.. and quite a large Daimler. Body work is by MCW, the lightweight Orion, but this has the ‘Manchester’ front which I believe originated from the Roe bodied Manchester buses.
Early CVG6’s had the Birmingham front which was flatter and had headlights placed further inboard of the sides. The Manchester front is the better looking of the two.
So, why is it a favourite of mine? I used to travel to school on one of these, and it is a Daimler bus. See the nice Daimler badge on the front. This signifies that the part which keeps the body, engine et al from dragging along the roads is made in Coventry, essentially my home city.
Motive power came from a Gardner 6LW, an 8.4 litre superlative diesel, which was coupled to the back wheels via a pre-selector gearbox. All of this enabled sixty three passengers, the driver and conductor to travel around Coventry.
OK, so it is not the most famous of British buses, but it is the best looking, even in Coventry’s muddy red colour.
As a kid, I used to listen to the slow idle of the 6LW while it was parked at the terminus close to my home. You can hear it here..
One other thing.. these buses had open rear platforms that one could jump on and off. The Daimler Fleetlines and Leyland Atlanteans (the type behind the CVG6 in the photo) that followed all had hydraulic doors which didn’t open until the bus had stopped. Safe, yes, but people waiting at the stops always stood right in front of the doors, and you sometimes had to fight your way off. Jumping off just before the stop was a better way and far more exciting.
Ahh, the good old days..
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