Wright Eclipse

Wright Eclipse
A Transdev in Burnley & Pendle Wright Eclipse 2-bodied Volvo B7RLE in March 2009
Overview
Manufacturer	Wright
Body and chassis
Doors	1 or 2
Floor type	Low floor/low entry step-entrance (Eclipse SchoolRun)
Chassis	Volvo B7L Volvo B7RLE Volvo B7R Volvo B8RLE
Powertrain
Engine	Volvo
Transmission	ZF Voith
Chronology

The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wrightbus since 1999. The second-generation Eclipse 2 launched in 2008, followed by the third-generation Eclipse 3 in 2015. The Eclipse, and its sister design the Solar, were named for a solar eclipse which was visible in the UK in 1999, the year of its introduction.

The Eclipse was launched in 1999 on Volvo B7L chassis and, in 2003, the body was made available on the more popular Volvo B7RLE chassis. A coach version, the Eclipse SchoolRun, was later launched on high floor Volvo B7R chassis. In November 2008, Wright unveiled the Eclipse 2 at that year's Euro Bus Expo, with front and rear ends facelifted to match the Wright StreetCar. In 2015, the Eclipse 3 was launched on Volvo B8RLE chassis, the successor to the B7RLE.

Over 2,100 Eclipses have been built, with FirstGroup the largest customer. A double-decker version of the Eclipse is also available, known as the Wright Eclipse Gemini, and formerly also an articulated version, the Wright Eclipse Fusion.

The first generation Wright Eclipse was launched in 1999 by Wrightbus on Volvo B7L chassis as the replacement for the Wright Renown bodywork on the older Volvo B10BLE chassis. However, sales of the B7L were lower than anticipated in the United Kingdom, owing to its unusual engine layout; as a result, the Eclipse Urban was launched on Volvo B7RLE chassis in 2003, at which time the original B7L bodywork was renamed to the Eclipse Metro. The Eclipse Urban proved to be far more successful in terms of sales and remained in production until 2011, while the Eclipse Metro was withdrawn from sale several years after introduction of the Eclipse Urban.