Leyland Panther Cub
Panther Cub of the Manchester Corporation
The derived from the Leyland Panther Cub Midibus Leyland Panther was a rear-engined single- bus, the Leyland Motors produced 1964-1968 only for the domestic market. The Leyland engineers thought he was underpowered and the project was never operated seriously. Only 94 copies were built. The background of the development lay in the fact that the Manchester Corporation was approached by Leyland as a potential launch customer for the Leyland Panther. However, the Manchester Corporation wanted the Panthers only decrease if there was a shorter version of the model in at least 20 copies for the outskirts, otherwise Manchester wanted to use in the competition. Thus, the Leyland Panther Cub with a shorter wheelbase emerged as the Panthers with a similar steel ladder frame but shorter over 2ft, with a wheelbase of 16ft 6in rather than 18ft 6in the Panthers standard, optional 17ft 6in. Due to the construction & use regulations on the maximum rear overhang length in the United Kingdom by the Leyland Motor O.600H the Panthers could not be installed. Instead, an engine of the Leyland Tiger Cub was used. Manchester had been 15 Tiger Cubs with Park Royal construction. All other technical equipment in turn came from the Leyland Panther.
On the Commercial Motor Show 1964 Leyland Panther Cub was first introduced. The sale was but slow. In addition to Manchester which, as promised, decreased the twenty specimens, the model was also on the transport companies of Sunderland, Eastbourne society, BET Group, Thomas Brothers, South Wales, Stockton and Middlesbrough society, Ashton -under- Lyne, Brighton, Oldham, Warrington and Wigan respectively sold in individual or a maximum of 7 copies. East Yorkshire Motor Services was one of 16 copies of the larger customers, where the Portsmouth transportation company with 26 copies in 1967 was the largest. After Manchester had taken only 30 copies Panther to 1968, the production of the Panther Cub 1968 has ended.
In the United Kingdom had the Panther Cub a bad reputation because of the weak motor and the absence of coordination between the chassis and suspension. In the former British colonies as they were second-hand cars but like added. 12 of 20 Manchester buses arrived in Australia and were further used there up to a decade. One of the buses of the Manchester society was preserved and is part of the Manchester Transport Museum, but is privately owned.
Swell
- Jack, The Leyland Bus Mark 2, Glossop 1982
- Booth ( ed), Classical Bus No. 7, Edinburgh, September 1993
- Booth ( ed), Classical Bus No. 26, Edinburgh, November 1996
- Booth ( ed), Classical Bus No. 31, Edinburgh, September 1997
- Townsin (ed), Buses Illustrated, Shepperton no116, September 1964
- Parke (ed), Buses Illustrated, Shepperton ( nos122 -4, 9, 131, 154), 1965-1968
- Curtis, Bristol RE, Shepperton 1987
- Lamb ( ed) Bus & Coach Preservation, Portsmouth, Volume 5 Issue October 5, 2002
- Http:/www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk