearby Durington.

1938 Leyland Tiger TS7T-Heaver

Heaver Limited was always a small coachbuilder. It was building on small Bedford or Leyland chassis during the thirty’s supplying both bus and coachbodies for many local oparators and some further a field as well.

1938 Leyland TS7Ds LT25, DUC901, and LT22, CYO194, alongside Regal MV2272 with Heaver body

The company moved into full front bodywork on frond engined chassis in the early fifties. It also build a large number of bodies for Guernsey in the mid fifties, many on albion Chassis but the buisiness closed and sold in 1958.

1939 Bedford WTB with a Heaver C25F body

1947-6-wheel-leyland-ts7t-from-1936-rebodied-by-heaver-cul804

1947-6-wheel-leyland-ts7t-from-1936-rebodied-by-heaver-cul804

1947-city-coach-commers-c7-lpu690-with-heaver-body

1947-commer-commando-with-perkins-p6-engine-and-heaver-b33f-body

1947-commer-q4-p6-engined heaver-lpu691

1947-heaver-fc35c-bodied-daimler-cvd6sd

1947-leyland-ps2-11-with-heaver-b39c-body

1951-daimler-lad380-was-a-cvd6sd-with-heaver-fc40c-body

1953-albion-heaver-b35f-ex-guernsey-motors-52

1954-albion-victor-heaver-b35f-60 body

1954-albion-victor-heaver-b35f bodywork

1955-albion-heaver-b35f-ex-guernsey-railway-36 © Traveller Homes

1955-albion-victor-ft39an-with-a-heaver-b35f body

1955-daimler-d650hs-freeline-with-a-heaver-c41c-body

1955-ex-guernsey-motors-albion-victor-heaver-b35f

1956-albion-heaver-b35f-ex-guernsey-motors-75 © Traveller Homes

1956-albion-victor-ft39an-with-heaver-b35f-body

1956-albion-victor-ft39ans-with-heaver-b35f-body

1956-albion-victor-heaver-b35f body

1957-albion-victor-heaver bodywork

1957-red-albion-victor-with-heaver-bodywork

That’s all I could find about Heaver coachbuilders.

###

Buses Bodybuilders, Carriage and Wagon Company Limited, CRAVENS Sheffield, UK

Lots off buses filled on this blog on 2014-10-14

http://myntransportblog.com/2014/10/14/buses-bodybuilders-carriage-and-wagon-company-limited-cravens-sheffield-uk-2/

 

Myn Transport Blog

CRAVENS Buses Carriage and Wagon Company Limited, Sheffield, UK

OC1 Cravens of Sheffield Karrier RoRailer at the factory of Cravens after the fitting of the bodywork

1932 Karrier Cravens 27-38 Ro-Railer

1932 Karrier Cravens 860

1932 Karrier Cravens LMS_Ro-Railer4

1935 Cravens bodied Leyland Lion 92 Central Stn

Cravens Carriage and Wagon Company Limited produced high class railway coaches and carriages for orders all over the world.  The works occupied a large site on Staniforth Road, Darnall, Sheffield and employed hundreds of men (and women) from the local area.  A form of sprayed (blue) asbestos was used in the construction of the railway coaches and sadly this industry, despite its world class reputation at the time, has left a deadly legacy in the Sheffield area. 

1936 AEC 661T with Cravens H26-26R body

We have had the sad privilege of representing many former employees, from senior management to cleaning staff.  No one…

View original post 832 more words

SMIT Buses Joure Friesland The Netherlands 1921-1999

Smit Joure

 ZWH-bus 75, Scania-Vabis/Smit Joure, uit 1964

 LAB-bus 17, DAF/Smit Joure, uit 1968

Smit Orion touringcar in Oekraïne

 Smit Daf Mercurius

Smit Joure te Joure was een Nederlands bedrijf dat van 1921 tot 1999 carrosserieën voor autobussen en andere bedrijfswagens heeft vervaardigd. Er heeft nooit een relatie bestaan met de vroegere busbouwer Smit Appingedam.

Geschiedenis

Eerste jaren

Smit’s Rijtuig- en Wagenmakerij in Joure werd gesticht in 1917 door Jan Alexander Smit, die het failliete bedrijf van een familielid overnam. Aanvankelijk hield Smit zich vooral bezig met het vervaardigen en verkopen van houten boerenkarren en bakfietsen. In 1921 werd ook de bouw van carrosserieën voor automobielen ter hand genomen en dankzij de uitbreiding met een smederij werd het vanaf 1926 mogelijk ook opleggersen aanhangwagens te gaan bouwen. Door de handel in wagenwielen, een omvangrijke nevenactiviteit, kwam eigenaar Smit in de streek bekend te staan als “Jan Wiel”.

Het bedrijf breidde zich gestaag uit en had in 1937, toen de naam werd gewijzigd in Smit’s Wagen- en Carrosseriefabriek, een grote klantenkring inFriesland en daarbuiten opgebouwd. Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog moest Smit noodgedwongen terugvallen op de handel in niet-gemotoriseerde voertuigen, zoals tot boerenwagen verbouwde vrachtwagens, maar ook werden gasgeneratoren vervaardigd.

Na de oorlog

Na de bevrijding werd begonnen met de fabricage van verhuiswagens, cabines voor vrachtwagens (op chassis van onder meer Kromhout) en ‘dental cars’ (rijdende tandartsspreekkamers). De eerste “echte” autobus bouwde Smit in 1948. Dit werd gaandeweg de belangrijkste activiteit. Daarnaast werden grote orders ontvangen van de Koninklijke Landmacht en de Koninklijke Luchtmacht, waardoor een nieuwe fabriek nodig was, die in 1951 werd geopend. Smit was nu in staat steeds grotere aantallen buscarrosserieën te bouwen, op allerlei chassismerken, maar vooralBedford en DAF.

Ook de vormgeving maakte in de jaren vijftig een snelle ontwikkeling door, waarbij karakteristieke Smit Joure-modellen ontstonden met namen alsRoyal Coach en Victoria Coach. Dankzij een grote order van een Zweedse reisorganisatie was Smit aan het eind van de jaren vijftig de grootste exporteur van touringcars in Nederland. Daarnaast zijn de Friese streekvervoerders LAB en ZWH altijd goede klanten geweest.

1958 DAF SMIT nashultabolagen ESKILSTUNA dom-450 SWEDEN

De grootste doorbraak kwam in 1960 met het type Eldorado, dat tien jaar in productie is gebleven en waarvan de vormgeving, met grote gebogen panoramische zijruiten, opzien baarde. De Duitse fabrikant Gottlob Auwärter – producent van de met soortgelijke ruiten uitgeruste Neoplan bussen – beschuldigde Smit van plagiaat, maar verloor de rechtszaak. In samenwerking met diverse fabrikanten, maar vooral DAF die diverse chassistypen kon leveren, werden er meer dan 650 Eldorado’s gebouwd.

In de jaren zeventig voerde Smit een verregaande stroomlijning door in het productieproces, waarbij steeds meer bussen in serie werden gebouwd. De samenwerking met DAF werd geïntensiveerd, maar daarnaast werden ook Magirus-Deutz bussen opgebouwd. De opvolger van de Eldorado, de Comfortliner, werd op zijn beurt weer opgevolgd door de Euroliner en de met een verhoogde carrosserie uitgeruste Eurohiliner. Een geheel nieuw model had in 1983 de Smit Orion Liner, die in vele soorten en maten kon worden geleverd, met varianten als de Orion Highliner en de Mercurius.

Ook succes had Smit met de bouw van rijdende winkels, eerst op basis van Citroën HY-techniek, later o.a. de bekende SRV-wagens. Hiervoor werd een aparte fabriekshal gebouwd.

Einde

Smit had nog steeds een groot deel van de touringcarmarkt in handen, als fabrikant en ook als wereldwijd handelaar, maar om te kunnen overleven in een veranderende markt, waarbij ook steeds hogere eisen werden gesteld aan het productieproces, werd aansluiting gezocht bij DAF Bus. Dat kocht Smit Joure in 1996, waarna de leiding werd overgenomen door de VDL Groep, eigenaar van DAF Bus. Kort nadat in 1998 nog het nieuwe model Smit Stratos was geïntroduceerd, werd de productie overgebracht naar de Berkhof-vestigingen in Valkenswaard en Heerenveen. Deze laatste was de opvolger van carrosseriefabriek Hainje, die in Friesland altijd Smit’s grote concurrent was geweest. Daarmee kwam in 1999 een einde aan de activiteiten van Smit Joure.

FCB

Uit de as van Smit richtte een aantal oud-medewerkers in mei 2001 het carrosserie- en wagenbouwbedrijf FCB (Friesland Coach Builders) op. Dit voert reparatie-en onderhoudswerkzaamheden uit, aanvankelijk vooral aan Smit-bussen, maar inmiddels aan bussen van allerlei producenten. Men wilde ook nieuwe bussen bouwen, maar vanwege het beperkte budget is dat niet van de grond gekomen.

Museumbussen

DAF B1100 Smit Eldorado uit 1964 van Kapitein te Schagen

Omdat Smit Joure tot laat in de jaren negentig nog bussen gebouwd heeft, zijn nog regelmatig producten van deze fabriek op de weg aan te treffen. Drie echte oldtimers zijn bewaard gebleven, alle drie van het model Smit Eldorado:

• In de collectie van het Nationaal Bus Museum in Hoogezand bevindt zich de vroegere LAB-bus 17, een DAF B1300 uit 1968.
• Touringcarbedrijf Kapitein, nu automuseum, te Schagen beschikt over een DAF B1100 uit 1964.
• Touringcarbedrijf Bergerhof te Mierlo bewaart een DAF MB200 uit 1966.

1946White Smit Joure

1947 Daf Smit

Scania Vabis CarrosSeriefabriek Smit NV Joure

Ford Smit Joure

######

SETRA Ulm Germany

SETRA

Selbst Tragend-self supporting

Setra

Type	Division
Industry	Automotive
Predecessors	Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke GmbH
Products	tourist bus, city buses, and intercity buses
Owners	Daimler AG
Parent	EvoBus GmbH
Website	Setra website

Setra is a German bus division of EvoBus GmbH, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the Daimler AG.

The name “Setra” comes from “selbsttragend” (self supporting). This refers to the integral nature of the construction of the vehicles back in the 1950s when competitor vehicles still featured a separate chassis and body (often manufactured by separate companies). It is also possible that, with an eye to export markets, the company was mindful that for non-German speakers, the name “Kässbohrer” is difficult to pronounce. Until 1995 the firm operated under the name Kässbohrer-Setra, but in that year economic difficulties enforced its sale to Daimler Benz (between 1998 and 2008 known, especially in the US, by the name of its holding company Daimler Chrysler). Since 1995, Setra has been a member of the Daimler Benz subsidiary, EvoBus GmbH.

The North American distribution for Setra by Daimler is set to be partnered and taken over by Motor Coach Industries on April 25, 2012 as Daimler restructures its North American bus operations in 2013.

This is only a small number off Setra Buses.

Look further by Kässbohrer:

http://myntransportblog.com/2014/04/28/buses-bodybuilders-kassbohrer-setra-ulm-germany-part-i-till-1966/

http://myntransportblog.com/2014/04/29/buses-bodybuilders-kassbohrer-setra-ulm-germany-part-ii-from-1965/

SEIDA Sociedad Española de Importación y Distribución de Automóviles

Seida

1951 Seida Metalbloc

Sociedad Española de Importación y Distribución de Automóviles (S.E.I.D.A. or, more commonly, Seida) was a Spanish cars and trucks dealer and coachbuilder that later evolved into making integral chassisless motorcoaches, and that in 1998 was subsumed into Evobus.

History

Chrysler dealer

Seida was incorporated in 1925, and began as the dealer for Spain of all the brands of Chrysler Corporation. As such, it became very well known, and in the 1930s its main showroom in Madrid, located in downtown main avenue, Gran Vía, and known as Salón Chrysler, was noted by its luxury, serving even as sporadic art gallery for some avant-garde exhibitions. By the same years, Seida opened a new rationalist repair shop and gas station building in Espronceda Street, by the renowned architect José de Azpiroz, that became a hall-mark of the modern architectural trends in Madrid.

In April 1935 Seida sponsored the show in Madrid of an american hell driver named Miller on a Plymouth car.

That same year, 1935, Seida began to assemble Chrysler’s Dodge trucks in a new plant built in Zorroza, on the docks of Bilbao. Several hundreds of them were made both before and after the Spanish Civil War.

The links with Chrysler Corporation persisted until 1969, when Chrysler Europe disembarked in Spain through the acquisition of Barreiros.

Mobile bank office for Banco de Bilbao in a bus body built by  Seida in 1961 over a Pegaso 5040 chassis

Coachbuilder

In the 1940s, after the Spanish Civil War, Seida extended the premises in Zorroza with a new building to a Chrysler design, and switched to coachbuilding, the first bus chassis bodied being a hundred of German Klöckner units released in 1942. In those years Seida expanded its business to become shipowner, purchasing the merchant steamer Sendeja.

By the 1950s Seida lead the Spanish market of coach bodies, having patented, as Metalbloc, an all-metal body structure. By then Seida became the preferred bodybuilder for Pegaso, which was at the time the most pervasive bus and coach chassis maker in Spain. Specially memorable were its bodies for the Pegaso Z-404 coach or urban bus chassis, that used to receive a striking body which featured the same cross-shaped radiatorgrille that Touring put in its carrozzerie for the Pegaso Z-102 sports cars.

1945 autocares H-S modelo 202, carrozados por Seida para el Ejército del Aire

Along those years Seida other significant works were the bodies for Hispano-Suiza trolleybuses for the city of San Sebastián, Dodge two-level coaches for Iberia airliner, double-deck Guy and single-deck Pegaso buses, for the city of Madrid, and ACLO and Pegaso inter-city line coaches for Alsa. For the city of Madrid too, Seida made its most impressive bodies; namely four three-axle Vétra VA3B2 trolleybuses with GEE (General Eléctrica Española) electrical equipment.

1955 Pegaso Z-404 Seida

Rootes and Babcock dealer

For a few years along the 50s, Seida was also dealer in Spain for the British Rootes Group car brands, and too for the short-lived Spanish-made Babcock truck.

1960 – PEGASO BUS SEIDA

The Kässbohrer connection

In 1963 Seida reached an agreement with German Kässbohrer to license-build Setra chassisless coaches. These were equipped with Pegaso engines and other mechanical units and were marketed with simultaneous double badge as Setra Seida and Pegaso. Initially Seida built models S14 and S10 from Setra, the first one, a full-length 12-meter 55 seat vehicle, being with a great difference the most demanded. A few years later the S154, recently launched by Setra, replaced the S14 while the S10 was discontinued.

