The Leyland National - the vehicle that defined the 1970s - holds a unique place in British bus history. A joint venture by Leyland and the state-owned National Bus Company, it was a technically advanced, highly standardised single-decker that was mass-produced using car manufacturing techniques in a new factory dedicated to its construction. The first went into service 50 years ago in 1972 and production ended in 1985, by which time statistics maintained on Bus Lists on the Web show that 7,730 were built. That includes seven prototypes, ten pre-production vehicles, an unpowered bodyshell and two underframes. Over 90 of them were built in the ten years from 1972 to 1981. More than any other vehicle built before or since, this was a standard product. There were exceptions after a few years, but for most customers the choices were limited. It was available in two lengths, with one door or two, right- or left-hand drive.
展开▼
