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Posted

image.thumb.png.13953616bcda2babc140cb3a5d7020ac.png

A PTC Leyland OPD2-1 single decker No 2812 with a body built by Comeng in 1954; turning from Bland Street into Brown Street, Ashfield, Sydney, NSW, 8/2/1976.

  • Like 4
Posted

image.thumb.png.6bdc3b6a3b1a61d2ba8e8b9c699fe400.png

More Ikarus fun, this one is a 695 converted for use in airports to eliminate those aeroplane steps.

  • Like 2
Posted
On 04/12/2024 at 23:16, mk2_craig said:

I drove one of these on Monday. 

Screenshot_20241204-225902_Gallery.thumb.jpg.ecf1fdde36a6b22a1814d6557197aece.jpg

Otokar Vectio C. Not this one though, a left hand drive two door example fresh off the production line and apparently heading for a life in Spain. This picture shows what must have been the example displayed at the NEC ten years ago, which led to precisely zero orders so there is currently a grand total of NONE of these in the British Isles. (they did sell a few small coaches though)

These are a compact 2.3m width, 9.5m long and remarkably fitted with the same 6.7 litre, 6 cylinder Cummins engine as you'll find in the back of Britain's favourite double decker the Enviro400. I can confirm that this little Otokar (in Intercity spec at least) goes like a cat with a lit firework stuck up its arse and handles nicely too - a far nicer steer than the Super Pointer Darts I used to wring across Edinburgh, admittedly over 20 years ago now.

I was also taken over the test track in one of the armoured personnel carriers that the company builds on the same factory site but that's a story for another time.

 

On 05/12/2024 at 06:08, Eyersey1234 said:

I wonder what parts availability would be like if an operator had ordered any

Likely not too bad actually; Harris Bus still import Otokar Navigos from memory, albeit under a different name.

 

That midi's not a bad looking little bus at all.

  • Like 2
Posted

Talking of oddballs, I have to wonder how many of these will sell... this one broke cover yesterday in Ireland.

For those who know, this is exactly what it looks like... for those who don't, it's a Wright badged King Long XMQ6127, which allegedly is to be marketed as a Wright Contour.

IMG-20241211-WA0036.jpg

IMG-20241211-WA0037.jpg

  • Like 1
Posted

image.thumb.png.5acece4f444ec9607a59b21bd6108b42.png

The car coach park of the Seelenbinder-Halle, surrounded by flags, during the 1967 SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany) 7th Party Congress, Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR, 1967. 

I spy two of my faves - Ikarus 55's and Skoda 706's.

Posted
3 hours ago, cms206 said:

Talking of oddballs, I have to wonder how many of these will sell... this one broke cover yesterday in Ireland.

For those who know, this is exactly what it looks like... for those who don't, it's a Wright badged King Long XMQ6127, which allegedly is to be marketed as a Wright Contour.

IMG-20241211-WA0036.jpg

IMG-20241211-WA0037.jpg

Nope, because

52665877424_30716e1ab6_k.thumb.jpg.4928995e9acf6512ccddf65c13775ad7.jpg

that's a Wrights Contour.

  • Like 2
Posted
5 hours ago, cms206 said:

Talking of oddballs, I have to wonder how many of these will sell... this one broke cover yesterday in Ireland.

For those who know, this is exactly what it looks like... for those who don't, it's a Wright badged King Long XMQ6127, which allegedly is to be marketed as a Wright Contour.

IMG-20241211-WA0036.jpg

IMG-20241211-WA0037.jpg

Wow, they haven’t even filled in the oval indents where the King Long badges would usually be placed. 

Posted
15 hours ago, cms206 said:

Talking of oddballs, I have to wonder how many of these will sell... this one broke cover yesterday in Ireland.

For those who know, this is exactly what it looks like... for those who don't, it's a Wright badged King Long XMQ6127, which allegedly is to be marketed as a Wright Contour.

IMG-20241211-WA0036.jpg

IMG-20241211-WA0037.jpg

@2cvspecial

Posted

Travelled (mercifully) briefly on one of them once.  Struck me as it must have been about the most miserable bloody thing in the world to drive.  No power, ponderous gear change and a power band about 500rpm wide.  Always felt like it was imminently about to fall over too.

Reminded me a lot of those BMC things which were plainly just a bus body plonked on a cheaply built truck chassis.  Kinda like the old Merc 609D based Plaxton Beavers but with all the charm taken out of them.

Wouldn't surprise me though being Toyota made if these just plod on until the end of time with reasonable maintenance though.

We briefly looked at them when we were looking at a second higher capacity for our community transport service to go along with the Optare Alero (evidence you should never let Councillors make a decision if ever there was one!) we already had.  Was only available with a rear mounted lift though so wasn't any good for us.  We ended up...with a second bloody Alero!  As if the first one hadn't been bad enough.  I thought folks might have learned something.  Was it any better?  Nope!

Then six months in we got the go ahead to just use the social care minibus fleet when there was spare capacity (which there was plenty of aside from the morning and afternoon peak periods)...So we could have bought them two halfway decent minibuses instead.  Oh well.

That really wasn't anything I was directly involved in, I just made excuses to tag along for the vehicle viewings because I was the token bus nerd in the office!  I should still have some photos somewhere if I can find them.  Closest to actual involvement was that the guy who ran the community transport/dial-a-bus scheme sat directly across the desk from me.

Posted
11 hours ago, Asimo said:

https://www.brightwells.com/timed-sale/5716/lot/752473

Low miles Toyota / Caetano.  Bid to £72 so far...

