Leyland Lynx

Leyland Lynx
Halton Transport Leyland Lynx in Liverpool
Overview
Manufacturer	Leyland
Production	1986–1992
Assembly	Workington, England
Body and chassis
Doors	1 or 2
Floor type	Step entrance
Powertrain
Engine	Leyland TL11 Gardner 6HLXCT Cummins L10 Volvo THD102KF
Capacity	29 to 52 seated
Transmission	Leyland Hydracyclic semi-automatic ZF Ecomat automatic
Dimensions
Length	11.0 or 12.0 metres
Width	2.5 metres
Height	3.2 metres
Chronology
Predecessor	Leyland National
Successor	Volvo B10B

The Leyland Lynx was a British single-decker bus manufactured by Leyland in Workington, England between 1986 and 1992. After the takeover by Volvo, its successor was the Volvo B10B.

The Leyland Lynx (B60) was designed in 1984 as a replacement for the ageing Leyland National, being unveiled at the 1985 International Bus & Coach Exhibition at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Although the B60 was the first bus to carry the Lynx brand, Leyland had previously used it on truck chassis between 1936 and 1940, and again between 1968 and 1979. The Lynx name has since been revived by Ashok Leyland for use on a midibus.

Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986, the majority were bodied by Leyland at its Workington factory where the underframe was produced. All have a step entrance, Leyland offered the option of a floor with a step in the middle or one that gently ramped from aft of the front platform to the rear. A plan for offering this bus with a single-piece flat windscreen and however it was not planned. A common feature is that the Lynx has two separate windscreens with that it has the driver's windscreen raked back, resembling 1950s single-decker buses and the Wright Handybus.

In 1990, the updated Lynx Mark II version was introduced. It could be recognised easily by its protruding front dash/grille panel, which on the original design was flat. Additionally a select few of the 140 vehicles produced featured Volvo engines, which drastically reduced performance in pursuit of more environmentally friendly engines.

The Mark II was also available as a bus underframe for other coachbuilders to body. Although the large majority of Lynxes carried the Leyland body, seven chassis were bodied by Alexander with N-type bodywork for Citybus (Belfast), including the first prototype. Northern Counties also catalogued bodies for the Lynx but none were built.