Leyland Lion PSR1

The Leyland Lion PSR1 was a bus chassis of the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Leyland Motors. The series was built from 1960 to 1967 in a quantity of only 88 copies. These were for the first monoplane with a rear engine, the Leyland developed. After Leyland Lion and Lion PSC LT it was the third of five called Lion bus models. The next Lion appeared in 1981 as Leyland Lion ( B21).

Leyland had invested in the development of drive of the Leyland Atlantean with a rear engine and the associated Z- gear a lot of time and financial resources. In this type of transmission the driving and driven shafts lie in different horizontal planes, the torque is diverted in the gearbox twice by 90 °. The company was now about other applications for the drive unit. The Leyland Dromedary, a tank vehicle with the drive formula 8x4 was not very successful, only in developing a prototype. The combination of the chassis of the Leyland Royal Tiger World MasterCard with the drive unit of the Atlantean finally created a vehicle that was similar to the North American Transit buses at that time. The type was named Lion and the type designation PSR1, where S is single deck, so monoplane, and R for rear engine, rear-mounted engine is so. The high, straight frame of the Lion corresponded to that of the World Master, it consisted of high-strength steel sections. Suspension, brakes and steering have also been adopted and adapted by the World Masters. Engine, radiator and other attachments came, however, from the Atlantean.

When the engine first Leyland O.680 was used, which gave an output of 149 kW (200 bhp ). As an option, the smaller O.600 with outputs of 93 (125 ) to 104 kW ( 140 bhp ) was available. The engine was arranged transversely in the rear. The controlled front axle came from the World Masters, as well as the driven rear axle, which was incorporated but rotated by 180 ° in Lion. The Leyland SCG Pneumocyclic transmission was available with four or five forward gears. It could be electrically or pneumatically. The torque transmitted from the engine to the transmission via a centrifugal clutch. In later models, a hydrodynamic coupling was used. Such a coupling was 1905, filed by Hermann Föttinger, chief engineer at AG Vulcan Stettin for a patent. In the United Kingdom there were they in 1930 in commercial vehicles of Daimler Motor Company. The differential gear came from Eaton, there were two axle ratios to choose from. The chassis with a third, non-driven axle was offered for the Australian market. This also derived from Worldmaster and was arranged in front of the driven rear axle. The mounting of the axle came from Albion Reiver 6x2. This additional axis decreased the wheel load. One of the three-axle buses was delivered to West Australian Independent, all others came at the Western Australian Railways for use.

Leyland offered to cover the motor to a hood made of fiberglass reinforced plastic. Alternatively, the motor was covered by the body corporate who produced also the structure of the chassis. Leyland itself had developed a panel with fins and tail of the Austin A55 Cambridge, but did not go to series.

Although it was originally developed mainly for the North American market, not a single vehicle could be sold there. The largest customer was the government of Iran, which bought 52 pieces. These structures were local manufacturers. 30 piece went to Australia, of which six were three-axle, two to New Zealand, two on Egged in Israel and one each in Spain and Turkey. Today known existing copies are a Lion PSR1 in New Zealand, which was converted into a motor home, there is an identical copy in Western Australia. Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia restored a model and puts it occasionally on classic car shows from.