1961 Pegaso flota tb1168 seida 9 g

Despite being rather expensive, these coaches were very successful in the Spanish market, to the point that Seida opened a second plant in Vigo. In the 1970s MAN, Mercedes-Benz or Cummins engines were offered as alternative power units to the Pegaso ones, and the Setra Seida and Pegaso badging was replaced by just Setra.

1961 TB 1168 Pegaso 5020 Seida © Isidoro Hernandez

In 1981 Seida inaugurated a new modern plant in Castro Urdiales, but soon ran into difficulties, including bitter disagreements with Kässbohrer, and suffered in the late 80s and early 90s a long and rather complex financial and legal process, which included several changes of the society registered name and ownership. The plant in Vigo meanwhile was sold to Talleres Varela Bus, a general auto repair shop.

The end

In 1998 the Castro Urdiales plant went to the hands of Daimler-Benz‘s Evobus concern and Seida successor company disappeared.

Saurer Seida

Finish

Charles H. ROE Bus Body/Coach builders Leeds Yorshire England UK

Charles H. Roe

 Logo

 A November 1978 built Roe body on a Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R, new to South Yorkshire PTE as their 1633, pictured in Manchester with Citybus

Charles H. Roe Ltd. was a Yorkshire coachbuilding company. It was for most of its life based at Crossgates Carriage Works, in Leeds.

1930 Guy BTX trolleybuses with Roe L27-26R body

In 1947 it was taken over by Park Royal Vehicles. Two years later, along with its parent, it became part of Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) in 1949, which was merged with Leyland Motors Ltd in 1962. In 1965 30% of Park Royal and Roe’s shares were exchanged by Leyland Motor Corporation for shares in Bristol Commercial Vehicles and Eastern Coach Works held by the Transport Holding Company. Later the THC was succeeded by the National Bus Company and Park Royal, Roe, Bristol, ECW and Leyland National Ltd became subsidiaries of a new company Bus Manufacturuers Holdings 50% owned by British Leyland and 50% by National Bus. Leyland took complete control of BMH in 1982 and closed Charles H. Roe in 1984. In the following year, a group of employees from the former business, supported by Yorkshire Enterprise Ltd, began the Optare coachbuilding business in the former Roe carriage works.

1930 Guy BTX with Roe L29-26R bodies

History overview

Mr Charles H. Roe was a coachbuilder, draughtsman, engineer and entrepreneur who established a coachworks business bearing his name in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1917. He continued to be its managing director until 1952. Charles H. Roe Ltd produced distinctive and durable coachwork which although associated most strongly with municipal operators, particularly in Yorkshire, sold to a wide range of bus, trolleybus and coach operators, and there were even a few car, railway carriage, tram and commercial vehicle bodies too. Eventually becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of British Leyland in 1982 it was closed in 1984. Former workers and management pooled their redundancy money and in 1985 returned to the Roe factory in Leeds with a new bus-building business under the new name of Optare Ltd.

1930 Leyland Lion LT1 with Roe bodywork

History

Early years

Charles Henry Roe was born in York on 22 May 1887. His father Charles Roe worked for the North Eastern Railway at their carriage works in the town, eventually rising to a foreman’s position. C.H. Roe served his apprenticeship at the drawing office of the carriage works and his first job after gaining his trade in 1912 was as a draughtsman at the Wakefield works of Charles Roberts and Company who built railway rolling stock. A year later he moved to Leeds to work as an assistant to the chief engineer at the Hunslet-based RET Construction Co who was a pioneer builder of trolleybuses. Whilst there he worked on a twin-shaft drive transmission system from the traction motors of the trolleybus chassis to replace a previous chain-drive arrangement and designed a lightweight body featuring steel panels over a suitably reinforced teak body frame. As an engineer and draughtsman he was exempt from World War I Conscription. Customers for the RET vehicle with Roe-designed bodies included the trolleybus systems of Bloemfontein Corporation, The Shanghai Transport Company and Ramsbottom Urban District Council. The Ramsbottom examples were to a steel-frame design but it was wood and metal composite construction particularly using teak that became synonymous with the C.H. Roe name. The RET business had gone through one bankruptcy prior to C.H. Roe joining, originally having been founded as the Railless Electric Traction Company Ltd. in 1908. In 1916 The RET Company was required under war regulations to turn over production to munitions and being unable to supply orders in hand for trolleybuses was closed down in 1917.

1931 Guy BTX with a Roe L29-26R body

Sole trader

By August 1917 C.H. Roe had set up on his own account as an engineer and coachbuilder in a nearby factory unit. Always an innovator with a shrewd grasp of the value of intellectual property Roe applied for his first patent (relating to driving pulleys) on Armistice Day November 11, 1918. During this time Roe continually extended his site, which adjoined that of his former employer which had now been requisitioned by the Royal Flying Corps. As a sole trader, Roe built a wide variety of products from simple flatbed trailers for traction engines to a refrigerated mobile fish shop body and stylish charabanc bodies on the ubiquitous Ford Model T. Another early patent was for a tipping body for lorries (spelt in true Yorkshire style ‘lurries’ in the application) with compartments to allow discrete loads to be kept separate. Railless Ltd had reformed after the war to build trolleybuses and Roe designed and/or built bodies went on examples supplied to the North Ormesby, South Bank, Normanby & Grangetown Railless Traction Company and to York Corporation.

1932 AEC Regal dating from 1932, was fitted with this Roe B32F body in 1938

The first company

Expansion at the Hunslet site was by the end of 1919 impossible, but C.H. Roe lived with his wife in the Cross Gates area of the city of Leeds and knew that a large shell-filling factory there had been vacated by the government. Thus for the purpose of purchasing this large site with a modern factory building and space for expansion he registered Charles H Roe Ltd on May 26, 1920. The shareholders included his father and a number of family friends. Whilst the formation of the company and negotiations to buy the Cross Gates site commenced, coachbuilding continued at the Hunslet factory, bodies including Charabancs on Karrier and Lancia chassis. After taking possession of the Cross Gates site the first Roe double-deck bodies were built for Birmingham Corporation on Railless Ltd chassis, a second trolleybus maker to patronise Roe was Clough, Smith Ltd whose trolleybuses comprised their Leeds-built electrical equipment on Straker-Squire chassis and were hence known as Straker-Clough; Roe bodies supplied to them were then supplied to the Teesside Railless Traction Board (a municipal joint committee who had taken over the North Ormesby Company) and Rotherham Corporation. Other products of this era included a number of charabancs on chassis including Leyland, Thornycroft and Fiat and a stylish limousine on a Lancia chassis. All types of bodies from other builders were also repaired and painted.

1932 AEC Regent with Roe body

Trading difficulties in the early 1920s recession affected many businesses, the under-capitalised original Roe company being just one, during 1921 two debentures had to be secured to continue trading, the second relating directly to the Birmingham Corporation double deckers. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and the first company was voluntarily wound-up after a directors’ meeting in November 1922. The receiver of the original company was able to give the bank a small surplus, whilst among the debts received £3,000 had come from various other purchasers plus £900 from Railless Ltd, who had subcontracted the Birmingham bodybuilding contract to Roe. Late payment can kill many a new business and it seems to have been the death of the original Roe company. C.H. Roe in a personal capacity bought the remaining assets from the receiver for £1,140.

1932 AEC Regent with Roe H30-26R body

Charles H Roe (1923) Ltd

The early years

One lesson had been learned in the formation of the second company (initially Charles H. Roe (1923) Ltd) in that share capital was one third larger (£8500 rather than £5850). At this time motorbus, rather than trolleybus or charabanc bodies began to assume a greater prominence. Like trolleybuses however a lot of the coachbuilding work on motorbuses was subcontracted either from the chassis manufacturer or from a dealership company. Thus many early Roe bus bodies on Karrier chassis were sold by the Huddersfield company as complete products.

1934 AEC Regent with Roe 56 seat body

An even more complicated situation arose with the Leeds based operation Tramway Supplies Ltd. They tendered for complete vehicles and then subcontracted the chassis supply to one manufacturer and the body supply to another. One of the body subcontractors was the Blackburn Aircraft who also had a factory in Leeds. They built their last bus bodies in 1924, just as Government orders for aircraft (particularly flying boats, a Blackburn speciality) began to pick up. Railless Ltd (the third Railless company) were, incidentally, backed by Short Brothers another aeroplane manufacturer with a specialism in flying boats and a sideline in bus bodies.

1934 AEC Regent with Roe H30-26R body

An example of how complicated the whole complete vehicle contract thing could get concerns a Tilling-Stevens bi-mode petrol-electric/trolley bus (type PERC1) built-for and patented-by the Teesside Railless Traction Board’s manager. Tilling-Stevens had contracted to supply a complete vehicle; they then subcontracted the body to Tramway Supplies who sub-subcontracted it to Blackburn, who sub-sub-subcontracted it to Roe.

1934 AEC Regent-Roe H30-26R

Other odd work in the early years of the new company included in 1924 a 36 seat petrol-fuelled rail vehicle for the Derwent Valley Light Railway. It was based on two Ford Model T chassis fitted with flanged steel tyres and coupled back-to-back, this rail minibus or petrol multiple unit seated 18 in each carriage and was driven from one end only, the rearward-facing car running in neutral gear with the engine switched off. When worked coupled fuel consumption was stated to be 14.33 mpg and if one unit was run the even more efficient figure of 17.55 mpg was obtained. It wasn’t enough to save passenger operations on the line from oblivion however and the units were exported in 1926 to the County Donegal Joint Railway Committee (CDR) in the north-west of Ireland who converted them from standard gauge to 3 ft gauge, lowering the bodies in the process. The CDR thus became the first railway in Ireland to use internal combustion engines and by the time of closure ran all passenger services and a number of freights using Gardner-powered diesel units.

1934 Leyland TD3 with a Roe H24-24C body

By 1925 Roe were receiving orders directly from customers in the council-owned sector, many of them previous customers for sub-contracted bodies, Mr Roe’s approachability during body construction may have played a part in this, letters from general managers of the time thank C.H. Roe for his enabling inspection of bodies in-build. Among municipals taking Roe bodies by this time were Ramsbottom, Rotherham, Northampton, Doncaster, Leeds, Oldham, Bradford and the Teesside Railless Board, most of whom would continue to be Roe customers for a long time; chassis included Bristol, Guy, Thornycroft and AEC. The first double-deck motorbuses were for Doncaster in 1925 on AEC, a year later Roe were building 30 ft-long six wheeled double-decks for Oldham on Guy chassis. Unlike London at the time all of Roe’s double-deck customers specified closed-tops on the upper deck. In 1926 Straker-Squire finally folded and Roe stored uncompleted vehicles for Clough, Smith prior to a new arrangement which saw their electrical equipment fitted to Karrier chassis. Also at this time Roe started building enclosed, or saloon, coaches which were often fitted to chassis which had previously carried charabanc bodies, Roe having a surplus of second-hand charabanc bodies by 1925. Two further debentures were called for, but this time it wasn’t to keep the business going, but to fund the expansion of the premises.

1935 AEC Regent originally with Roe H30-26R body

Independent prosperity

One of the more significant patents to emerge from Cross Gates was number 313720 registered in 1928 the name of the Company, Mr C.H Roe and Mr William Bramham, the works manager who was later to be general manager at Eastern Coach Works at Lowestoft, Northern Coachbuilders of Newcastle upon Tyne and Saunders-Roe of Beaumaris. This concerned a continuous machined teak waist rail designed to double-interlock with the vertical teak pillars and the steel reinforcing strips, once assembled also binding those to the outer panels; it could be accurately described as an early example of system-built coachwork. New chassis makes bodied in the late twenties included Albion and Crossley, both of whom chose Roe bodies for demonstrators, in Crossley’s case for its first double-decker. Trolleybuses continued to figure, makes including Karrier-Clough and Guy, the three-axled double deck now being the common form for these, customers including Bloemfontein, South Lancashire Transport and corporation fleets including some detailed above, Doncaster for example taking one of the only two Bristol trolleybuses with a Roe body in 1928.

1935 Roe H26-22C bodied AEC Regent

Another significant patent was jointly granted in 1930 to the company, Mr Roe and J.C. Whitely the general manager of Grimsby Corporation for a central entrance double decker with a distinctive design of staircase which rose transversely two steps to a wide landing and then branched into forward and rearward ascending longitudinal flights to the upper deck. Roe built bodies to this style until 1950 and licencees included H. V. Burlingham of Blackpool.

1936 Leyland Cub KPZ2 with Roe bodywork

In 1934 five years after the original company was wound up, the board agreed to remove the (1923) from the current company name. At the same time share capital rose to £12,000 and the current mortgages and debenture were repaid in favour of a new first mortgage.

1936 Leyland KPZ2 Cub with Roe B24F body

In 1935, encouraged by the chassis builder, a Commercial Motor Show exhibit was built on an AEC Regent chassis for Leeds Corporation, this bus had a rakish streamlined outline and a full-width cab but more importantly had an all-new steel framework patented by the company, Roe and Bramham (who became a director that year) and a ‘Safety Staircase’ patented by the company, Roe, Bramham and William Vane Moreland, the general manager of Leeds City Transport. This staircase on a rear platform bus gave less loss of seating capacity than the straight staircase favoured in London and Birmingham but intruded less onto the boarding platform than the normal semi-spiral arrangement whilst being superior to either layout in having two broad landings allowing boarding and alighting passengers to pass on the staircase. It became a standard feature of all subsequent peacetime Roe double-deck bodies for Leeds Corporation and was widely employed by other fleets, 777 examples being built by Roe prior to expiry of the patent in 1950.

1936 Leyland TS7 with ROE B32 F Body

During World War II, Roe mainly continued to build passenger bodies, although supplying the war effort more directly with such specialised bodywork as mobile printing presses for field communications use on Foden Lorries and articulated mobile kitchens, canteens and dormitories to assist blitzed factories. These were on semi-trailer chassis coupled to Bedford tractor units. Similar bus-seated vehicles were built mainly for use within Ordnance factories (where they became known as Bevin buses) but two were supplied to Liverpool Corporation and briefly used as service buses (1942-4) before being converted to mobile canteens. More normal passenger vehicle bodies were built during the war to the Government-mandated ‘utility’ outline including 240 single-deck 32 seaters on Bedford OWB chassis and over 400 double-deck bodies on Guy and Daimler motorbuses and Sunbeam trolleybuses, most to the sunken upper deck offside gangway or lowbridge layout.

