Daimler Fleetline 7000HP
The very first Daimler Fleetline bus completed was 7000HP. The vehicle was painted into the then Birmingham City Transport colours, and used as a demonstrator vehicle. The picture, a rare publicity photograph shows the vehicle in Broadgate, Coventry when new in 1960.
The bus was clearly intended to impress Birmingham City Transport, which it did, as BCT went on to order large numbers of the type. It is understood that BCT had reserved the registration 3229VP for the vehicle, but Daimler decided to register it in Coventry, and so it became 7000HP.
7000HP was fitted with three very different types of engine during its life. It originally sported a CD6 Daimler oil engine from new, but in 1962 this was replaced with a more traditional Gardner 6LX oil engine. However, the Gardner unit was removed in the 1960s and a Cummins V6-200 series engine was fitted in its place, this it carried to the end.
By a strange twist of fate, both the first and last Fleetlines built were both destroyed by fire:
7000 HP, which had passed to Blue Bus Services (Tailby & George) of Willington and later to Derby Borough Transport, was destroyed in a fire at the former Blue Bus, Willington depot on 5 January 1976.
The last-built chassis, former South Notts ECW-bodied SCH 117X, was destroyed in a fire at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre on 21 February 2007, after it had been bought by preservationists.
Here's a link to some old news reel footage that features 7000HP, the bus looks to be outside of Lea Hall Garage, but I stand to be corrected. www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/midland-montage-2212196...
Daimler Fleetline 7000HP
The very first Daimler Fleetline bus completed was 7000HP. The vehicle was painted into the then Birmingham City Transport colours, and used as a demonstrator vehicle. The picture, a rare publicity photograph shows the vehicle in Broadgate, Coventry when new in 1960.
The bus was clearly intended to impress Birmingham City Transport, which it did, as BCT went on to order large numbers of the type. It is understood that BCT had reserved the registration 3229VP for the vehicle, but Daimler decided to register it in Coventry, and so it became 7000HP.
7000HP was fitted with three very different types of engine during its life. It originally sported a CD6 Daimler oil engine from new, but in 1962 this was replaced with a more traditional Gardner 6LX oil engine. However, the Gardner unit was removed in the 1960s and a Cummins V6-200 series engine was fitted in its place, this it carried to the end.
By a strange twist of fate, both the first and last Fleetlines built were both destroyed by fire:
7000 HP, which had passed to Blue Bus Services (Tailby & George) of Willington and later to Derby Borough Transport, was destroyed in a fire at the former Blue Bus, Willington depot on 5 January 1976.
The last-built chassis, former South Notts ECW-bodied SCH 117X, was destroyed in a fire at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre on 21 February 2007, after it had been bought by preservationists.
Here's a link to some old news reel footage that features 7000HP, the bus looks to be outside of Lea Hall Garage, but I stand to be corrected. www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/midland-montage-2212196...