Daimler Roadliner

Daimler Roadliner
1967 Wolverhampton Daimler Roadliner, this preserved example is the only one in the UK still with its original Cummins V6 engine.
Overview
Manufacturer	Daimler Company British Leyland
Assembly	Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Body and chassis
Class	Bus chassis
Doors	1 or 2 doors
Floor type	Bus: Low floor Coach: Step entrance
Powertrain
Engine	Daimler (prototypes only) Cummins V6 Perkins V8 Leyland (AEC) V8-810
Transmission	Daimatic/Self-Changing Gears 4-speed epicyclic Allison Transmission MT41 torque converter
Dimensions
Length	36ft
Chronology

The Daimler Roadliner was a single-decker bus or single-decker coach chassis built by Daimler between 1962 and 1972. Notoriously unreliable, it topped the 1993 poll by readers of Classic Bus as the worst bus type ever, beating the Guy Wulfrunian into second place. It was very technologically advanced, offering step-free access twenty years before other single-decker buses; as a coach, it was felt by industry commentators to be in advance of contemporary UK designs.

In 1960 Transport Vehicles (Daimler) Ltd, The Commercial Vehicle subsidiary of Daimler Company Ltd, launched its Fleetline double-decker at the Earls Court Commercial Motor show, this was the second British type of rear engined double decker. Its major advantage over the Leyland Atlantean was that its patented concentric-drive gearbox enabled fitment as standard of a dropped-centre rear axle, allowing a body suitable for low bridges of 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m) high to have a centre-gangway seating plan for the full length of both decks. In comparison, the low height Atlantean needed an awkward side-gangway abaft upstairs to allow legal internal headroom throughout.

The standard power unit for the Fleetline was the 150 bhp Gardner 6LX which was the most economical diesel engine in its class, and regarded by many engineers as even more reliable than the Leyland O.600. By the end of 1962 125 Fleetlines had been delivered and over 300 were on order. This pleased Daimler's new owner Jaguar Cars Ltd and Jaguar’s MD Sir William Lyons allowed work to start in mid-1962 on a new single decker chassis to replace the underfloor engined Daimler Freeline.