1936 Leyland TS7c with Roe B34F body

In 1945 nominal share capital increased to £108,000 and the valuation of the works increased to £98,000. In 1939 both the English Electric Company and Metro Cammell Weymann had approached Roe about amalgamation or takeover and in 1945 talks were opened with Mumford of Lydney in Gloucestershire. These talks were inconclusive but in 1947 Park Royal Vehiclesbought a controlling shareholding in the company, three Roe board members were replaced by Park Royal directors and C.H Roe joined the board of Park Royal. In 1949 Park Royal were taken over by Associated Commercial Vehicles by then the parent company of AEC, Crossley and Maudslay.

1937 AEC Regent Roe Pullman H31-25R

The ACV years

Although ACV owned three chassis manufacturers and three coachbuilders (Park Royal, Roe and Crossley) they did not try to tie the hands of customers. Some rationalisation happened early in that any orders for Park Royal composite bodies were transferred to Roe, and steel-framed bodies were either built by Park Royal or by Roe using Park Royal frames. By the mid-1950s all metal-framed bodies by ACV, regardless of coachbuilder, had a Park Royal outline.

1937 Bristol JO5G with Roe B32F body

The flagship of the Roe composite body range was however exclusively built on AEC Regent III; this was the Pullman body, the only Roe bus ever to be named. The prototype – a Leeds bus to the specifications of W. Vane Moreland – with its deep windows and four window bays rather than the then standard five had looked ultra-modern when shown on a pre-war Regent at the 1937 Commercial Motor Show in London, it is an acknowledged influence on the London Transport designers whose RT1 appeared two years later with similar construction and outline.

1937 Leyland TD5 with Roe H31-25R body

Trolleybuses continued to figure, on Sunbeam/Karrier, Crossley or BUT chassis. The most striking of these were the Coronation class vehicles built on Sunbeam MF2B chassis for Kingston upon Hull Corporation Transport. These had a front entrance on the front overhang and a central exit; they were fitted with twin staircases and were intended to be one-man operated so were equipped with trolley-pole retriever equipment at the rear.

1938 Leyland Tiger TS8 with Roe B30F body

After the initial post-war boom Roe also took on a great deal of repair, rebuilding and refurbishment work, adding a workshop for this purpose. Plymouth Corporation had its entire fleet of Guy Arab utility buses thoroughly rebuilt by Roe, some 100 passing through the works. Roe also extended the Brush or Metro-Cammell bodies of Midland Red‘s post-war underfloor engined single deckers from 27 ft 6in to 29 ft 3in, allowing an extra four seats to be fitted. This work covered classes S6, S8, S9, S11 and all but one of S10, a grand total of 455 buses all converted in 1952 or 1953. In 1952 Charles H Roe resigned from the position of managing director, although he remained as chairman.

1938 Leyland TS8-Roe B36R

As pressure of work eased Roe also introduced a coach body for the AEC Reliance. This was known as the Roe Dalesman and ran through four separate marks, from 1953-9. It was mainly stock-built for coach dealers selling to small independents but major operators to use the type included West Riding Automobile Company and Black and White Motorways. Other specialist work undertaken included two single deck trams for Leeds, a mobile chest X-ray unit for tuberculosis control and crew cab lorries on Ford Thames Trader for the Uganda police force. Box vans were supplied on Bedford to the Bradford Dyers Association.

1938 Leyland TTB3 or TTB4 with a Roe H35-29R body

The composite body had been revised post-war, with a new patent waist rail, the teak structural member now covered by rolled steel plate. In 1957 the composite double decker reached its final form with teak framing to the lower deck ceiling or upper deck floor and an aluminium framework above. This was to continue in production, mainly on Daimler half-cab chassis until 1968, the last batch being built for Northampton Corporation on CVG6, replacing earlier Roe-bodied CVG6s which at the time comprised the entire Northampton fleet, all but five having composite bodies.

1938 ROE CM-Roe

Simultaneously Park Royal bowed to pressure from the British Electric Traction group of major regional bus operators and replaced their rather elegant mid-1950s aluminium-framed body with a steel-framed structure of very angular outline, this first appeared as the production version of the integral AEC Bridgemaster, but soon spread to all other steel-framed Park Royal and Roe double deckers. Crossley had been closed by ACV in 1958, having ceased to make chassis five years previously.

1939 Karrier E6 with Roe H32-28R body

Roe metal-framed bodies to this new outline went on a wide range of double deck chassis. A large batch were built for BET on the new Leyland Atlantean, these were delivered in 1960 to Trent Motor Traction, Devon General and the Northern General Transport group. As well as looking ungainly these buses became notorious for their propensity to corrode. Roe also built both forward and rear entrance bodies using this structure on conventional chassis, Swindon Corporation taking Daimler CVG6 and both Yorkshire Traction and Stratford Blue Motors taking rebodied Leyland Tigers.

1939 Leyland Tiger TS8 with Roe B32F body

Far less conventional was the Guy Wulfrunian which was even more avant-garde than the Atlantean, it was designed to the requirements of the independent West Riding company and featured a front engine on the front entrance platform, instead of a front radiator it had two Cave-Browne-Cave heat exchangers on the upper deck front face to provide passenger heating and ventilation as well as engine cooling. The front wheels had double wishbone independent suspension and like the rear axle had a self-levelling air suspension system, the foundation braking was by disc brakes on all four wheels with a drum brake on the driveshaft providing the parking brake and the fluid flywheel adapted to serve as an integral retarder. At a time when only Jaguar and Ferrari road cars had front discs this was a technological adventure, like the Routemaster and Midland Red’s motorway coach it was shown with its Roe body in a cutaway-centre spread of boy’s comicThe Eagle where it took its place alongside V-Bombers, Nuclear Submarines and Deltic Locomotives. Roe bodied 131 out of the 137 Wulfruninans built from 1959 to 1965.

1940 AEC Regent with Roe bodywork

The Wulfrunian body was lower built as this chassis was designed as a low height bus with stepless entrance and centre gangways on both decks. Roe also softened the outline of the body with a subtly curved rear dome; the use of equal-depth windows on both decks produced a much more balanced look.

1941 Leyland TD7 with a Roe L24-24R body

Other oddities at the dawn of the 1960s included single-deck buses on the double-deck AEC Regent V chassis, most of these were built for South Wales Transport for a route with a very low railway bridge in Llanelli under which underfloor engined single decks could not work but there were also one each for the Leeds Council Welfare department (with a rear ramp for wheelchair access) and for the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation.

1942 Guy Arab I with Roe L24-26R

1942 Leyland Titan TD7 with Roe H26-32C bodywork

In 1962 ACV merged with Leyland Motors to form the Leyland Motor Corporation. In 1965 LMC sold a 30% shareholding in Park Royal and Roe to the state-owned Transport Holding Company in return for a 25% stake in Bristol Commercial Vehicles and Eastern Coach Works. Charles H Roe retired as company chairman in 1962 and died in 1965.

1943 Guy Arab II with a Roe B38C body

1943 Guy Arab II with Roe L27-26R body

1943 Guy Arab II with Roe L27-28R body

1943 Sunbeam W with Roe H62R body

The mixed economy

The original outline of the body for rear-engined double deckers was widely considered unsatisfactory and Sunderland Corporation took a heavily revised version on Daimler Fleetline from 1962-6 featuring a prominent peak at the front dome and a reverse rake to the upper-deck rear in the style of the contemporary Ford Anglia saloon car. Great Yarmouth Corporation instead specified double curvature windscreens of Alexander design on its Atlanteans (including a unique short-wheelbase batch in 1967) and on the last three Daimler Freeline single deckers. This then became a standard option at Roe who also optionally fitted the Alexander style double-curvature upper-deck front window on rear engined chassis, curving the line of the foremost upper deck side windows down to meet this, producing an elegant style which suited the Fleetline and the post 1964 low height Atlantean. Also in 1964 for that year’s Commercial Motor show Roe built its first body to the 36 ft length permissible since 1961, it was an early Leyland Panther for the Kingston upon Hull Corporation Transport fleet. Unlike the Coronation trolleybuses they were to replace, the Hull Panthers were allowed to be one man operated. Roe then built versions of this body for Leeds on the similar AEC Swift from 1967 to 1972 and also built standee single decks on Daimler Roadliner and Fleetline for Darlington and on Seddon Pennine RU for Doncaster.

1944 Daimler CWA6 with a Roe H30-26R body

1944 Guy Arab II with body by Roe

1944 Sunbeam W with Roe body

In 1964 Leeds, the last provincial bastion of the rear-open platform double decker took a batch of Fleetlines to Great Yarmouth outline and the first of these was also shown at the 1964 show, Leeds continually revised this design over the next few years, in 1966 it was extended to 33 ft long rather than the previous 30 ft 10in, both decks had double curvature screens and side glazing became panoramic, with double-width window glasses. In 1968 angled flat glass at the front and a glass-fibre dash was added and a centre exit was fitted whilst the rear dome reverted to a square outline. This made the appearance similar to the Oldham Corporation variant supplied with conventional side glazing on standard wheelbase Atlanteans since 1965. The Leeds design was produced until 1975 with a few going to independent operators in England and Scotland. The Leeds and Oldham designs in turn led to the Park Royal–Roe standard design for Atlantean and Fleetline built from 1969 to 1981, which had a deeper front screen optionally to Alexander layout or flat-glazed and wider pillar spacing than the previous standard but not as long as that fitted to the Leeds style or the Manchester Corporation Mancunian. Roe built one batch of 34 Mancunians on long Fleetlines in 1972. These buses had been due to be bodied by East Lancashire Coachbuilders in 1970, but they suffered a fire destroying their works in Blackburn, so the contract was transferred to Park Royal, who in turn transferred it to Roe (shades of that Teesside Tilling-Stevens).

1945 Sunbeam W with Roe 62 seat coachwork

The standard design was adopted by West Yorkshire PTE (successor to the Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield Halifax and Calderdale fleets) and many municipals and also (from 1972) on the AN68 Atlantean became the National Bus Company’s second-choice double decker, being especially associated with ‘Leyland’ fleets such as Ribble, Northern General and Southdown but it also became the standard double decker with London Country who had over 300.

1946 AEC Regent IIIs with Roe H31-25R body

1946 Leyland PD1-Roe H31-25R

1946 Roe B35R bodied Guy Arab III

Nearing the end

In 1982 Leyland Vehicles, the truck and bus division of the by now state-owned British Leyland bought out the National Bus Company’s 50% shareholding in the joint-venture Bus Manufacturers Holdings Ltd which had not only owned Bristol, ECW, Park Royal and Roe but also the Leyland National factory at Workington.

1947 AEC Regals with Roe B32F body

1947 AEC Regent III with Roe H28-22C body

1947 AEC Regent III with Roe H31-25R body

1947 AEC Regent III-Roe H31-25R

1947 Daimler CVD6’s coaches rebodied by Roe in the mid-1950s

1947 Leyland Tiger PS1 with Roe B35R bodywork

1947 Leyland Titan PD1-3 with Roe bodywork

1947 Roe B35R bodywork was fitted to this Leyland PS1

1947 Sunbeam W new in 1947, rebodied by Roe H32-28R in 1960

1947 vintage Leyland PS1 with a Roe B32F body

In 1981 and 1982 Roe-bodied six 18-metre long articulated buses for British Airways, these employed Leyland National body sections on Leyland-DAB underfloor-engined chassis, Roe modifying the body for the higher frame height. They featured five entry-exit doors, two on the offside, and were used to transport passengers from their aircraft to the terminal at Heathrow airport.

1948

AEC-AEC-BUT-DAIMLER-SAUNDERS-LEYLANDx3-BUT

1981 had been a peak production year at Roe, with 182 bodies built, the highest total since 1966 (the year when double-decks were finally allowed to be operated without a conductor, the first bus to do so, on the day of the law change, being a Great Yarmouth Roe-bodied Atlantean). The standard body was phased out in 1981, as the Fleetline had been discontinued and the Atlantean could not be sold in the EEC after 1983 as it fell foul of noise-pollution laws. 1981 was also the year that the Park Royal coachworks were closed. The new body to take its place was for the new Leyland Olympian chassis and Roe produced 299 of these prior to closure, most went to three fleets, West Yorkshire PTE and NBC subsidiaries Bristol Omnibus Company and London Country, with one batch to Strathclyde PTE and a sole vehicle to the Scottish Arts Council which was equipped as a travelling art gallery.

1949

AECx4-DAIMLER-GUY-CROSSLEY-SUNBEAM

Production peaked at this point because the Government was phasing out the New Bus Grant which had provided up to 50% of the cost of a bus used on local services provided it met certain rules. In order to compensate for this drop in bus sales Leyland Bus (as it had now become) decided to produce a new flagship product for the booming deregulated coach market following the Transport Act 1980. This was the Royal Tiger underframe and the Roe Doyen body. This was a sophisticated product, as the Tiger coach chassis competed head on with the Volvo B10M the Royal Tiger Doyen was designed to provide a British alternative to the high-end Setra coach from Germany. Production got off to a slow start, not helped by overly centralised control from Leyland and a rigid set of body specifications which did not initially provide all the features more demanding coach customers wanted. In 1983, the year of launch only 10 complete Royal Tiger Doyens entered service, a further 13 underframes being supplied to Van Hool and Plaxton to receive versions of their standard coachwork. In 1983 production of the underframe was moved to Workington and 22 coaches were completed by Roe as well as 86 Olympians. The plant was not at that point viable for British Leyland who had been impoverished by the chronic failure of its Austin mass-production car division. Thus Roe followed Daimler, Guy, AEC, Park Royal and Bristol into oblivion.

1950

AECx2-Crossley-Daimler-Leylandx3-Albion-Sunbeamx2

Many Roe bodies survive in preservation and some on special tourist services, the earliest design being a replica of a 1929 body on a Leyland Lion at the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport.

1951

AECx3-GUYx3-Leyland-AEC

Three diecast model manufacturers produce 1:76 scale models of Roe vehicles, EFE have a pre-war Leyland Tiger bus, Corgi OOC produce the final style of rear entrance composite body as a half-cab or a trolleybus and Britbus make the NBC version of the standard Atlantean body in single or dual-door format.

