Re-bodied Reliance.
I suppose I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the news (in pre internet days) that East Kent were progressing their fairly long running policy of re-bodying Reliances. The choice of bodybuilder was however more of a surprise, the Dutch firm of Berkhof. Ensign Bus (Dealer) was involved in the preparation work of the chassis and even gave those chassis new numbers in lieu of their former AEC ones. Doing so allowed them to be eligable for new 1984 registrations, plates which post dated AEC's demise by some five years.
The resultant coach looked brand new and stylish in customers eyes, but mechanically it remained something tried and tested. In my later days as an operator, those aspects were things which drew me to 'need' to own one!
I caught up with A197 PPU at the East Sussex seaside town of Hastings in 1988 when it was about four years old ... well, its body was. As far as I'm aware, only one of these now remains.
Re-bodied Reliance.
I suppose I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the news (in pre internet days) that East Kent were progressing their fairly long running policy of re-bodying Reliances. The choice of bodybuilder was however more of a surprise, the Dutch firm of Berkhof. Ensign Bus (Dealer) was involved in the preparation work of the chassis and even gave those chassis new numbers in lieu of their former AEC ones. Doing so allowed them to be eligable for new 1984 registrations, plates which post dated AEC's demise by some five years.
The resultant coach looked brand new and stylish in customers eyes, but mechanically it remained something tried and tested. In my later days as an operator, those aspects were things which drew me to 'need' to own one!
I caught up with A197 PPU at the East Sussex seaside town of Hastings in 1988 when it was about four years old ... well, its body was. As far as I'm aware, only one of these now remains.