Screenshot2024-12-14at15_06_13.png.026f19b8cfbdff5f2e3760376f256f83.png

Screenshot2024-12-14at15_06_29.png.464f5b6182bb39da62b2cff901f06491.png

Screenshot2024-12-14at15_06_50.png.b4b6cede9c774aaf9f294ac85c0edb66.png

I always thought those narrow ones looked quite awkward; they did a wider 26 seater which I was rather fond of:

Screenshot_20241215_024344_Flickr.jpg.62fb942db62504b1b13a1f6cf4069682.jpg

This one is a Caetano Optimo V, probably the best looking of the lot though the final generation - the CS700 (below) was a butt ugly Levante clone.

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They sold well for what they were and had loyal fans but Toyota didn't take the Coaster chassis to Euro VI - much the same as Mercedes opted to do with their Vario - and it was killed off.

Mechanically they were basically Land Cruiser, 4.2? turbo diesel from memory, 5 speed then later 6 speed manuals. Went well enough for what they were, leagues ahead of a Merc van conversion for  driver and passenger comfort and they at least looked like a small coach. The earliest one I drove was an Optimo III or IV on I think a J-reg, the dash never changed. Prone to head gasket failure apparantly but never really heard any other moans about them. Never operated one personally.

 

Caetano did import minicoaches pre-Optimo, with the Iveco Zeta-based Viana and Beja but I think during the 70s they may have imported Coasters too.

  • Like 2
Posted
On 12/12/2024 at 17:05, cms206 said:

Talking of oddballs, I have to wonder how many of these will sell... this one broke cover yesterday in Ireland.

For those who know, this is exactly what it looks like... for those who don't, it's a Wright badged King Long XMQ6127, which allegedly is to be marketed as a Wright Contour.

IMG-20241211-WA0036.jpg

IMG-20241211-WA0037.jpg

Oh dear Oh dear, they really have fallen from grace haven’t they… Rebadged Chinese tat from a brand that’s already failed in the UK once. Yikes.

Posted
On 12/12/2024 at 12:17, martc said:

image.thumb.png.6bdc3b6a3b1a61d2ba8e8b9c699fe400.png

More Ikarus fun, this one is a 695 converted for use in airports to eliminate those aeroplane steps.

Alright then, stupid question… 

How do you get off of the stairs and onto the plane?!

Posted
6 hours ago, SunnySouth said:

Oh dear Oh dear, they really have fallen from grace haven’t they… Rebadged Chinese tat from a brand that’s already failed in the UK once. Yikes.

Failed twice actually. The original importer owned by Island Fortitude went bust, then King Long Malta set up a UK branch but sold about three before disappearing. You've got to give King Long credit for refusing to give up on selling their crappy coaches here.

  • Like 1
Posted
6 hours ago, SunnySouth said:

Alright then, stupid question… 

How do you get off of the stairs and onto the plane?!

et voilà

image.png.df29c39fe3a4e7559eb1b135f97c70b1.png

image.png.ecf4a57e4f37563be6722a6bd168cbac.png

Dashed clever these Hungarians.

 

 

Posted

image.png.8e9e0960d53da643c09e1eb62de91149.png

Prototype ZIS-127, 1952.

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And the final product. Anyone saying that certain capitalistic running dog detailing has been added is for the salt mines.

  • Like 2
Posted
On 20/12/2024 at 13:59, martc said:

et voilà

image.png.df29c39fe3a4e7559eb1b135f97c70b1.png

image.png.ecf4a57e4f37563be6722a6bd168cbac.png

Dashed clever these Hungarians.

 

 

That front dash has quite the hint of early VanHool Alizee!

Posted

Have a Christmas Treat!

I was looking through some old photos of where I lived as a child and came across this coach picture I took from a school trip to The Forestry Commission. This would have been early 1970s, somewhere around High Wycombe.  My guess is nobody but me has seen this picture for 50 years!

IMG_20241224_215352 broad.jpg

Posted
11 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Have a Christmas Treat!

I was looking through some old photos of where I lived as a child and came across this coach picture I took from a school trip to The Forestry Commission. This would have been early 1970s, somewhere around High Wycombe.  My guess is nobody but me has seen this picture for 50 years!

IMG_20241224_215352 broad.jpg

Must have been a big school to need 403 buses!

BPP 777F was one of four Plaxton-bodied Bedfords bought new by Jeffways & Pilot in 1968 featuring their trademark number 7 registrations - three VAM70 45-seaters (this, YKX 777F and YPP 777F) and a bigger VAL70 52-seater (BKX 777F).

  • Like 1
Posted
On 20/12/2024 at 13:37, quicksilver said:

Failed twice actually. The original importer owned by Island Fortitude went bust, then King Long Malta set up a UK branch but sold about three before disappearing. You've got to give King Long credit for refusing to give up on selling their crappy coaches here.

Island Fortitude, a name that sends shivers down the necks of people in the bus industry.

It wasn't a money laundering operation allegedly, just bad luck all the small operators they took over went bust, many having acquired new King Long buses .....

 

I'm sure @Inspector Morosewill be around shortly to dispell my wrongly* informed beliefs (!!!).

  • Haha 1
Posted

Christ, Island Fortitude. Never really got to the bottom of that but I’ve a feeling that someone got given a ton of money to set up a proper dealership network for King Long but splaffed it all on buying operators who were going cheap because they were already fucked in an attempt of both building up a captive market and having those operators doubling up as service centres.

Theoretically, an interesting idea, instead of building it gradually, whoever it was just went on a spending spree buying up anyone who wanted to dump their business (failing or otherwise) rapidly and so quickly ran out of cash to actually build up a service network.

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