Ian Fuller2006
Heuliez head-turner
Aulnay-sous-Bois again, and this striking machine is a Heuliez GX107. Mechanically, this is a Renault PR100.2 underframe, clothed in a rather funkier body than the standard Renault creation. Heuliez’ arrangement to body Mercedes-Benz products ceased when Mercedes replaced the old O305 model with the new O405, and rather surprisingly they turned to rival Renault as their new chassis supplier. The GX107 design had started out as something of a concept bus, and even by the time it went into production its looks hadn’t been watered down that much.
Certainly it was one step ahead of the PR100 in terms of wow factor, although I always got the impression it wasn’t as well built – later in life it wasn’t uncommon to see long rust streaks from the corners of those big, square windows. That might have been superficial, but to me it looked like an indicator of nasty things going on under the skin.
TRA bought both PR100.2s and GX107s in equal measure. 5134 was new in 1990 but three years on is looking a bit careworn. It should have wheeltrims but they’ve disappeared somewhere along the line. I was never 100% sure of the GX107’s bold styling – I love the huge windscreen curving into the roof, but the mismatched window sizes jar a bit with me and the rear view is all a bit too conventional when compared with the rest of the body. Nonetheless it sold well and could be found with urban fleets all over France, including many in the outer Paris suburbs. However, with the exception of two of the articulated version of this bus (the GX187), RATP steered clear, preferring the bona fide Renault product.
Heuliez head-turner
Aulnay-sous-Bois again, and this striking machine is a Heuliez GX107. Mechanically, this is a Renault PR100.2 underframe, clothed in a rather funkier body than the standard Renault creation. Heuliez’ arrangement to body Mercedes-Benz products ceased when Mercedes replaced the old O305 model with the new O405, and rather surprisingly they turned to rival Renault as their new chassis supplier. The GX107 design had started out as something of a concept bus, and even by the time it went into production its looks hadn’t been watered down that much.
Certainly it was one step ahead of the PR100 in terms of wow factor, although I always got the impression it wasn’t as well built – later in life it wasn’t uncommon to see long rust streaks from the corners of those big, square windows. That might have been superficial, but to me it looked like an indicator of nasty things going on under the skin.
TRA bought both PR100.2s and GX107s in equal measure. 5134 was new in 1990 but three years on is looking a bit careworn. It should have wheeltrims but they’ve disappeared somewhere along the line. I was never 100% sure of the GX107’s bold styling – I love the huge windscreen curving into the roof, but the mismatched window sizes jar a bit with me and the rear view is all a bit too conventional when compared with the rest of the body. Nonetheless it sold well and could be found with urban fleets all over France, including many in the outer Paris suburbs. However, with the exception of two of the articulated version of this bus (the GX187), RATP steered clear, preferring the bona fide Renault product.