Classic Bus Histories Episode II: Leyland Leopard

Welcome to the my second episode where we look at the history of a classic bus design. This week we look at the Leyland Leopard a truly versatile bus and coach chassis with a 23 year old production run. If you have any memories of Leyland Leopard please hit the comments section below. Also if there's anything you think I've missed out please comment.
During this series we will be looking at the following buses:
Leyland Atlantean
Leyland Leopard
Bristol VR
Bristol RE
Leyland National
Daimler Fleetline
with more to follow!
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Thanks for watching.

[@davidoldfield4921]

The first six L1s were for Sheffield JOC with Weymann Fanfare bodywork. They hit the road in August 1959, three months before the "official" introduction at the Scottish Motor Show. They were registered as Tiger Cub Specials - as were the next few Sheffield examples. By 1961, they had been reassigned and registered as L1.

[@grahaminglis9828]

I liked the noisy Panther / Marshalls that Exeter Corporation ordered in 1970, but Devon General inherited.. until the even noisier Leyland National appeared on my bus route a few years later!

[@JakeSCOC]

Both great buses.

[@craigsibley8161]

Yes the unmistakable sounds of my youth. Traveling around on Western Scottish Leopard/y-types...

[@mickb6285]

Thats stirred some memories, great video. I used to travel to work at my first job after leaving school on Ribble Leopards, with Duple bodies in blue Timesaver livery. Full throttle along the A59, awesome!

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it and it brought back some good memories!

[@andreburbidge1425]

Hi Jake. Thanks for providing the picture of those Midland Red grant coaches at Ludlow garage. I had several outings on the X92 from Brum to Ludlow / Hereford, often using a day Explorer ticket to make connections to other services such as the 956 to Shrewsbury via Church Stretton. I really found these Leopards ideal for this type of service. Another favourite was the X43/44 to the Malverns via M5, Worcester and Droitwich. I can't believe this was so long ago.

[@JakeSCOC]

Hi Andre. Glad you liked the video. Yes it's hard to believe how time moves on isn't it?

[@peterlee44]

Great video big fan of the old Leyland bus and coach

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it.

[@martinhudson2552]

Brilliant video. You must have done a lot of research there. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks Martin. Glad you liked it. I didn't realise how many varieties of the Leopard there were until I started my research...

[@__DA___]

I have fond memories of travelling on PSU 3s down here in NZ. The last of our municipal fleet was only retired a few years ago as the company closed up

[@JakeSCOC]

Wow they must have had really long lives.

[@getinthevantim]

Good stuff. I was a 70s M&D No.7 kid so particularly looking forward to any future Fleetline, VR and National instalments (or that rarest of beasts, a Panther). You are 2 for 2 so far with the Atlantean and the Leopard.

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks glad you liked it. I'm definitely doing the AEC Swift and if I do that have to do the Panther and maybe the Daimler Roadliner too. I've never seen a real life Panther but would love to encounter one.

[@TheHorsebox2]

Wow, couldn't believe it when the Irish Leyland popped up. Travelled thousands of miles in these, highly likely i was on this very one shown here, 148 IK. I remember this model coming on the roads in 1970. A very distinctive sounding engine, with a peculiar rattle from the transmission at idle. Towards the eighties, the Leyland engines were swapped for Detroit Diesels. CIE, our national bus company ran these up to 2000, the last remaining examples being used as school buses. It was an incredible service run, proving themselves to be extremely reliable, even in old age. A touring Leopard was a lovely way to travel. My last trip on one was 1979, a four hour trip from Donegal to Dublin. Thanks for lovely videos.

[@JakeSCOC]

That's very interesting. Did the Detroit diesel engines alter the sound dramatically?

[@TheHorsebox2]

@@JakeSCOC Yes, it was, shall we say, quite American, but that sound became just as familiar as the Leyland did.

[@VincesEngines]

A lot of these also had Daf engines engines fitted .. The noise at idle was from an auxiliary drive used for the alternator from what I can remember . The fleet designation for the Leyland engine bus was M, MG for detroit and MD for the Daf. The chassis had to be cut and reengineered to suit the Detroit but the Daf was a lot more straight forward to fit . It was basically a clone of the Leyland.

