Willowbrook 'Crusader'
Back in 2008, my business did some work on this Willowbrook Crusader bodied Leyland Leopard on behalf of its then owner, Wheels / Midland Red Coaches of Nuneaton. Both the operators business and my own were enthusiast led, so we always welcomed 'the oddball'.
In the 1990s, the re-vitalised but downsized Willowbrook business had carved out a small niche market in the re-bodying of non life-expired chassis. Most of these were in bus form, using their 'Warrior' design, which bore a passing resemblence to the contemporary Leyland Lynx. However, to dip into the coach market, they offered the 'Crusader' body as here. The majority of those built were on Leyland Leopard chassis, but there were odd ones on AEC, Bedford and Leyland Tiger chassis too.
MIB 9505, in its pseudo Midland Red livery, looked smart when photographed outside our yard as it was about to be returned to its owner. At some stage in its life it appears to have gained a set of Plaxton 'lollipop' seats out of an Elite or Surpeme.
I've no idea what eventually became of this coach as it was probably by this date, the best surviving example of its type and it would consequently be good if it had clung to life
Willowbrook 'Crusader'
Back in 2008, my business did some work on this Willowbrook Crusader bodied Leyland Leopard on behalf of its then owner, Wheels / Midland Red Coaches of Nuneaton. Both the operators business and my own were enthusiast led, so we always welcomed 'the oddball'.
In the 1990s, the re-vitalised but downsized Willowbrook business had carved out a small niche market in the re-bodying of non life-expired chassis. Most of these were in bus form, using their 'Warrior' design, which bore a passing resemblence to the contemporary Leyland Lynx. However, to dip into the coach market, they offered the 'Crusader' body as here. The majority of those built were on Leyland Leopard chassis, but there were odd ones on AEC, Bedford and Leyland Tiger chassis too.
MIB 9505, in its pseudo Midland Red livery, looked smart when photographed outside our yard as it was about to be returned to its owner. At some stage in its life it appears to have gained a set of Plaxton 'lollipop' seats out of an Elite or Surpeme.
I've no idea what eventually became of this coach as it was probably by this date, the best surviving example of its type and it would consequently be good if it had clung to life