1952

Guy-Leylandx3

1953

Daimler-Guy-AEC-Railcar ROE 2x

1954

Guy-AECx2-Guy-Leyland-Roe ad

1955

Guyx2-Leylandx2-Sunbeam

1956

AECx3-Daimlerx2-Guy

1957

AECx4-Guyx2-Leylandx2-Guy-Aec

1958

AECx3-Leylandx5-AEC

1959

AEC-Daimler-Guy-Leylandx3-AEC

1960

AECx2-Daimler-Leylandx3

1961

AEC-Daimler-Leyland-Guy-AEC

1962

AECx2-Daimlerx2-Leylandx3-AEC-Guy

1963

AEC-Daimlerx3-Guy-Leyland-AECx3

1964

AECx3-Daimlerx3-Leylandx2-Daimler-AEC

1965

AECx2-Leylandx2-GUY

1966

AEC-Daimler-Leylandx3-AEC

1967

AEC-Daimler-Leylandx4-AEC

1968

AEC-Daimlerx2-Leyland

1969

Leyland x 2

1970

Daimler + Leyland

1971

AEC- Leyland x 3

1972

Daimler x 3 + Leyland

1973

Daimler and Leyland

1978

Leyland

Finish

READING Buses England UK

READING

Bus Body Builders

Reading Buses

Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 on route Purple 17 in December 2013
Parent	Reading Borough Council
Founded	31 October 1901
Headquarters	Reading
Service area	Berkshire
Service type	Bus services
Routes	92
Destinations	Reading Newbury
Fleet	165 (May 2013)
Fuel type	Diesel Natural Gas Hybrid
Chief executive	Martijn Gilbert
Website	www.reading-buses.co.uk

Reading Buses is a bus operator serving the towns of Reading, Newbury and the surrounding area in the county of Berkshire, England. It is owned by Reading Borough Council.

History

Previous Logo

Horse tram era

Horse tram on Oxford Road in 1893

Main article: Reading Tramways Company

The origins of Reading Transport can be traced back to 1878, when the privately owned Reading Tramways Company (part of the Imperial Tramways Company) was formed. They were initially authorised to construct and operate a horse tram route on an east–west alignment fromOxford Road through Broad Street in the town centre to Cemetery Junction. Significantly, this route formed the core of what became known as themain line of the tram and trolleybus network.

Construction started in January 1879, with the entire line being open by May. A fleet of six single-decked cars were initially used, with 31 horses, providing a 20-minute frequency. The cars operated from a depot on the south side of the Oxford Road, immediately to the east of Reading West railway station. By the 1890s the whole fleet had been replaced by double-decked cars operating at a 10-minute frequency. The company made several proposals to extend the system, add routes and electrify the system. But none of these came to anything, and in 1899 the borough corporation decided to purchase the system.

The purchase deal was completed on 31 October 1901, and the Reading Corporation Tramways came into being. The corporation set out about first extending, and then electrifying the system. The extensions were completed by December 1902, and the last horse cars ran in July of the following year.

Electric tram era

Reading Corporation Tramwaysopening ceremony on 22 July 1903

Main article: Reading Corporation Tramways

The new electric trams started operating in July 1903. Extensions were constructed to the Wokingham Road and London Road (both from Cemetery Junction), and new routes added to Whitley, Caversham Road, Erleigh Road and Bath Road. The trams operated from a new depot in Mill Lane, a site that was to remain Reading Transport’s main depot until it was demolished to make way for The Oracle shopping mall in 1998.

The electric tram services were originally operated by 30 four-wheeled double decked cars supplied by Dick, Kerr & Co. In 1904, six bogie cars and a water car (used for keeping down the dust on the streets) were added to the fleet, also from Dick, Kerr & Co. No further trams were acquired, and a planned extension from the Caversham Road terminus across Caversham Bridge to Caversham itself was abandoned because of the outbreak of World War I. The war also led to a significant maintenance backlog.

In 1919, Reading Corporation started operating its first motor buses. These ran from Caversham Heights to Tilehurst, running over the tram lines and beyond the tram termini. Because of the state of the track, the Bath Road tram route was abandoned in 1930, followed by the Erleigh Road route in 1932. Eventually it was decided that the tramways should be abandoned and replaced by trolleybuses, operating over extended routes. The last tram ran on the Caversham Road to Whitley route in July 1936, and last car on the main line ran in May 1939.

Trolleybus era

Main article: Trolleybuses in Reading

Reading Trolleybus in Newtown in 1965

The first trolleybus wiring erected was a training loop on Erleigh Road, which opened in early 1936. This loop was never used in public service, and was subsequently dismantled. Public service commenced on 18 July 1936, on a route replacing the tram route from Caversham Road to Whitley Street. In May 1939, the remaining tram routes from Oxford Road to Wokingham Road and London Road were converted to trolleybus operation, with a short extension from Wokingham Road to the Three Tuns, and a much longer extension from the Oxford Road through the centre of Tilehurst to the Bear Inn. The extended main line from the Three Tuns to the Bear, still exists today as bus route 17, the town’s busiest and most frequent route, and the first to be designated a premier route.

During World War II a trolleybus branch was constructed from the Oxford Road to Kentwood Hill, enabling trolleybuses to replace motor buses with a consequential saving in precious oil based fuel. In 1949 the Whitley Street line was extended to Whitley Wood and Northumberland Avenue and a short branch was built to Reading General station. Subsequent short extensions took the system to its full extent, with the Kentwood route running to Armour Hill and the Northumberland Avenue line running to the junction with Whitley Wood Road.

By 1965, most UK trolleybus systems had closed, and the manufacturers of the overhead equipment gave notice that they would cease production. At the same time the trolleybuses came in for some bad publicity in the local press because they cost more to operate compared to motor buses and they were inflexible, even though the trolleybuses were profitable (Reading’s motor buses made a loss), faster and less polluting. Reading Corporation decided to abandon the trolleybus system, and the routes were phased out between January 1967 and November 1968.

The UK’s first contra-flow bus lane was instigated along Kings Road, when that road was made one-way in the early 1960s. The trolleybuses continued to operate two-way, as it was considered uneconomic to erect wiring on the new inbound route, London Road. The concept of the contra-flow bus lane was proved successful, and adopted in other places for motor buses.

Expansion and competition

Reading Transport offices in 1985 now The Oracle shopping centre

The Transport Act 1980 deregulated long distance bus services. Reading Transport took advantage of this new freedom to start a service from Reading through London to Southend. The service was numbered X1 and was run jointly with Southend Transport. In 1982 the X1 was shortened to run from Reading to Aldgate in East London, under the “Gold Line” brand, and joint operation ceased.

As a result of the legislation that accompanied the deregulation of local bus services in 1986, the operations of Reading Transport were transferred to Reading Transport Ltd, an “arms length” company whose shares were held by Reading Borough Council. Bus deregulation also meant that the local council no longer had any power to regulate the routes and fares of Reading Transport, nor could they prevent other operators from starting competitive services within the borough.

In 1992 Reading Transport acquired the Reading and Newbury operations of BeeLine, one of the privatised successors to the state-owned Alder Valley. These acquisitions led to Reading Transport operating buses in Newbury, and in the rural areas around Reading and Newbury, for the first time. Additionally, BeeLine had operated a Reading to London service under the LondonLink name, and that was merged into the Gold Line service and the resulting service renamed London Line. The Gold Line name was retained for use by Reading Transport’s non-scheduled service business. The London Line service ceased in 2000.

Reading Transport faced competition on Reading urban routes from 1994, when[Reading Mainline, an independent company, started operations with AEC Routemasters acquired from Transport for London. Labour shortages created problems for the competitor, and Reading Transport acquired Reading Mainline in 1998. Reading Transport continued to operate the Routemasters under the Reading Mainline brand until they were finally withdrawn in July 2000.

Premier and vitality routes

Optare Excel LowRider in 1999 in a variant of the livery used until the introduction of premier routes

Since 2004, Reading Buses and Reading Borough Council have made a significant investment in upgrading the quality of Reading’s main urban bus routes. In autumn of that year, Reading Buses introduced its first branded Premier Route in the form of the number 17, running between the Three Tuns on Wokingham Road and the Bear Inn at Tilehurst via the town centre and Oxford Road, and the linear descendent of the old main line. This was intended as the first in a series of such routes, each providing a weekday daytime frequency of between 3 and 8 buses per hour. Each premier route, or group of routes, would be allocated a distinctive colour, to be used used on the buses on that route, and also on maps and other publicity.

Since then the premier route concept has been rolled out on most of Reading’s urban routes. In April 2009, a similar concept was introduced to some of Reading Buses’ longer distance rural routes. These were rebranded as Vitality Routes, using specially branded green and silver or red and silver buses. In 2014, these too were changed to a colour brand, becoming ‘Lime Routes’.

Biofuel controversy

Ethanol fueled Scania OmniCity in May 2008 in the livery it carried when used on the 17

Reading Buses has a history of experimenting with biofuels, including biodiesel and alcohol fuel. By 2008, all but one of Reading’s bus fleet was fuelled by a mix of 5% biodiesel and 95% conventional diesel.

In late 2007, Reading Buses placed an order with Scania for 14 ethanol fuelled double decker buses to replace the existing fleet of biodiesel powered vehicles operating premier route 17. At the time the order was placed, this was the largest order for ethanol fuelled buses in the UK. These buses started work on 26 May 2008.

In October 2009, it was discovered that instead of the bio-ethanol fuel having been sourced from sugar beet grown in the English county of Norfolk (as had been advertised), it was actually made from wood pulp imported from Sweden. On learning this Reading Borough councillors launched an investigation into how they and the Reading Transport Board could have been deceived. All the ethanol-powered buses have since been converted to run on the same bio-diesel mix as the rest of the fleet.

Hybrid buses

Reading Buses has over 30 hybrid (diesel-battery-electric) buses which are used on routes 17, 20, 20a, 21 and 26.

Current operations

Reading Buses

Reading Transport operates public service buses under the Reading Buses brand throughout the town of Reading, and to a lesser extent in the rural area around Reading. Most of the urban routes have been branded as Premier Routes, with each route or group of routes allocated a distinctive colour. These colours are used on the buses used on that route, and also on maps and other publicity. Premier routes provide a weekday daytime frequency of between 2 and 8 buses per hour, depending on the route.

Other routes, including some rural routes and non-premier urban routes, operate at lower frequency, varying from several buses a day to two buses an hour. They are allocated a grey colour in maps and publicity, and are currently operated by a mixture of vehicles in a new silver based fleet colour scheme similar to that used on the premier routes, together with vehicles in various previous colour schemes.

Reading Buses also operates the NightTrack network under contract to Reading Borough Council. These services run on their own routes from 23:45 until late into the night. Premier route 17 also operates at these times, but all other routes finish by then.

1931-aec-regal-1-with-reading-fb35f-body-gou-449

1935-a-e-c-regal-after-rebuild-with-reading-bus-body-atd898

1936-albion-rebodied-in-1955-with-a-reading-b32f-body-and-gaining-a-morris-engine-radiator-in-1963

1938-aec-regal-4-with-reading-b35f-bodywork

1942-aec-regent-with-park-royal-body-dating-from-1936-and-provincial-55-eho228-a-guy-arab-i-with-reading-body-dating-from-1942

1943-aec-regal-regent-i-eho-282-reading-h

1943-built-guy-arab-ii-5lw-originally-with-park-royal-utility-bodywork-but-by-now-fitted-with-a-reading-c030-24rd-body

1947-aec-regent-ii-with-reading-h56r-body-fho602

1948-albion-nimbus-89-11675-was-one-of-many-such-vehicles-with-reading-bodywork

1949-albion-ft3ab-with-reading-b36f-bodywork

1949-albion-victor-with-a-reading-b36f-body

1949-crossley-dd42-5-with-reading-h52r-body-ebk28

3x 1949-dennis-lancet-iii-reading-c33f.

1950-reading-c32f-bodied-commer-avenger

1951-leyland-ps1-with-a-reading-b34f

1952-albion-ft39n-with-reading-b36f-body

1952-albion-victor-ft39n-reading-b36f-withdrawn-by-gr-in-1980

1953-karrier-reading-body-mdu-14

1954-albion-ft39an-with-reading-b36f-body-gu1787

1954-albion-victor-ft39an-with-reading-b36f-body

1958-albion-victor-yfo-127-originally-guernsey-8226-victor-ft39-kan-reading-b35f

1958-albion-victor-ft39kan-with-reading-fb39f-body

1958-albion-victor-reading-bodied

1958-leyland-pd2-52-j1528-and-ex-lt-rtl260-now-jmt-655-j34655-jm655

1958-reading-bodied-dennis-lancet-j3jxk-540

1958-59-leyland-pd2-31s-with-reading-h31-28r-bodies

1960-albion-nimbus-with-reading-bodywork.

1960-albion-ns3n-with-a-reading-b35f-body

1963-albion-victor-of-guernsey-railways-with-reading-body-gu78

1963-albions-76-reg-8226-and-94-reg-12726-with-reading-b35f-body

1964-albion-nimbus-ns3an-reading-b35t-body-ebw-112b

1964-albion-nimbus-with-reading-b35f-bodywork

1964-bedford-in-the-mid-sixties-j4-chassis-with-reading-bodywork-gu100

1967-bedford-j4ez1-with-reading-bodywork-gu102

AEC Regal after rebuilt with Reading FB34F body cg9609

That’s it

RAGHENO Buses, Trams, Wagons + Coaches Mechelen Belgium 1851-1960

Usines RAGHENO

Mechelen Belgium

Between the current Leopold Street and the Willem Geetsstraat founded a sure William R about 1850 the Usines R on. of these buildings only the name remains standing. Of the buildings that were built later on this place is the history to determine with certainty. We do know that since 1928 monarch successively a furniture factory, a factory and a furniture factory was located again. Finally, a toy company in 2002 left the buildings.  Every Malinois knows “the arsenal”, the Central workshop of the Belgian railways. Because the growth in the rail industry at one time, was no longer to keep up with the ferry company decided to outsource a number of assignments to private enterprises. To and around the arsenal were different private initiatives. In 1850 founded the Brussels native William R (1820-1867), whose father also worked as an engineer in the arsenal, a forge for the production of(cast iron) railroad components. The company grew further and delivered over time fully finished coaches and specially designed wagons on the Belgian railways. The second half of the years around the arsenal the factories 18OO turned on full blast. But shortly after the turn of the century started to reduce orders for the Belgian market. There had to be so looked forward to other markets and other products. R built for the Dutch to Chinese market rail carriages. But they were also involved in the construction of buses. At his death left William R to the city a sum of money from his estate. The interest was to serve for the training of worker children. In 1872 was a square named after him. As far as I know turned a part of the R-factory still well into the 1960s.

1914

1925

 

1926

1927

1930 Willeme Ragheno

1933 Brossel Ragheno

 

1933 Brossel Ragheno

1933

 

 

1935 Willeme Ragheno

1935-de-willeme-ragheno-a-403

1938-ragheno-autocar-sabena-bel

1938-ragheno-brossel-bel

1939-ragheno-brossel-ab6ds

Poirot

1939-ragheno-brossel-ab6ds

1940 brossel-a-65-ds-ragheno

hercules-brossel-ab-6-ds-ragheno

 

1940-brossel-ragheno-belgië

 

1946-65-brossel-a-65-ds-ragheno

1951-100-jaar-usines-ragheno

penning-medal-100-years-usines-ragheno-in-belgium-1851-1951

1951-top-cataloog-usines-ragheno-malines-1951-chemin-de-fer-sabena-autocar

1952-cfv3v-sncb-4610-ragheno

1953-34e82-bussen brossel jonckheere-b

1956-guy-raghano-belgië

1956-brossel-a96-dar-leyland-ragheno

1956-büssing-6500-t-ragheno(auto-miesse?)