[@TheHorsebox2]

@@VincesEngines Wow, thanks for the information. You obviously know your stuff. Wife and I were out for a drive last Sunday, and saw one of these being towed by a wreck truck. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was rough to say the least, I really hope it might have been going for restoration. If I had the money and the means, I have love to have taken it on. Thanks for your reply.

[@VincesEngines]

@@TheHorsebox2Thanks I used to work on these as a mechanic in simpler times no fancy electronics and they would stay going forever. .

[@johnrussell3389]

Really enjoy these videos. I remember, I think that my Dad went to Greece in the early 70's co driving a Leyland Leopard which was a prototype. This seems unlikely having watched this. Could this be so. He worked for Biss Brothers in Bishop's Stortford.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it. It could well be true. They were front line coaches and went everywhere.

[@DavidJones-wx4im]

Sheffield had the first Leopards and they were known as Leyland Tiger Cub Specials and carried Tiger Cub badges and were fitted with Weymann Fanfare dual purpose bodies.

[@andrewbutler6477]

The leopard was a workhorse in the Welsh valleys with Merthyr rhymney valley and islwyn as shown in the film at one point islwyn fleet were all leopards some of these clocked up 20 years service my late uncle drove them in Merthyr

[@JakeSCOC]

Yes they were very popular in Wales.

[@martonmechanicalmachines9842]

Leyland Leopards are my all time favourite chassis especially with a 680 and semi auto. I worked on a Saturday as a teenager for Venture Transport based in Harrow, Middlesex. They had a mainly leyland leopard and Tiger fleet in the 90s. I preferred Plaxton Supreme 3 & 4 bodies and have dreams to make a tribute to a Venture fleet vehicle one day.

[@JakeSCOC]

That combination is my favourite too. They always seem to give a nice little 'hiss' between the gear changing which adds to the symphony.

[@JBFlytography]

Those Willowbrook Warriors weren’t that bad looking - for the time. The weirdest rebodied Leyland coaches had to be the 6 East Lancs Myllenium bodied Tigers Strathtay had. They just looked really out of proportion.

[@JakeSCOC]

I agree there. The Warrior wasn't too bad. But the driving position seemed a bit high. Maybe it was the old Leyland upright steering wheel that gave that effect.

[@thebugzone2568]

Good vid thanks, although the Northern Ireland market wasn't an export market.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it. No it's not technically but I used the same principles that Leyland did when they were selling Ulsterbus the late model Bristol REs 😉

[@brianmelrose-fp8fu]

Edinburgh Corporation 3 door 101 was semi automatic not syncromesh

[@JakeSCOC]

@@brianmelrose-fp8fu Nicer to drive then!

[@dminalba]

SBG had loads of Leopard Y types loved riding them on my old local service alongside the Daimler/Leyland Fleetline

[@JakeSCOC]

We had a few gravitate down to Kent with Maidstone and District. Nice curvaceous bodywork.

[@adriangiddins6065]

Thank you...very informative.... I enjoyed driving the Leopard in the eighties used on the Greenline Jetlink service between Gatwick and Heathrow.... was always amused during the hours of darkness with the constant flames out of the exhaust whilst driving along the M25 flat out at about 70mph... before the use of speed limiters was brought in I hasten to add !

[@JakeSCOC]

You're welcome. Glad you liked it. I've never seen that on a Leopard but I've seen it on an old DAF coach. Every time he changed gear there was a 3 foot flame out the back!

[@TheFlyingBusman]

Gotta love a luscious Leopard. My last experience was with a 680 engined example on Supreme IV body, unusually with a 4 speed ZF box (a rare option) and 2 speed rear axle. A most pleasant motor.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@TheFlyingBusman What was it like to drive? Did it have a long range between the the changes or did it top out at about 45mph?

[@johnmontgomery9149]

Leyland Leopard was my all time favourite bus especially with the Alexander Y Type body as per SBG.

