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Now at the very end of its life and about to donate some of its mechanicals to keep 693 running, TWM Excel 687 nears completion at Optare, 12 November 1998.
Ehh look it's an Excel on stilts.
In the space of a few weeks this summer I managed to go from having no Optare model bus kits to having three. One of them was an Excel 1 metal kit, which I intended to convert into one of NCT's Excel 2s. This was one of my shortest lived model plans ever, as within a month I'd procured myself this Excel 2 resin kit.
I know I've bodged Excels out of OOC Deltas before, but I always thought that if I were to ever do an NCT Excel model, I'd want the proper kit. Never expected to have two of them, though!
Because the metal kit has the front, rear, sides and roof all as individual pieces, there isn't really a way I could mock it up for a photo, but the resin one just slides together. It's on stilts because of the things the wheels are moulded onto (it took AGES to get it to balance like this) but you can sort of see what it looks like.
Unfortunately, it's banana-shaped. The middle is noticeably higher than the front and rear, especially along the window line. The whole bodyshell is slightly warped. The idea I had to fix it was to steam the bodyshell over a pan of boiling water, and hope that it went soft enough to bend back into shape without some other part warping in the process. Now, I did that, and it looks like it's worked, but the question now is will it stay fixed or next time I get it out of the box, will it be banana shaped again?
Trent Barton Optare Excel 264 - Y264 DRC departs Victoria bus station on the Centrelink to Broadmarsh bus station. This free service operates at 10 minute intervals and links Nottingham's two bus stations with the City Centre. 264 is covering for one of the four electric Solos allocated to the service and is my favourite Excel in the fleet.
Seen here is an example of the unloved Optare Excel integral vehicle R209 DKG, one of a number new to Cardiff in 1997. It had formerly been with Central Connect before being photographed here at a dealers in October 2009. It latterly operated with Edwards Coaches in Cardiff. Alongside it is seen Volvo B10B / Alexander M416 UNW that had been new to Yorkshire Woollen in 1994 and had latterly operated with Arriva North West. Unusually although a red band has been crudely applied to distingush it as a sold vehicle, the Arriva names have not been covered over.
First West of England 33506 (LK08FKY) is seen at Portishead, Combe Road on "Excel" route X4.
Formerly First London DN33506 and First Leicester 33506.
Thought I'd go and investigate the special service between Canning Town and Excel today, this being provided due to the DLR strike. Ensigns turned out much of their fleet, old and new(ish). For my first trip from Canning Town I had the Trident in the centre (now numbered 159, ex Stagecoach 18229) to Excel for M1 back. The bus on the left is Regal Busways ex Metroline TP64, parked up between peak workings supplementing the 474. 3/11/15.
Love Open Water London Royal Docks and the ExCeL Exhibition Centre located at Custom House and the 4 star Sunborn Yacht Hotel in East London
This Optare Excel was new to Ipswich Buses as P194 SGV. It is seen here in the yard of Xidias Coaches, Larnaca, Cyprus
A look back at some more bus shots from a family holiday taken in North Wales in May 2013.
Here, Stena Line of Holyhead 3-door Optare Excel L1150 2 T783KNW works an internal service at the Holyhead ferry port. This bus, one of a pair operated by Stena Line, was new to Concorde Express of Heathrow in 1999.
Former TrentBarton Excel 234 has been used by Kinch recently but it looks like the end of the road parked up in Kinchs' yard, Loughborough with Kinch 618.
Tue 1st April 2014.
Excel High School strives to offer education of the highest academic level, in an environment that will help and encourage each student to develop his or her full potential. www.excelhighschool.co/
Pentax ME Super (S/N:3168177)
SMC Pentax-A 1:1.7 50mm (S/N:1259800)
Kodak Eastman Double-X 5222 (200 ISO)
Foma Fomadon Excel 1:1 for 10mins (20C)
Pentax Z-1 (S/N:5834470)
SMC Pentax-FA 1:1.4 50mm (S/N:4220696)
Kodak Double-X 5222 at ISO200
Fomadon Excel 1:1 for 9 m. 30 s. (at 20C)
The original Hyundai Excel (chassis code X1, 1985-1989) once was a very common sight in Los Angeles, but today it is very rare, and an example in as good a condition as this one is even rarer. The license plate and the red turn signals indicate that this is toward the tail end of the original Excel's production run.
The Excel became Hyundai's first US-market model in February 1986, and remained the sole model through the end of 1988. Thanks to its low price (as low as $4,995 in 1986) and attractive body designed by Giugiaro Italdesign, it set sales records right away, selling 100,000 units after just seven months on the market, and over 200,000 per year in 1987 and 1988. But due to its cut-rate quality and engineering, as well as aggressive sales to subprime customers who could afford neither the payments nor the proper maintenance, many Excels came back repossessed, and by then they were in too poor a shape to be resold.
Between the atrocious reputation of the Excel and the rising South Korean labor costs, Hyundai products could not compete, and US sales nosedived; by 1998, the entire 4-model lineup of Hyundai was lucky to sell just 30,000 units in the US for the year. But between the super-long powertrain warranty from 1999 on, and improving product reliability, Hyundai turned its fortunes around. Today, Hyundai's US lineup includes nearly a dozen models, including desirable luxury, sport, and utility models, and the Sonata cracked the 200,000-unit annual sales barrier in 2011.
I would have loved to park my own Genesis next to this Excel for a family portrait and a contrast, though I could not, as I was driving my backup Honda Accord on this particular day.
The 4-door sedan version of the original Excel was marketed within the South Korean domestic market under a different name, Presto. The larger bumpers and side reflectors, which were required for the Excel to comply with US safety requirements, were an option package on the Korean domestic Presto as well. European versions were sold under the old Pony name, and the US-spec bumpers and reflectors were not offered. The redesigned X2 Excel (1989-1994) dropped the Presto name for the Korean market, but kept its Pony name in Europe. The Accent/Verna has been the replacement for the Excel since 1995.
Hickleybus 3149 V400CBC Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Pointer B39F and 2392 X227WRA Optare Excel L1180 withdrawn and stored at Arriva Derby Bus Depot on 20 December 2014.
Trentbarton Optare Excel 263 Y263 DRC still looks good in Sutton in Ashfield working the 141 on 09-07-15.
Optare Excel R208DKG had been new to Cardiff in 1997 but soon passed to Reading Buses and then on to Eastbourne Buses. It had also spent time with South Gloucestershire of Patchway, but it's final PSV owner before this shot at a dealer in October 2009 had been Red Arrow of Huddersfield. It was not to operate again and was scrapped before 2011.
Next to it is Dennis Dart / Alexander K109 XHG which had been new to United Counties before passing to GTL in Merseyside and then A2Z of Walsall.