 

1956-büssing-6500-t-ragheno(auto-miesse?)

mendoza-argentina

ragheno-tram-35-mendoza-argentina

Finish

Carrozzeria PORTESI Brescia Italy

Carrosseriebouw F POSTMA Rottevalle The Netherlands

Carrosseriebouw

F POSTMA

Rottevalle The Netherlands.

It will be a very short blog.

I can’t find more than six photo’s and no info.

1933-ford-postma-rottevalle-b-18033.nl

1934-ford-car-postma-rottervalle.nl

1934-postma-rottevalle-b-29054-citroën-lijn-l-bus-17-buisloterweg-adam-nl

postma-rottevalle-b-17573.nl

ford-postma-rottevalle-b-15547.nl

1946-ford-v8-postma-rottevalle.nl

Thats it!

PLAXTON Scarborough England UK

Plaxton

1907-plaxton-model-t-charabanc

is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England. The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton. It became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in 2007.

History

Beginnings

The business was founded as a joinery workshop, and expanded into building contracting. As a building contractor, Plaxtons built a number of notable buildings in Scarborough. Soon after World War I Plaxtons diversified and began to build charabanc bodies on Ford Model T chassis. Of more importance at the time was the construction of automobile bodywork. This included bodywork for Rolls-Royce, Sunbeam and Daimler, but principally for Crossley car chassis. This activity continued through the 1920s, but the depression of 1929-1933 created difficulties for manufacture of luxury automobiles. As a result, the manufacture of charabanc, and later coach bodies became more important through the late 1920s and early 1930s. Customers during this time tended to be local to the Scarborough area, Scarborough being a popular seaside resort.

1930-37-seater-bus-coach-type-a3

Coaches of the 1930s

By 1936 the company felt justified in construction of a large new manufacturing facility in Seamer Road, Scarborough. This allowed increased production, and Plaxtons became popular with many independent operators throughout Northern England. Many of these operators purchased their vehicles through independent dealers, rather than directly from the factory. In this regard, Plaxton’s sales were through Lancashire Motor Traders Ltd of Manchester and Arlington Motor Co Ltd of London. The company became known as F.W. Plaxton & Son by 1937, as the founder’s son, also named Frederick William joined the company at the age of 18. FW Plaxton junior was to be known as Eric to avoid confusion with his father.

Plaxtons built a number of different coach designs through the 1930s, until settling on a distinctive house style. The style typically consisted of a very rounded front profile at the windscreen area with side windows that sloped backwards at the front, were upright at the centre, and sloped forward at the back. Bodywork for the Bedford WTB chassis was particularly distinctive, sloping severally from the bottom of the front wheel arch to the roofline, leaving the “bullnose” radiator grille protruding. The rear also sloped prominently. The WTB chassis was very popular choice for operators at that time, together with the Dodge RBF and SBF. Leyland and AEC chassis were also popular for larger coaches, notably the Leyland Tiger and AEC Regal.

On the outbreak of World War II in 1939, coach production halted and the factory was turned into a munitions factory under the control of the Ministry of Aircraft Production. Many records from the early years were lost when an incendiary bomb set fire to the Seamer Rd factory in 1943 causing much damage. As the factory was under control of the Ministry of Works, production continued in the open air whilst a replacement was constructed. Some adjacent land was loaned by a market gardener who subsequently joined the board years later.

1946-leyland-tiger-plaxton-body

1950s

Production restarted at the end of 1945, and in 1951 the business was registered for the first time as a private company, Plaxtons (Scarborough) Ltd.

Two new models were exhibited at the 1950 Commercial Motor Show, with names instead of model codes for the first time. The Envoy was for traditional front-engined chassis, and featured a full-front cab with a vee-pattern windscreen, and aluminium trim across the lower part of the radiator grill extending round squared-off front corners to the wheel arches. The Crusader, which could be built on front-engined or the new underfloor-engined chassis, had a more upright front profile, with curved glass panels at the windscreen corners, and in most cases an enlarged side window with sloping pillars between this and the entrance. On front-engined chassis the Crusader employed the Envoy’s front trim. Both Envoy and Crusader were produced to the new maximum dimensions of 30 ft (9.1 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m), and many examples were originally fitted with rear wheel spats.

1948-aec-regal-lll-9621e418-plaxton-ha324z

The Envoy was short-lived, perhaps partly because of the obsolescence of most of the chassis types for which it was intended, while the Crusader was rapidly overtaken by a further new underfloor-engined model – the Venturer. The Venturer combined the front of the Crusader with more restrained and conservative styling, and proved so popular that it wasn’t long before a version was produced for front-engined chassis (mostly lightweight Bedfords and Commers) with a rather more raked frontal appearance. By the time the Mark II version appeared at the 1952 show, the Venturer was Plaxton’s standard model.

1949-plaxton-sentinel-2

The Venturer II had a common front profile for all models, together with a standard dash panel featuring a four-part radiator grille with a central cross within an oval outline which also embraced the headlamps. A rear-end revision marked the launch of the Venturer III in 1954, and the following year a version was produced for underfloor-engined chassis with the entrance ahead of the front axle. This required a return to a more vertical front profile, and meant that there were now three variants of the Venturer – front engined, underfloor-engined with a centre entrance and underfloor-engined with a front entrance. This three-variant approach, established with the Venturer, continued throughout the life of the succeeding Consort model and into the Embassy era, although the relative importance of the three versions varied significantly over the years.

1950-bedford-ob-etl221-plaxton-29-seater-coach-with-28hp-petrol-engine

The Consort was first shown at the 1956 Commercial Motor Show. It was a development of the Venturer, but in place of the previous oval the four-part grill was now enclosed by a near-trapezoidal outline (though actually hexagonal), wider at the top than the bottom, with the headlamps outside. Trim was revised to be much squarer in outline, featuring ribbed brightwork, and the curved rear quarter lights, first standardised on the Venturer III, were now incorporated into the main window line. However, a year later the Consort II was announced, re-introducing the oval grill outline of the Venturer – but now surrounding a plainer grill with chrome flash across the middle – while the trim lines so recently squared up were softened once again. The evident popularity of the oval- shaped grill then ensured its survival as a Plaxton hallmark for many years to come.

1952-bussen-commer-avenger-with-plaxton-envoy-bodywork

In 1957 the founder of the company, F.W. Plaxton Senior, died, and was succeeded as Chairman by his son Frederick Jnr, though known as Eric.

In 1958 Plaxtons were approached by Sheffield United Tours (SUT) with a requirement for a new crisper design of coach body. The result was the first Panorama body. The main feature of the Panorama design was the large, fixed rectangular side windows. A vertical front from the contemporary Consort II design was used, with the door ahead of the front axle. The 1958 Panorama was entered into the British and the Nice coach rallies, winning top awards at both events. The first six Panoramas, designated “Panorama Pioneer” by SUT, were built on AEC Reliance chassis and seated 36 passengers.

1956-plaxton-consort-bus-brochure-bedford

The production version of the Panorama, with 41 seats as standard, was introduced at the 1958 Commercial Motor Show, as an addition to the existing range, available in one form only – on underfloor-engined chassis with the entrance ahead of the front axle. In common with the new Consort III and IV, it had a new silver-effect dished oval grill with a chrome flash through the middle, and a curved windscreen with a central division. The original Panorama’s short window immediately behind the entrance door was removed and encapsulated into the first bay, and the difference in level between the waistline and the rear window was accommodated by a stylish “kick-up” at the rear. The design then received minor modifications over the next two years.

1957-aec-reliance-plaxton-consort-c41c-bodied

Consort IV variants with the entrance further back, together with the smaller Consort III, were able to use a windscreen with even greater curvature, but it was the Panorama which was the trend-setter, becoming a strong influence on the development of British coach styling for years to come.

1960s and 1970s

Plaxton became a public company in January 1961.

For the 1961 coaching season the Consort IV evolved into the Embassy, the main change being that the windows now tapered inwards towards the roof rather than being vertical. At the same time a new version of the Panorama was created, using the same shell as the Embassy but with fewer window pillars.

The new Panorama boasted a completely new front, featuring a slight peak overhang above the windscreen (which was now optionally undivided), a small grill at the bottom of the front panel, and for the first time double headlights. Embassy bodies on underfloor-engined chassis shared some or all of these features, depending on the entrance position. However, because the standard offering in the underfloor-engined sector was now the Panorama, most Embassy bodies were built on lightweight front-engined chassis – particularly the Thames 570E and Bedford SB. In this form, with the entrance behind the front axle, the Embassy retained the dished oval grill and wrap-around windscreen of the Consort IV. The rear of both Panorama and Embassy comprised a two-piece curved glass window that wrapped around to meet the rearmost side pillars, and the lights were contained in a single unit with a fin-like top rather like the rear of the Ford Anglia 105E saloon.

36-foot (11 m) versions of both models were introduced, on Leyland Leopard and AEC Reliance chassis, as soon as legislation allowed, and were 8 feet 2.5 inches (2.502 m) wide. The first 36-foot coach in Britain was a Panorama delivered to SUT in 1961. However, while the extra length gave a real boost to the Panorama’s appearance – with the falling roofline making the vehicle look even longer than it actually was – the extension of the Embassy by two additional window bays was less satisfactory. So much so that when a “multi-windowed” Embassy II, in the livery of Bloomfields Coaches of London, appeared on the newly introduced Bedford VAL 36-foot chassis at the 1962 Commercial Motor Show, the reaction was so negative than no more of this type were built.

Alongside the Bloomfields VAL on the Plaxton stand was a further revised Panorama. This was an altogether much larger looking vehicle than before, with deeper windows all round, the waistline curvature radically reduced to a point where it was almost straight, a new rear window interchangeable with the windscreen, and a reduction in the number of window pillars on 36-foot versions. Because of the adverse reaction to the “multi-windowed” Embassy, from 1963 all 36-foot Plaxton coach bodies used the new Panorama shell, with windows of large size whether fixed or opening, although, as previously, the Panorama name was restricted to underfloor-engined coaches with fixed glazing and entrance ahead of the front axle. Of the non-Panoramas, by far the most popular model was the new production body on the Bedford VAL chassis, which retained the large oval grill because of the front-mounted radiator, and was simply named Val.

The Embassy name was now being used for what were effectively two separate models. For underfloor-engined chassis there was a 36-foot body using the Panorama shell (built mainly for the Wallace Arnold Group), and for 30-foot (9.1 m) and shorter front-engined chassis the original short-windowed body was updated with a pronounced reverse-rake peak over the windscreen as the Embassy II. For the 1964 season the latter was substantially redesigned as the Embassy III, catching up in several respects with the development of the Panorama, but introducing a new near-rectangular grill which signalled the beginning of the end for the familiar Plaxton oval.

1965 Plaxton Panorama on Bedford VAL chassis

The Plaxton coach range which appeared at the 1964 Commercial Motor Show had been extensively revised with assistance from the Ogle design consultancy. Waistrails were virtually straight, and rooflines distinctly shallower. On the new Panorama (later to become Panorama I), a wide chrome trim band wrapped around the front and encompassed the first window bay on either side. The trim then swept upwards to the roof line and neatly terminated on the air scoop at the roof line. The window pillar on the first bay was noticeably thicker than the others and gave the impression of size that managed to enhance the appearance of the whole vehicle. The front grill was revised and basically split in two horizontally. Twin headlights were on each side of a panel that contained ventilation louvres at the top with the lower part being the actual grill that spanned the width of the vehicle. This grill was to become standard with little change until the Supreme IV of 1978. Again a bit of a Plaxton that was instantly recognisable and a familiar sight throughout Britain. The rear featured two large 9″ circular rear lights each side arranged vertically, and the entrance door was now the forward in-swinging type.

For the first time the Panorama was offered on all chassis types, including Ford R226 and Bedford VAL, looking particularly well-suited to the latter, where the chrome trim on the first window bay harmonised with the twin steering axles below. There was even a Panorama for the Bedford SB and Ford Thames 570E, although here the thickened window pillar was absent, and the chrome trim did not extend across the front of the vehicle.

In addition to the Panoramas, a more basic series of models was offered, with windows of similar size, but with simpler trim and top sliding vent windows instead of forced air vents. Initially these were built on Bedford and Ford chassis only and named variously as Val, Vam (on the new Bedford VAM chassis) or Embassy IV. However, when the Panorama was renamed Panorama I for the 1967 season, the less expensive “bread and butter” models became available on all chassis types as the Panorama II. The Panorama I in particular sold extremely well.

Plaxton Panorama cab on a Bedford SB3 chassis mobile cinema unit

The Panorama cab was used in 1967 on a government commission of seven Bedford SB3 chassis mobile cinema units. With the height of these units being nearly 13 ft (4.0 m) the roof of the cab opens up into a very unusual looking perspex dome extension, somewhat altering the usual sleek lines of Plaxton’s Panorama. One of the seven units still remains in preservation, having been restored as a vintage mobile cinema.

1957-albion-aberdonian-with-plaxton-b45f-body-one-of-two-delivered-to-armstrongs-of-ebchester

Plaxton launched a new design – the Panorama Elite – at the 1968 Commercial Motor Show in London. This essentially set the basic design of British coaches for the next 14 years. The design was stylish, with long sleek lines and gentle curve in the vertical plane. The windows were gasket glazed and the glass gently curved in the vertical plane to suit the body curve. The rear again used the large soup plate lights of the Panorama I, and the front grill was also from the Panorama I.

1957-plaxton-consort-bodied-bedford-sb-ywe-388

The Panorama II was still available until 1970 with a large batch built for Midland Red

The interior of The new Panorama Elite was to the usual high standard that everyone had come to expect from a leading coachbuilder like Plaxton. It made more use of laminate than before but this was tastefully specified & well balanced. The interior skirt panels, racks and front cabinet made extensive use of this easily worked & easy to maintain material. The analogue clock in the front dome was flanked either side by small square controllable air vents. The dashboard was improved and made use of a panel of rocker switches in front of the driver with each switch designation lighting for night time operation. Previous dashboards hid the switches in places inaccessible whilst moving. Ventilation was again improved though using the same design of moulded air output & light assembly as the final version of the Panorama I. The racks were trimmed with laminate instead of using vinyl like material from the previous design.

1958-albion-aberdonian-plaxton-consort-ii-c41f

The first major update of the Panorama Elite was unveiled at the 1970 Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court London. The changes though relatively subtle were very relevant to a product that had so far enjoyed wide acclaim and sale.