[@DoktorLorenz]

I loved them as a kid when i used to visit my family near Glasgow. I miss those Midland Scottish Y-Types but I also miss the National 1's & Bristol VR's as well from when i stayed in Luton

[@BillyRiff-RAF]

Yup, the y type was always my favourite. With the pneumocyclic semi auto gears and independent pantograph air wipers. Best buses ever made.

[@johno4521]

And the most beautiful livery ever to grace a Y-type body was the Eastern Scottish green and cream.....

[@johno4521]

Could bus companies still specify the 0600 engine after 1968? My former local operator - Venture of Consett - received batches of Leopards in 1969 and 1970; all 0600 engined.

[@jamesfrench7299]

They must have operated on flat country as I have read they were slow on hills.

[@TheFilwud]

I have fond memories of the Western SMT Leopards with their manual gearboxes and the wonderful noise the engines made, They were the local bus service and also used for our school buses back in the early 70's.

[@johnevans2044]

Fascinating history. I enjoed watching this very much. I’ve got fond memories of the Leyland Leopards that Midland Red purchased in the 1960s, with bodywork by Willowbrook and Weymann. Midland Red designation LS18. They ran near to my house and I loved the powerful throaty roar of the engine, especially the sound when you were on board.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it. Yes I think Leopard's have the most impressive sound effects.

[@michaelkeen5010]

Thanks Jake, I always have like Leopards, from the various East Kent examples through to the Marshall DP ones operated by Midland Fox from their Coalville garage and fitted with 5 speed pneumocyclic boxes, sometimes drafted in as National Express reliefs. When I attend bus running days I like to search out Leopards, and even Tigers, purely for nostalgic reasons and sample the wonderful sounds.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it Michael. Yes I remember the ECW and Duple bodied ones East Kent had. Such a distinctive sound.

[@ronnyrdavies1972]

Thanks for this and your channel. Love it. Watched the Leopard and Atlantan. Looking forward to the Olympian and Titan. Would be interesting if you wanted to make video on Coachbody Companies such as Alexander's, ECW etc

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it, thanks for your comments. That's a good idea. I shall add those to the list.

[@minimaxi802]

The Leyland Leopard was a mid engined bus or coach but there was also the rear engined Leyland Panther of similar design.

[@IndigoJo]

Loads of these on Green Line in the 80s -- travelled on them many times mostly going to my Grandad's across south London on the 726. I always thought the Plaxton Paramount bodies were cool looking and was excited when I got to travel on one (I even had a little toy one), but the Duple Dominants were the mainstay before they came along.

[@JakeSCOC]

I liked the Paramount too.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Very educational rundown and can't thank you enough for including the NSW government fleet in Australia. Ireland collectively has the most and kept them in service the longest by far. Sydney trialled a Voith gearbox in one in the 80s, the same transmission in the Metrobuses. One Sydney enthusiast described it as an orgasm on wheels. I once had a drive of a 1970 model with Sydney based Coachmaster body. I'll never forget the muscle from a standing start. It has a four speed pneumo electric gear change with the CAV changer with the light.

[@JakeSCOC]

I bet that one fitted with a Voith was a tasty sounding bit of kit!

[@jamesfrench7299]

@@JakeSCOC I saw a picture of the gear change set up. They mounted three push buttons on top of the pneumo gear pillar in place of the gated gear stick! I never heard it myself but was told it had a very loud retarder whistle and the engine would bounce in revs a bit when it changed into 2nd. The bus was mo1755. They later converted it back to semi auto.

[@johno4521]

Who is trying to create the sound in their head - come on, admit it!

[@DavidSmith-jm2ux]

Hi Jake, loved the video, had AEC 760s and Leyland leopards, when i sold my company in 2006 had 16 leopards and tigers for my school contracts, perfect as the drivers couldnt bugger clutches up as they did on my Scania coaches, yes the first Leyland Tigers were still on spring suspension and not air suspension until 1982 loved the video, Dave , formerly Smiths of Brenzett

[@JakeSCOC]

Hi David. Glad you liked the video. I remember Smiths well and used to admire their old Leopards. I was driving for Buzzlines around the mid 2000's and would have preferred a Leopard to my Neoplan!

[@a11csc]

that engine noise is brilliant

[@JakeSCOC]

She's certainly sounds like a Leopard should.