Leyland Panther Cub

Leyland Panther Cub
Preserved Manchester Corporation Leyland Panther Cub in October 2006
Overview
Manufacturer	Leyland
Production	1964-68
Body and chassis
Doors	1-2
Floor type	Step entrance
Powertrain
Engine	Leyland 0.400H
Capacity	6.5 litres
Power output	125 bhp
Transmission	Leyland/Self-Changing Gears Penumocyclic direct-acting semi-automatic, electric or air control, 4 speeds

The Leyland Panther Cub was a rear-engined single-decker bus manufactured by Leyland from 1964 until 1968.

It was a derivative of the Panther that Leyland were forced into building for an influential customer, it was only offered on the home market, and only bought by operators in England and Wales. Leyland engineers felt it was underpowered and their heart was never in the project, although it was marketed to the extent of full-colour full page press adverts and the production of a demonstrator. Only 94 were built.

The Leyland Panther Cub was a short-wheelbase derivative of the Panther for 10m (33 ft 6in) long by 2.5m (8 ft 2½ in) wide bodies. It was proposed by Manchester Corporation, whom Leyland had targeted as a potential launch customer for the Panther. Manchester said they were only interested in a rear-engined single-decker 33 ft long and if Leyland didn't build them to that length, it would ask Daimler to build 20 short-wheelbase Roadliners instead.

Due to stautory construction and use rules on maximum rear-overhang length, Leyland considered that the 0.600H engine of the Panther would not be a feasible fit in a shorter version. So instead units from the Leyland Tiger Cub rather than the Leyland Leopard were employed. Manchester already had 15 Tiger Cubs with Park Royal bodies and the first Panther Cub was shown at the 1964 Commercial Motor Show at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Sales were patchy thereafter and the model was axed in 1968 by which time Manchester had ordered 30 Panthers.

The steel-channel ladder frame (upswept to the rear) was similar to the Panther but about 2ft shorter, with a wheelbase of 16ft 6in rather than the Panther's standard 18ft 6in or optional 17ft 6in. The front-mounted radiator, front steel-leaf springs, driving controls, fuel-supply, braking system, electrical systems and other ancillaries were standard Panther components, whilst the Leyland 0.400H engine, pneumocyclic gearbox, brakes, axles, eight-stud wheels, tyre equipment and rear steel-leaf springs were units taken from or derived from the Tiger Cub PSUC1/13.

The exhibit at the 1964 show was a Manchester Corporation unit with a Park Royal body derived from the BET design, but featuring deeper windows forward of the exit door. The reviewer for Buses Illustrated noted the unladen weight was 6.5 tons, even though the body was 'well-finished'. The two bodied Panthers on show-stands were for Glasgow and Hull and had, respectively an Alexander body weighing 7ton, 8.75cwt and a Charles H Roe body tipping the scales at 7ton 6cwt. Thus a bodied Panther Cub weighed almost one ton less than the equivalent Panther. Interestingly although the chassis type is widely quoted as "PSRC1/1", the designation engraved on the rear chassis cross member of preserved example BND 874C is simply "P/C".