The Panorama Elite II range built on the success of the Panorama I and Panorama Elite. The front grill was squared up although it still used the same twin headlight layout. The first bay on the near side was tidied up so the top of the window was in line with all the other side windows. Parcel racks were redesigned so the supply of fresh air and light output was more readily available. The service units were now mounted front to back instead of side to side and were much slimmer to maximize on headroom when leaving the seats. Crash padding was provided along the inner side of the racks in the form of black PVC squares filled with padding. The dashboard was again improved as was the front cabinet. The rear of the vehicle still used the soup plates from the previous range.

1961-aec-2mu3rv-reliance-with-plaxton-highway-dp41f-body

The Panorama Elite III was the last in the Elite series. Improvements continued to the basic Elite design; this included rear lighting, rear emergency door and subtle changes to the front grill. The rear emergency door was brought about by changes in legislation and did improve the offside appearance of the Elite, however some early MkIIIs were completed with front emergency doors. The rear lights abandoned the soup plates in favour of tall lozenge shaped lights and the name badges were re-located from between the side bright metal strips at the back to the front just behind the front door.

1961-aec-4mu3ra-reliance-with-plaxton-panorama-c44f-body

All three marques of the Elite range were available with bus grant specification front doors and interiors, although this option was late for Panorama Elite and only a few built. It was however a very popular option for the MkII and MkIII. To complement this destination blinds were also available in both the front grille and on the roof or front dome for front radiator chassis. This became known as “the Bristol Dome” due to the popularity of orders from the National Bus Company for coaches on Bristol RELH and REMH chassis.

1961-bedford-j4-plaxton-consort999-ppl.

The major competitor for the Panorama Elite III was the Duple Dominant launched at the 1972 Commercial Motor Show in London. The Duple was of all steel design and built at Duple’s Blackpool factory. The Dominant had many of the design cues of the Panorama Elite and that could be because the managing director at that time was an ex Plaxton employee. The Dominant sold well but never caught up with the Elite. The mere fact that at the 1972 Commercial Motor Show only one Dominant was available due to a long strike at the Blackpool factory couldn’t have helped much. The launch of the Dominant was at Lake Guarda in Italy and was Duple’s most important launch for years.

By the time the final version of the Panorama Elite III was built around 6,000 of the Elite series bodies had been produced.

1961-ford-thames-570e-plaxton-c41f-coachwork-was-carried-by-335-335bwb

Development of a new coach range to supersede the Panorama Elite commenced in 1974 and was to be called Panorama Supreme, however the Panorama part was dropped in favour of simple Supreme. This series of bodies was to have a long development process as both the factory and work force wasn’t equipped for all-steel production at this stage.

1961-ford-thames-trader57oe-trj731-plaxton-c41f

At first the Supreme was designed to replace the ageing Panorama IV that was produced on the Bedford VAS and SB chassis for up to 41 passengers. The design for that coach went back to the Embassy body developed in the early 1960s. It had been re-vamped in the early 1970s and given an upright front and rear like the Elite III. Being front engined it had a centre door and still retained the Panorama I–style square cornered flat glass windows.

1962-bussen-commer-commando-plaxton-c30f-seats

The Supreme was to herald (nearly) all steel construction. Wood fillets still held the panels in place and in some areas wood was sandwiched in “U” shaped steel. It would be 1978 before true all-steel construction was achieved.

Some early MkIII Supremes were all-metal. The body number of the all-metal versions had the final letters AM standing for “all-metal”. Many of the AM bodies were exported to Holland and Denmark, a fact supported by the 1977 Supreme brochure and the 1982 centenary book Plaxtons The Great British Coachbuilders.

1962-plaxton-bodied-aec-reliance-326

There was to be six marques of Supreme (Seven including Mini Supreme). Development was protracted as the builder was careful not to compromise their market leading position. Supreme I was a 29-seat coach on a Bedford VAS chassis with a standard Plaxton in-swing door located behind the front axle. Supreme II was on the 35 seat Bristol LHS chassis powered by a Leyland 400 series engine. The door located forward of the front axle in the usual place. Supreme III was the first full size coach although there seemed to be some development confusion and the actual marque of the initial standard length coaches is not clear however most of the late P and earlier R-reg bodies seemed to be the Mk III. There were no identifying numbers added to the badging.

1963-bedford-j2sz10-with-plaxton-embassy-20-seat

As styling development commenced it was realised that to design another coach to match the success of the Panorama Elite series was to be a challenge. Looking at the existing range of Panorama Elite III it was decided to use the Elite’s most striking feature, notably the size of the windows and the curves that departed in every direction. The front of the coach was to follow closely with Elite by utilising the same double headlights with a panel between them (although the centre panel depended on the chassis requirements). The slats again horizontal but were fewer in number and thicker. The sides of the grill were squared up and were of stainless steel and not aluminium. A chrome bumper with 5 mph (8.0 km/h) overriders at the bottom with two steps to allow access to the windscreen. Pantograph wipers with speed control were added. The dome was slatted on the early models but was not popular so was removed and simplified from Supreme IV. The side profile again had angles going in all directions although the main change to the side was that the windows curved into the cant rail almost like the Mercedes O302 bodies. The effect was to catch the light and highlighted the whole coach at roof level. The rear was like Panorama Elite with vertical lozenge shaped lights but the units themselves were slightly bigger, squared, more definite.

1963-bedford-val14-bmx296a-with-plaxton-val-c52f-body

The interior had been updated with a new dashboard and a driver’s locker, non-reflective laminates and a re-designed front cabinet. The lift up roof vents and light clusters containing the speakers were almost like those of the final Panorama Elite III. Some very early Supremes had wood interior domes like Panorama Elite however this was changed from wood surrounding the clock to having ABS mouldings in black. The ceiling was of laminate that was bordered by chrome trim.

The racks though went through several important stages before the final design that would see Supreme through to the series.

1963-plaxton-panorama-bedford-val14

Rack design on Panorama Elite, II and III contained window demisters. Those racks were joined to the cant rail and laminate was used as trim to connect the window edge to the rack. On Supreme the first versions used the same technique but the racks were swaddled in crash protection on each side of the passenger service unit that was fitted front to back. The service unit used were the same as the Panorama Elite, two controllable vents and a reading light with a rocker switch. The cushioning had a four pointed star engraved into it at intervals. From the Mk III the racks had flatter sides that had no connection to the cant rail. The demisters were located on the edge of the rack within a laminate strip. The PVC or maybe ABS material that coated the underneath of the rack was usually black. This was the final design of rack and saw Supreme through to the end of the series. Those racks utilized flatter service units with eyeball vents and a flat lens on the reading light.

1963 bedford val-plaxton-panorama-uk

The Supreme Mk IV was introduced to the market at the International Motor Show at Birmingham in 1978. The main update was that construction was now all steel, frontal design was completely different from the past 14 years. The headlights were now rectangular and mounted above each other with side lights and indicators in the same cluster. The grill was not so prominent and various options were available as a package. So now the range consisted of Supreme IV, Supreme IV Express and Supreme IV GT. The GT option ushered in a distinctive grill design with a smart dual chrome flash, tinted windows and better sound system and soft trim to the ceiling to name a few “standard” extras.

1965-batch-of-leyland-leopards-with-was-specified-centre-entrance-plaxton-panorama-bodies

Supreme V had a completely different rear design showing the styling of the next range that was probably under development. Tall heavily featured light clusters that were tinted to look dark were fitted vertically between the boot lid. The rear window was a one piece design. The seat backs were no longer visible from outside the coach. The rear nearside had been tidied by removing the smaller windows. The improvements were also copied onto the high floor Viewmaster model with the exception of the shallow rear window.

1965-bedford-val-with-plaxton-body

The Supreme was also manufactured as a semi-integral on a DAF chassis. Around 20 were built. They were rear engined and the rear panel design was different from the Supreme V as it has vents and had odd shaped moulding around the rear window. As a semi-integral the body was required to support the full weight as there were no chassis members to support the body. Opening the side lockers luggage could be piled in one side and extracted from the other as nothing was in the way so it was very cutting edge technology. It is said that 2 of these survive today. The bulk of the 20 were exported, mainly to the Netherlands, the left hand drive version had a tapered front to meet Dutch swept turning-circle requirements.

1965-ford-thames-570e-with-plaxton-c41f-bodywork-purchased-uk

Final Supreme offering was the Supreme VII and sometimes referred to as Jubilee Supreme. This model was the least successful Supreme being an option for one season alongside the Supreme V. The panoramic windows had been replaced by a higher window line that was better suited to the long distance market. Around 100 were built. The actual idea of the high window design was possibly in reaction to the Duple Dominant III that had shallow trapezoidal windows like an Austin Princess headlight of the mid-1970s.

1965-bedford-VAL-panorama-bus-3

The Supreme series like the Panorama I and Panorama Elite were simply a success from the outset winning many orders from small, national, and some international operators. It entered most fleets in large multiples. The export market was addressed with left hand drive versions, some modified for the Dutch market and at least one was built on Deutz chassis. The dynamic approach of Plaxtons relationship with their customers requirements was a huge factor in the success of the Supreme.

The Paramount era

Main article: Plaxton Paramount

Plaxton Paramount 4000 and Paramount 3500

By the end of the 1970s the British coach scene was dominated by two similar vehicles – the Plaxton Supreme and the Duple Dominant. In the early 1980s coach services over 30 miles were deregulated and there was an increasing attempt by some operators to compete with the railways and airlines for express and intercity travel. As a result there was a move away from light-weight chassis by Bedford and Ford to heavier-duty chassis from Leyland and Volvo, and an emphasis on improved comfort and amenities. There was also a growing interest from operators in imports from Europe due to their stylish eye-catching designs that attracted passengers. In particular, designs from Neoplan and Van Hool received much attention.

1966-bussen-commer-plaxton-venturer

In response, Plaxton returned to Ogle Design to create a new look for their coach products. The result was the Plaxton Paramount, which appeared at the 1982 British Motor Show. The Paramount was a squarer design than the Supreme, with cleaner lines, a flatter roof line and a distinctive “feature window” just behind the front wheelarch. The use of the “feature window” was a return to a trump card played by the Ogle-inspired Panorama/Panorama I first seen in 1964. From there the waistline sloped down to meet the deeper windscreen. Initially there were two versions, the Paramount 3200 (available in 8, 10, 11 and 12-metre lengths) and the high-floor Paramount 3500 (available in 11 and 12 metre lengths) to replace the successful Viewmaster. Around 30% of Mark I Paramounts were the 3500 high-floor option, a greater proportion than had been anticipated. The rear of both versions were similar to Supreme V and VI but all else was new.

1967-bedford-j2sz10-with-plaxton-c20f-bodywork

In 1984 the design was adapted to produce the Paramount 4000 double-decker coach, initially built on Neoplan underframes. The design later appeared on chassis by Volvo, Scania and DAF.

1968-bedford-VAL-panorama-bus-2

The Paramount II launched for the 1985 season brought a tidier frontal appearance. (See the picture with the Paramount 4000) Gone was the black plastic moulding below the windscreen and the “hole” like appearance of the centre of the grille between the lights. The rectangular headlights were retained within a bright silver like surround. Other modifications included deeper parcel racks that were capable of supporting air conditioning. A tweed like material was used to cover the interior skirt and a large part of the racks.

1969 Bedford-VAL-plaxton-panorama-ii-uk

A “low driver” option was available for the 3200. This was useful for touring however the driver lost the commanding view of the road ahead. The driver sat low in the body so the passengers have a better view ahead. The windscreen from the 3500 was used on this version of the 3200, the headlights being lower to the road than usual.

1986 saw the final and most elegant version of Paramount, the MkIII. According to brochures it was even stronger than the Paramount II. The sloping front window was gone and in its place a stepped front window that formed the first bay. In the glass Plaxton’s “castle” logo was etched, the rear window contained a blind like decal at the base with a castle badge in the centre. The dashboard consisted of a moulded cabinet, ceasing the use of wood and formica of earlier versions of Plaxton coaches since the Panorama’s. In the centre of the black finished cabinet was a large castle logo. Airline-style locker doors were now available on the parcel racks to further give a sleek appearance like a 747.

1970-bedford-val-plaxton-dons-tour-brochure-photo

In 1989 Plaxton responded to a request from the privatised National Express for a further version of Paramount III to be leased to its contractors by a joint venture of Plaxton, National Westminster Bank and National Express. The Paramount Expressliner was created from the MkIII Paramount on a Volvo chassis and was tailored to NBC’s specific requirements. NBC specification included a closed back with the double N logo etched into the fibre glass rear moulding. This period of coach design seemed to introduce the windowless rear as a design feature for most coaches.

Henlys and a new beginning

The mid-1980s brought difficult times for Plaxton. A decline in orders due to the economic climate was compounded by management and production problems. The seasonal nature of coach production made recruiting difficult. In March 1987 Plaxton was taken over by Kirkby Bus & Coach, who were Plaxton’s largest dealer. Kirkby soon invested in modernising the Scarborough factory and addressed some industrial relations problems. Kirkby also marketed the Hungarian Ikarus buses in the United Kingdom.

1970-ford-r226-with-plaxton-panorama-elite-c49f-bodywork

In 1989 Plaxtons bought Henlys, a company that included motor dealers and Coleman Milne, makers of hearses and limousines. The name of the company was changed to Plaxton Group PLC.

1970-plaxtons-seddon-pennine-iv-op

In July 1989 Plaxton bought the manufacturing rights for the coach products of its main domestic competitor, Duple for £4 million. This included the jigs for the Duple 300 and the Duple 425 integral. Duple Services Ltd., the spares and repair business, was also purchased. The 320 was re-worked by Plaxtons at Scarborough later in 1989 and 25 were built and sold as the Plaxton 321. Many components from the Paramount were used both internally and externally. Identifying traits being the squared up wheel arches and Paramount side mouldings. The 321 was around £6,000 cheaper than a comparable Paramount III. Further batches were considered but it is not known if they were actually built. The 321 was only available from Kirkby. The 340 with the higher floor was considered but none were built. A modified version of the 425 design was introduced in 1991 and was built by Carrosserie Lorraine, a French coachbuilder Plaxton had recently purchased from Iveco. Only 12 vehicles were manufactured, and Carrosserie Lorraine was subsequently closed in 1992.

A Plaxton Pointer-bodied Dennis Dart SLF

The Dennis Dart, released in 1989, had been a runaway success, so in 1991 the Plaxton Pointer midibus was announced, this was quite a utilitarian, square body. This was followed by the Plaxton Verde, which Plaxton hoped would match the success of its smaller sister, but it failed to capture the market quite as much as the Pointer, and it was clear that the bus industry wasn’t buying 12m single-deckers in as large numbers any more. Later that year new coach bodies, the Plaxton Premiere and Plaxton Excalibur, were launched.

