Leyland Leopard
| Leyland Leopard | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Leyland |
| Production | 1959–1982 |
| Assembly | Farington, England |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1, 2 or 3 |
| Floor type | Step entrance |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
Leyland O.600 Leyland O.680 Leyland TL11 |
| Capacity | 9.8 litres 11.1 litres |
| Transmission |
Leyland manual/pneumocyclic ZF synchromesh |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 9.1m, 10m, 11m and 12m |
| Width | 2.5m |
| Height | 3.2m and 3.5m |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Leyland Tiger Cub |
| Successor | Leyland Tiger |
The Leyland Leopard was a mid-engined single-decker bus and single-decker coach chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1959 and 1982.
The Leyland Leopard was introduced in 1959. It was developed from the Leyland Tiger Cub, one of the most important changes being the introduction of the larger and more powerful 0.600 engine (later-built Leopards were fitted with the 11.1-litre 0.680 engine). The Leopard was superseded by the Leyland Tiger.
The original 30 ft bus version was coded L1, it was right hand drive with a 16 ft 2in wheelbase and an overall length of 29 ft 4in. The 30 ft coach was the L2 which had the same wheelbase but was an inch shorter overall, the left-hand-drive LHL1 shared the wheelbase but the overall length was 29 ft 2in. All had a swept turning circle of 68 ft.
The initial 36 ft models launched at the 1961 Scottish Motor Show at Kelvin Hall all shared an 18 ft 6in wheelbase, the PSU3.1R PSU3.1L PSU3.2R and PSU3.2L bus versions had a chassis length of 35 ft 1 1/2in with a swept turning circle of 71 ft and the coaches, PSU3.3R PSU3.3L PSU3.4R and PSU3.4L had a chassis length of 31 ft and a swept turning circle of 68 ft. standard Gross Vehicle Weight of the PSU3 was 11 1/4 tons but a 13-ton GVW was optional.
As at May 1964 all Leopards had the O:600 engine and only the longer versions (.2 and .4) could be had with Pneumocyclic transmission.
In 1966 the LHL1, L1 and L2 models (and the Royal Tiger Cub) were replaced by the Leopard PSU4 series which had a similar chassis and axles to the PSU3, the coach versions having a shorter frame rather than the drop frame extension of the L2. They were preceded by C-class buses for Córas Iompair Éireann which were to the same length as the PSU4 but coded PSU3.4R
From 1968 Leyland introduced the A suffix across all existing passenger models, this denoted the rationalised Pnuemocyclic gearbox when fitted: this replaced various AEC and Leyland epicyclic transmissions and included a ten-speed splitter version offered in the Super Beaver articulated lorry this was built in a new extension to the Farington works. All PSU4A and PSU3A Leopards had the larger O.680 engine.
...
Wikipedia