5TH WHEEL SKIRTS

Plaxton replaced the long running Paramount coach range in October 1991, when it launched the Premiere and Excalibur. The new Plaxton coach range cost ?3.5 million to design and develope and were the first coaches to meet the new European R66 safety legiaslation, regarding roll over protection. The Paramount 4000 was the only version of the Paramount to remain in production. The Premiere was available in two heights: 320 (3.2-metres) and 350 (3.5-metres). The Premiere was built on Volvo, Dennis, DAF and Scania chassis. The Excalibur was Plaxton's flagship coach, available in one height: 3.5-metres and one length: 12-metres. At first the Excalibur could only be built the Volvo B10M, later it was built on the rear-engined Volvo B12T chassis and Dennis Javelin GX chassis. The Excalibur featured a raked back front windsreen, with the rest of the body structure was based on the Premiere. Some people say, that there was a hint of Duple styling about the Excalibur, this came about after Plaxton had bought the rights to Duple's coach range in 1989. Both the Premiere and Excalibur suffered from water leaks and other problems. Park's of Hamilton and Wallace Arnold had both taken the early production Premiere and Excalibur coaches and never bought any more for a number of years, in the case of Park's it was not until the latter part of the 90s that they purchased any more Plaxton coaches. In October 1999 Plaxton launched a new coach range the Paragon and Panther, thus replacing the Premiere and Excalibur, although both models did stay in production for a few more months, plus the Prima, based on the Premiere 320 stayed in production, until the Profile replaced. I was at Lymm Truck Stop yesterday and photographed this stunning Plaxton Excalibur Volvo B10M, owned by Coach Services of Gatley, Cheadle in Cheshire. The coach was new to Elcock Reisen of Telford, before Coach Services purchased it, Bullock's Coaches of Cheadle had owned it. The chassis is the MkIV B10M, this being the final version of the B10M. I got low down, to get this dramatic view of the Excalibur. It just shows what a nice livery, wheel trims and after market rear view mirrors can do for a coach. The owner told me, the coach had cost him ?50,000 and looks the part, when parked alongside new ?200,000 coaches.

Duple launched the Laser during the autumn of 1982. This new model was to be the replacement for the long running Dominant coach, which stayed in production for one more year, the Dominant bus stayed in production until late 1987. The Laser featured aerodramatic styling with a raked back front windscreen, which gave it a distinctive apperance. At first the Laser could only be built on the Leyland Tiger and Volvo B10M chassis, by 1983, it was offered on the DAF MB200 and Bedford YNT chassis. The state owned National Bus Company took a number of Duple's new Laser mounted on the Leyland Tiger chassis. Here we see a Shamrock & Rambler Duple Laser bodied Leyland Tiger BPR 99Y, named Falcon, wearing the local version of the NBC venetian blind livery and looking very smart indeed, the wheel trims just helps to finish the whole visual appearance. The coach was working on a National Holiday tour.