1971-aec-6u3zr-reliance-with-plaxton-panorama-elite-c30f-body

In May 1992, after a management shake-up, the company was renamed Henlys Group PLC.

Henlys pursued a strategy of diversification and expansion through the 1990s. The established bus bodybuilder Northern Counties was bought in 1995 for £10 million. The UK bus and coach manufacturing business, trading under the Plaxton brand, continued to produce a range of bus and coach bodywork. It also owned one of the largest UK coach dealers, Kirkby, and provided after-sales services to coach and bus operators.

A Plaxton Premiere.

In August 2000 a joint venture was formed with Mayflower, owners of the Dennis and Alexander brands. The joint venture, known as TransBus International, included only the United Kingdom bus manufacturing operations of both companies, including Plaxton and Northern Counties. Henlys held a 30% stake in the joint venture, which employed 3,300 employees at seven locations. The traditional brands of Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton were replaced by TransBus International. In 2004 Mayflower Group failed, and TransBus International went into receivership. An initial offer from the Plaxton management to buy the coach segment of the company was rejected by the receiver, but was later accepted when a senior TransBus manager and a consortium from Scotland composed of Brian Souter, owner of Stagecoach Group, his sister Ann Gloag, David Murray and Noble Grossart, agreed to buy the Alexander Dennis portion of the company.

Independent again

Thus the new company, Plaxton Limited, re-emerged as an independent company, employing almost 300 people at its main coach plant in Scarborough and a further 59 at its facility in Anston, which builds small buses and coaches such as the Beaver and Cheetah.

1971-leyland-plaxton-panorama-uk

In May 2005 Plaxton announced its return to the service bus market, launching the Centro, a low-floor single-deck vehicle initially to be offered on VDL SB120 chassis, in 10.7 m length, with the first bus completed in February 2006. The Centro is now available on the VDL SB180, VDL SB200, MAN 14.220 and Volvo B7RLE chassis, with 10.2 m and 12 m lengths also offered.

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The company also revealed the Primo, a 28 seat low-floor minibus, in September 2005. This 7.9 m long vehicle is powered by the Cummins ISBe Euro III engine, mounted transversely at the rear. The Primo frame is assembled in Hungary by Enterprise Bus, effectively a conventional chassis in most respects but one which extends up to cantrail level, before being shipped to Scarborough for completion.

Purchase by Alexander Dennis

In May 2007 Plaxton was purchased by Alexander Dennis. But as of late 2008, the Centro bodywork remained in production alongside with Alexander Dennis’s Enviro200 Dart and Enviro300.

1972-plaxton-malta-valletta

In 2008 the new Plaxton Elite was launched at Birmingham Euro Bus Expo and by 2011 had delivered 100 Elites. Originally based on the Volvo B12B chassis, it was later developed to suit the Volvo B9R and B13R chassis.

Products

Past

(All coach bodies unless noted)

Type A D Series Type F (full fronted) Type J (half cab) K Series L Series M Series Q2 Envoy Venturer I, II, III Crusader Mk I, Mk II Consort Mk I, Mk II, Mk III, Mk IV Highway – (single deck bus) Panorama Embassy I, II, III, IV Panorama I and Panorama II Panorama Elite, Elite Express Panorama Elite II, Elite Express II Panorama Elite III, Elite Express III Panorama IV (For Bedford SB and VAS) Derwent, Derwent II (single deck bus) Supreme I, II, III, IV, V, VI (1st version of Supreme for *Bristol LHS & Bedford PJK was to be known as Panorama Supreme) Viewmaster (Britain’s first 3.5M coach) Bustler – (single deck bus) Paramount 3200, 3500, 4000, Mk I, Mk II, Mk III including low driving position option

(Plaxton Expressliner (Paramount III for National Express) Derwent 3000 – (single deck bus) Plaxton 321 (1989 version of the Duple 320 after takeover) Plaxton 425 (post-takeover version of the Duple 425 built by French subsidiary, Carrosserie Lorraine) Verde – for rear engined Dennis Lance, Volvo B10B and Scania N113 single-deck bus chassis Excalibur – for Volvo B10M and Volvo B12T chassis Premiere 320, 350 – for Volvo B10M, Scania K93, Dennis Javelin chassis amongst others Prima – for Volvo B7R, DAF SB3000 chassis Prestige – single-deck bus based on remodelled Northern Counties design President – double-deck bus Beaver / Beaver 2 / Beaver 3 – minibus for Mercedes-Benz van chassis Pointer / Pointer 2 – for Dennis Dart/Dart SLF and Volvo B6/B6LE chassis Paragon – for Volvo B10M, B12M and B12B, Dennis R-Series, MAN 18.310 and Irisbus EuroRider Profile (10m and 12m)[7] – for Volvo B7R and Dennis Javelin chassis Primo / Primo 2 – midibus based on the frame of Enterprise Bus Plasma Centro – for VDL SB120, VDL SB200, MAN 12.240, MAN 14.220 and Volvo B7RLEsingle-deck bus chassis Cheetah (8.5m)[8] – for Mercedes-Benz Vario van chassis

Current

• 

  Plaxton Paragon
• 

  Plaxton Centro owned by Centrebus, at the 2007 Longross bus rally.

Coaches

• Elite (12.6m and 14m)
• Panther (12.8m and 15m) – for Volvo B8R, B9R, B10M, B11R, B12M, B12B and B13R, Dennis R-Series, MAN 18.310, Irisbus EuroRider and Scania K-series
• Leopard – for Volvo B9R and Volvo B8R

Buses

• Pronto – for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van chassis

SEDDON PENNINE Lancashire England UK

Seddon Pennine 

Seddon Pennine 7
A Seddon Pennine 7 with Alexander Y Type bodywork in the fleet of Stevensons of Uttoxeter
Overview
Manufacturer	Seddon Atkinson
Body and chassis
Doors	1 door
Floor type	Step entrance
Powertrain
Engine	Gardner 6HLXB 6-cylinder horizontal diesel engine
Transmission	ZF synchromesh 4 or 6 speeds or Self-Changing Gears direct-acting air operated semi-automatic epicyclic, electric control, 4 or 5 speeds
Dimensions
Length	36 ft (11 m) or 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m) for 42-57 seats
Chronology

The Seddon Pennine 7 was a mid-underfloor-engined single-deck bus or coach chassis built by Seddon Atkinson between 1974 and 1982.

Historical overview

Seddon Atkinson Ltd had risen to prominence in the UK bus and coach market in the late 1960s with the Pennine 4 front-engined lightweight chassis and then the Gardner-powered Seddon Pennine RU rear-engined bus. In 1970 Leyland announced it was to cease making the Leopard PSU3/3R, which version had a Leyland manual gearbox and the 140 bhp O600H engine. All future Leopard production was to be of models with the larger O680H engine and the Pneumocyclic semi-automatic gearbox. Scottish Bus Group were by this time the only purchaser of the old variant, they stated they would not buy semi-automatic Leopards and regarding the O680H as too thirsty tried to persuade Leyland to fit the Gardner horizontal engine in the Leopard. Leyland (having had less than full value from previous SBG specials) declined.

As a result, dismayed by the monopoly position British Leyland now enjoyed, by 1972 Scottish Bus Group had approached Seddon Atkinson; at the same time they were working with Ailsa, the Irvine-based Volvo truck importer, on a new type of double-deck underframe. Collaboration with SBG resulted in rapid development. After one prototype, production commenced with the first example bodied and delivered in October 1973; the last entered service after a run of 527 chassis in 1982.

No replacement was produced, thus Seddon’s involvement with bus manufacture ended with the Pennine 7.

Chassis description

The Seddon Pennine 7 featured a ladder-frame chassis with channel-section longitudinals and tubular cross-members, available to either 5.6m wheelbase for 11m bodies or (from 1975) 6m wheelbase for 12m bodies. It was horizontal in elevation but only parallel in plan over the leaf-sprung front and rear axles; the nearside member was in-swept at the front to allow a wider low-entrance area, and the offside member was outswept in the wheelbase to allow ready access to the Gardner engine and its auxiliaries. The frame did not continue aft of the rear axle-mounting, collaboration with SBG’s preferred supplier Walter Alexander Coachbuilders meant there was no worry about the supplier providing a strongly cantilevered rear overhang capable of supporting a capacious luggage boot, especially after Alexander’s switch back (from 1967–72) to aluminium alloy body framing. Power steering was standard. The prototype (carrying a late body by Seddon’s Pennine Coachcraft subsidiary) had a Self-Changing Gears semi-automatic gearbox, but production variants were initially to be fitted with a four-speed ZF synchromesh unit, coach versions having a higher ratio final drive allowing a 76 mph maximum speed, 56 mph being the designed maximum for bus versions, better acceleration and more flexible performance ensuing with the low ratio back axle.

Customers

It was a chassis commissioned by Scottish Bus Group but only two of its subsidiaries bought the type. Eastern Scottish took 301 (over 57% of production) and Western SMT 213 (over 40%). Most of these were bodied by Alexander but Eastern Scottish took 64 from 1978-81 with Plaxton Supreme III or IV Express bodies, the first ever Plaxton bodies for the SBG. Buses carried the Alexander AY or AYS body and (non-Plaxton) coaches either the AY or AT (Alexander T-Type) body, coaches generally had 49 seats and buses 53, although some of Eastern’s touring coaches had 45 reclining seats, generally in the rather bus-like AY body. All of SBG’s 11 metre Seddons qualified for New Bus Grant.

The Pennine 7 was originally envisaged just as an 11-metre bus or coach, which meant it was suitable for the UK government’s New Bus Grant. In 1974, pleased with the initial batch, Eastern Scottish commissioned a longer version to carry the exclusive and luxurious Alexander M-Type coach body. At the time Anglo-Scottish express services were expanding, and whilst previously Western and Eastern Scottish were the only operators to work to London, Alexander (Fife), and Alexander (Northern) were to gain routes from respectively Kirkcaldy (Fife), Aberdeen and Dundee (Northern) to London. Orders for the new (third series) M-type coaches went to three chassis suppliers, Leyland, Seddon and Volvo, previously Western and Eastern Scottish had chosen a special version of the Bristol RE for M-type bodies but coach variants of the RE were axed earlier in 1974, the final 12-metre examples having gone to United Automobile Servicesearlier that year. Western Scottish chose the Volvo B58-61, built in Sweden but imported to the UK by Ailsa Bus in Western Scottish’s operating area, the coaches for the Alexander companies would be Leyland Leopard PSU5/4R (with O680 engines and 5-speed Pneumocyclic transmission). Eastern Scottish chose the new version of the Pennine 7, unlike previous versions the 12-metre Pennine 7 as commissioned by Eastern Scottish had a 6-speed ZF synchromesh gearbox, top speed was alleged to be 87 mph, the same as the 256 bhp Volvos of Western with the same gearbox. As circumstances turned out Eastern Scottish initially took four Leopards in the yellow and black colours of their previous M-types for almost a year before its Seddons were completed, then passing the Leylands on to the Alexander companies. When the Seddons did arrive at the end of 1975 they introduced a new blue and white livery which became standard within SBG for services to London until the mid 1980s. This featured ¾ of a Saltire flag and the single word SCOTTISH on the side. Soon all SBG M-types were painted thus, although at the time every other bus or coach in the Scottish Bus Group ran in the individual operator’s own colours contrary to the rigid corporate branding approach of their English and Welsh counterpart.

With the Volvo B58, Leyland Leopard and AEC Reliance supplying the premium-coach class, and with Bus and Car of Belgium, DAF and Mercedes-Benz also offering coaches (the former with a right-hand drive version of the Trailways (USA) coach), the Pennine 7 began to attract orders from private operators, all but one with Plaxton Supreme bodies, the first 12m example went to Smith of Wigan late in 1975 with an early Supreme III C50F body. Sworder of Walkern, Surrey had a 57 seater, Young of Rampton, Cambridgeshire and Scotts Greys, Darlington took two 57 seaters. Tally Ho of Kingsbridge Devon got 53 seaters on 12m coaches, OK Motor Services were the only independent to take a Pennine 7 to bus grant specification an 11m Supreme II Express with 53 seats. The final Seddon Pennine 7 bodied was BNC334Y which carried a mildly restyled 11m Willowbrook 003 coach body seating 42 with a toilet compartment, this went to Johnson of Oldham after Pennine 7 production had ceased, the dealer who had supplied it hoped to attract orders for similar coaches on Dennis Dorchester chassis which did not ensue.The London Borough of Brent bought an 11m express-doored example in 1980 for its school transport fleet.

Other than Alexander, Plaxton and Willowbrook the only other body on a new Pennine 7 was by Pennine Coachcraft, this was the prototype, and until their 1979 deliveries (when the two SBG subsidiaries changed their minds on gearboxes) the only one with a Self-Changing Gears transmission. In late 1974 it was completed to full-PSV standards, fitted with 49 semi-coach seats and finished in National Bus Company leaf-green and white bus colours; it was licensed for the first time as UBU72N and sent to Crosville to help them to cover the remedial body and chassis work on the 100 Seddon Pennine RU owned by them, after the rebuilding work was finished it remained with Crosville and was retired after eleven years service, no further Seddons were purchased by NBC.

In service

Eastern Scottish’s variants were used on bus, long-distance express services and tours, and were not generally withdrawn early. Western used its similarly but had always had a shorter-life policy for its vehicles and the first of their Pennine 7s were offered for sale at around the seven year mark, four of its early T-type coaches were converted for wheelchair access, with 24 seats and a central wheelchair lift spreading the type to Central and Midland Scottish. Central Scottish’s example is under a long term storage at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust’s Bridgeton garage where restoration had once began. When new SBG subsidiaries were established in 1985 and Eastern lost its westernmost garages, Kelvin, Midland, Central, Clydeside and Lowland Scottish inherited Pennine 7s, Kelvin ridding itself of them as early as it could as it attempted standardisation. Not as well known as the Leopard, they sold less quickly on the second-hand market but operators including Stevensons of Uttoxeter and Burton and North Eastern Bus Service of Newcastle standardised on the Seddon for deregulated bus work. The last examples saw out the turn of the century with Allander, Milngavie on school contracts and with Morley, Whittlesey on rural Cambridgeshire services.

Problems in operation

Drivers, particularly coach drivers, felt the Pennine 7 was over-geared, starting-off smoothly from rest sometimes causing trouble, overheating was another early fault, the radiator was mounted directly in front of the engine in mid-wheelbase and was thus shrouded by the coachwork, and in common with many Gardner-engined vehicles the throttle-pedal was regarded as hard to operate. The power-steering took several modifications and adjustments to work properly.

Morley’s of Whittlesey found their three astonishingly economical, the high-geared one of the trio (RSD978R) averaging 21 miles per gallon, whilst the two-lower geared examples (NSJ19R & NSJ21R) still achieved 18mpg.

In retrospect

SBG did not fulfill Seddon’s dreams. Leyland offered SBG alone a four-speed ZF manual option on Leopard which was taken between 1974 and 78 by Central, Western Scottish and the Alexander companies. Total Pennine 7 production over a decade was less than a year’s Leopard production.

From 1980 the six-speed ZF was offered with the Leopard on general sale but SBG were by that time taking the Pneumocyclic.

Western and Central Scottish took the later and similar Dennis Dorchester, and they, Clydeside, Lowland, Northern, and Eastern Scottish took Gardner-engined variants of the Leyland Tiger, by the mid-1980s a much weakened Leyland could not refuse SBG’s engine preferences.

Survivors

A number of Seddon Pennine 7s have been preserved and are stored at bus museums in Scotland. Among preserved examples one of the Eastern M types survives at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum. MSF750P is the only Alexander M-Type bodied coach fully restored. Y-type, T-type and Plaxton-bodied examples also survive, some preserved, some in non-psv roles. Only one Pennine 7 is known to have been rebodied, former Western MSJ388P which was purchased by a Lancashire businessman in the late 1980s for conversion into a racing car transporter, the Alexander T-type body proved unsound so the businessman, Andrew Wareing, asked Duple to rebody it, they politely declined, having never bodied the type, so one of Mr Wareing’s employees, aided by a friend who worked at Duple, were tasked with building a new body which features a number of Duple 320 components, this vehicle, re-registered 5887AW, has been in use as a car transporter for over 20 years.

Former Western Scottish Y Type BSD 857T has been converted into a motorcaravan.

That’s what I could find.

PARK ROYAL Vehicles London England UK

Park Royal Vehicles

A Park Royal bodied Leyland Titan (B15).

Dating its origins back to 1889, Park Royal Vehicles along with its Leeds-based subsidiary Charles H. Roe was one of Britain’s leading coachbuilders and bus manufacturers based at Park Royal, west London, UK.

Associated Commercial Vehicles

In 1949 it became part of Associated Commercial Vehicles Ltd., which included AEC (the chassis manufacturer). This formidable combination of AEC and PRV supported the demanding requirements of London Transport and many other major fleet owners and operators. The famous Routemaster bus was built at Park Royal.

Leyland Motors

In 1962, the ACV Group merged with the Leyland Motors group to form Leyland Motor Corporation, in 1968 Leyland Motor Corporation and British Motor Holdings merged, becoming the British Leyland Motor Corporation. BL (British Leyland) was nationalised by the Labour Government in 1975, following which many subsidiaries were closed: AEC in 1979 and Park Royal in July 1980.

Other vehicles

Park Royal was also responsible for many other coachworks besides London buses. It had a vast array of vehicles to its name including the first

diesel London Taxi, a number of railcars and railbuses (e.g. the British Rail Class 103 and one of the British Rail Railbuses) and World War II vehicles. During World War II it also played a part in the production of Halifax bombers as the outer wings and engine cowlings were built at the Park Royal site. Park Royal built 150 Green Goddesses during the period November 1954 to January 1955 with PRV body numbers B37444 – B37593 and registrations PGW51 – PGW200.

External links

• – Some pictures of Park Royal-bodied vehicles

Carrozzeria ORLANDI Modena Italy 1859 –

Carrozzeria Orlandi (Modena)

The Carrozzeria Orlandi is a body automaker Italian , famous for the production of buses .

History 

The company was founded in Crespellano, in 1859, by the carpenter and blacksmith Angelo Orlandi, to build wagons and carriages .

1919 Fiat 501 Berlina bodied by Orlandi

Soon, it was necessary to find better accommodation, compared to the original porch of Villa Aldrovandi, moving in the contiguous Bazzano, in a more spacious and suitable place.

In 1881 Angelo Orlandi moved to the city of Modena, on the Via Emilia Est, where he was immediately appreciated for the quality and degree of finish of carriages and landau products. In the following year the city walls were torn down, which brought about a flourishing season of development for public transport, with new tramways steam and animal traction.

The orders increased and the company was able to realize a building specially designed for his needs, even turning on a branch town for the furnishing of horse-drawn omnibus.

The interest of the children of Angelo Orlandi, Augustus, Henry and John, to the new mechanical and motoring led to the construction, in 1899, the first Italian bus on chassis Bonacini , with engine Bolide 20 hp .

Produced in different specimens, the bus captured the gold medal at the Milan International Automotive of 1901, and in September of the same year, was the protagonist of the first experimental use of a means of motor transport in the military during the maneuvers carried out by the Brigade Piacenza, completing the 110 km stretch of Collecchio – Passo della Cisa, carrying nine soldiers and their baggage tactical.

Since the death of Angelo Orlandi, which occurred in 1907, the body was run by his three sons who, in the same year, the company moved into a new place of greater amplitude, near Ferrari theme park.

The disappearance of Henry Augustus and then, in 1921, was the cause of discord between the heirs and the “Body Angelo Orlandi” was divided into “Body Giovanni Orlandi” and “Body Emiliana Renzo Orlandi”, the latter addressed to the son of Henry . For some years the two companies operated in a competitive environment.

Bodywork Giovanni Orlandi

The “Body Giovanni Orlandi” was quickly sold by the heirs to the foundry Vismara, who transformed it into “Officine Padane”, with the same production.

Bodywork Emiliana Renzo Orlandi 

The “Body Emiliana Renzo Orlandi,” continued the successful manufacture of buses, trucks and vans , but also valuable cars built cars , however, always remained a marginal product.

In the thirties , were made ​​vehicles of great formal elegance, intended for widespread use and popularity, increased the supply of vans for Scuderia Ferrari .

During the Second World War , the factory was requisitioned by ‘ German Air Force and, later, heavily damaged by Allied bombing.

The Second World War saw a strong recovery of the business, together with the need to provide collective transport, then decreased with the increasing mass motorization since the early sixties . The production was directed mainly on tourist buses under the guidance of Renzo Orlandi and son Angelo, great-grandson of the founder Angelo Orlandi, who continued the business. Angel, an engineering graduate, has for years been the owner and CEO of Carrozzeria Orlandi.

Over the years the Carrozzeria Orlandi won prestigious awards such as the Golden Rose of San Remo, the Grand Prize of Excellence of Nice and the latest Compasso d’Oro in 1979 with the Model 371 Iveco space, designed by Isao Hosoe. Subsequently Orlandi made ​​the first buses in Italy with plant d’ air conditioning and, shortly after, the first vehicle with large windows and panoramic views.

In 1964 the company was moved to its present location which allowed the development of the activity. In those years, were born the first vehicles mast tilted, subsequently, in 1970, was presented to the body Meteor .

In 1972 it was decided to sell a majority stake to Fiat: the production was increased, especially the tourist vehicles, and modernized the plant. In 1988, also gave the remaining 30%, allowing the incorporation of the brand to ‘ IVECO . In recent years they have been produced in hundreds of specimens of different models of car bodies, among which include Space, Poker and Domino among the most significant ones.

Models bodied by Carrozzeria Emiliana Renzo Orlandi 

Iveco 315.08.18 Orlandi Poker GT version

FIAT 306 Orlandi Concord Fiat 306

Fiat 306-2 Orlandi

Fiat 308 ORLANDI 214 Fiat 308

VB1137 AUTOBUS PULLMAN FIAT 308 ORLANDI IM 127233 PARCO RT NUMERO SOC 5057 IMPERIA

San Remo-Fiat 308 Orlandi 5051

 

FIAT 309 Orlandi I Fiat 309

FIAT 314-2 Orlandi l Fiat 314

3x FIAT 343 Orlandi I Fiat 343

1976 Autobus Fiat 343 L Carrozzato ORLANDI modello SAROS

IVECO FIAT315 8 18 ORLANDI suburban bus Iveco 315

iveco 370-12-30 pokerorlandi Iveco 370

 IVECO 391.12.29 EURORIDER ORLANDI della TEMPi Iveco 391 Orlandi Domino, touring

397 Irisbus Domino Gts Orlandi, coaches

1936 Fiat 635 RNL Orlandi. Fiat 635

Fiat 635 RNL Orlandi

1955-Fiat-642RN-Renzo-Orlandi-Bus-Factory-Photo

1957 FIAT 642 Orlandi

1956 e 1958 Fiat 642 Orlandi SA 28158 – SA 31949. Fiat 642 Orlandi

1956 FIAT 682RN carrozado por Carrozzeria Orlandi

Fiat 682-M Carrozzato dalla Ditta Orlandi. Fiat 682.

1939 Lancia 3 RO bus orlandi ?Lancia 3 RO P3.

1955 Lancia Esatau Renzo Orlandi Bus

Lancia Esatau P Orlandi I

–

Esatau V 11.

–

 Lancia 715 Esagamma

1932 Spa carrozzeria Renzo orlandi anni ’30

1938 OM CPO carrozzeria Renzo Orlandi

1958-lancia-funeral-bus Orlandi

1959 OM Orione 500 Renzo Orlandi

1962 Semirimorchio Orlandi Astore con motrice Fiat anni ’60

1964 Lancia 703.01 Orlandi stefer

1968 Orlandi FIAT

1970 Orlandi-Fiat Meteor

Carrocerias Augusto Bruno Nielson and Eugênio NIELSON 1946-1990 BUSSCAR ÔNIBUS Brasil

1955 Nielson Diplomata 350 Plataforma Mercedes Benz O-371RS. Viação Caprioli 16 Chevrolet Coach GMC Gasolina

Carrocerias NIELSON

Busscar

Busscar Ônibus S.A.

Industry	Automotive
Founded	September 17, 1946
Defunct	September 27, 2012
Headquarters	Joinville, Brazil
Products	Buses, coaches, trolleybuses
Website	http://www.busscar.com.br

Urbanuss Pluss trolleybus made by Busscar, in operation on the São Paulo trolleybus system.

Urbanuss Pluss operating in Santiago under Transantiago project

Busscar Ônibus S.A. was a Brazilian bus manufacturer that was building coaches, trolleybuses, charter and tour buses. The company was based in Joinville in the south of Brazil, where it was industrial premises that cover 1,000,000 m², including a building of 84,000 m².

1981, mostra o pátio da Carrocerias Nielson, atual Busscar

 History

The business has its origins in a firm created on September 17, 1946, when two brothers of Swedish descent, Augusto Bruno Nielson and Eugênio Nielson, opened a carpentry shop in Joinville, where they made wooden furniture, window frames and desks. One year later, Nielson & Brother remodeled the first bus body. In 1949 they built a bus body entirely in wood, attached to a large Chevrolet chassis.

This was the starting point of a business that in a few decades would turn into an important bus manufacturing company in the worldwide market.

When Harold Nielson (Augusto’s elder son) joined the company in 1956 it was en route to becoming the segment leader in Brazil, with innovative and revolutionary products, as the Diplomata model in 1961, the Urbanuss in 1987, the Panorâmico DD in 1998, and many others.

In 1990, the business, by then called Carrocerias Nielson, launched a new family of vehicles and changed its name to Busscar Ônibus, creating the mark that is known today in international and Brazilian markets.

On 27 September 2012, the Brazilian Justice declared bankruptcy of Busscar due to the effects from economic crisis of 2008.

Models

Transit buses:

Busscar Urbanuss Mercedes-Benz OF-1721 Busscar Urbanuss

2012 Busscar Urbanuss Ecoss Volkswagen 17-230 EOD Busscar Urbanuss Ecoss II

Busscar Urbanuss Pluss Mercedes Benz Busscar Urbanuss Pluss

2012 Ônibus híbrido Busscar Urbanus Pluss Pluss Híbrido

Busscar Urbanuss es uno de los tres modelos articulados traídos en 2005 Pluss Low Floor

Busscar Pluss Troley

Busscar Urbanuss Pluss Tour Pluss Tour

Busscar Articulado Low Floor Volvo

Coaches:

Busscar Panoramico DD Panorâmico DD

2005 BUSSCAR JUM BUSS 400 Jum Buss 400

2010 Busscar Jum Buss 380 Mercedes Benz Jum Buss 380

Busscar Jum Buss 360 Scania K380 Jum Buss 360

Busscar Vissta Buss Elegance 360 Volvo B12 R Vissta Buss Elegance 360

Busscar Vissta Buss Elegance 380 Mercedes Benz O-500RS-1836 Vissta Buss Elegance 380

Vissta Buss HI

Vissta Buss LO

busscar el buss 340 Mercedes Benz El Buss 340

Busscar El Buss 320, chassi Volkswagen 17.210 OD El Buss 320

Busscar Interbus JNS Mercedes Benz Interbuss

Former models

Transit buses:

1989 Nielson Urbanus MB OF 1115 Nielson Urbanus

Nielson Urbanus Scânia S112

Busscar Urbanus Volkswagen Busscar Urbanus I

BusscarUrbanussVolvoLinea816Stgo Busscar Urbanus II

Busscar Urbanus SS Volvo B10M

Busscar Urbanus II SS

Coaches:

carroceria Nielson Diplomata 2.40, Mercedes-Benz OH-131 Nielson Diplomata 2.40

Nielson Diplomata 2.50. Volvo B58 Nielson Diplomata 2.50

1980 Nielson Diplomata 2.60 Scania K112CL Nielson Diplomata 2.60

NielsonDiplomata310MBenzBusesJotaBe Nielson Diplomata 310

Nielson Diplomata 330 Scania S112 Nielson Diplomata 330

catalogo nielson diplomata 350 Nielson Diplomata 350

Nielson Diplomata 380 Scania K112CL Nielson Diplomata 380

Busscar El Buss 320 El Buss 320 I

Busscar El Buss 340 I

busscar-el-buss-360-scania-k-113-turismo-del-rosario El Buss 360 I

Jum Buss 340 Série 1 Jum Buss 340 I

Busscar Jum Buss 360 Jum Buss 360 I

Catalogo Busscar Jum Buss 380 Jum Buss 380 I

Busscar Jum Buss 340 T Volvo Buses Golondrina

Jum Buss 360T I Jum Buss 360T I

Jum Buss 380T, chassi Volvo B10M Jum Buss 380T I

Busscar El Buss 320 II Volkswagen El Buss 320 II

busscar-el-buss-340 II

Scania Busscar Jum Buss 360 II Jum Buss 360 II

Busscar Jum Buss 380 II Jum Buss 380 II

Busscar Jumbuss 400P privilegia vista panorâmica Jum Buss 400 Panorâmico

Interbus

Busscar Interbus

2009 Busscar Vissta Buss Lo