Leyland Swift
Encyclopedia
The Leyland Swift was a midibus
chassis built by Leyland Bus
from 1987, sharing many components with the Roadrunner light truck but with the engine relocated to behind the front axle which was itself set back to permit a passenger entrance in the front overhang. Mechanically a 6-cylinder Cummins
turbo-diesel powerplant was standard with the choice of synchromesh
or Allison
automatic gearboxes
. It was available in a choice of short wheelbase (3.6 m) or long wheelbase (4.4 m).
A number of coachbuilders produced bodies on the Swift with Wadham Stringer enjoying healthy sales with a very tidy adaptation of its Vanguard II body. The Reeve Burgess
Harrier was also popular, while Wright
of Northern Ireland produced two distinct designs and Elme 2001 of Portugal supplied a number to Orion coach
specification and also to Welfare CareCoach specification with a centrally mounted underfloor wheelchair lift. Several Swifts were built as mobile libraries. Sales declined markedly once production of the lower-floor Dennis Dart
was in full swing.
The Elme Orion and Vanguard II proved particularly popular with operators on the Channel Island of Jersey
and Elme on Guernsey
owing to its close fit to the maxiumum vehicle size regulations, seating up to 43 and allowing the replacement of elderly Bedford SB
coaches. Otherwise, the Swift was only a moderate success in an uncertain UK marketplace and was disadvantaged by the relatively high floor necessary to clear the mid-mounted powertrain.
After Leyland Bus was purchased by Volvo
, the Swift was phased out and in some respects replaced by the rear-engined B6
model. A Swift "clone" has since been manufactured in small numbers by Cannon Coaches.
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
chassis built by Leyland Bus
Leyland Bus
Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer. It emerged from the Rover Group as a management buyout of the bus business...
from 1987, sharing many components with the Roadrunner light truck but with the engine relocated to behind the front axle which was itself set back to permit a passenger entrance in the front overhang. Mechanically a 6-cylinder Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
turbo-diesel powerplant was standard with the choice of synchromesh
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
or Allison
Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission is an American manufacturer of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, refuse, fire, construction,...
automatic gearboxes
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
. It was available in a choice of short wheelbase (3.6 m) or long wheelbase (4.4 m).
A number of coachbuilders produced bodies on the Swift with Wadham Stringer enjoying healthy sales with a very tidy adaptation of its Vanguard II body. The Reeve Burgess
Reeve Burgess
Reeve Burgess was a bus body manufacturer based in Pilsley, North East Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It was a subsidiary of Plaxton from 1980 until its closure in 1991....
Harrier was also popular, while Wright
Wrightbus
Wrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
of Northern Ireland produced two distinct designs and Elme 2001 of Portugal supplied a number to Orion coach
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
specification and also to Welfare CareCoach specification with a centrally mounted underfloor wheelchair lift. Several Swifts were built as mobile libraries. Sales declined markedly once production of the lower-floor Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
was in full swing.
The Elme Orion and Vanguard II proved particularly popular with operators on the Channel Island of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
and Elme on Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
owing to its close fit to the maxiumum vehicle size regulations, seating up to 43 and allowing the replacement of elderly Bedford SB
Bedford SB
The Bedford SB was a front-engined bus chassis built by Bedford Vehicles in the United Kingdom. It was launched at the 1950 Commercial Motor Show as the replacement for the Bedford OB....
coaches. Otherwise, the Swift was only a moderate success in an uncertain UK marketplace and was disadvantaged by the relatively high floor necessary to clear the mid-mounted powertrain.
After Leyland Bus was purchased by Volvo
Volvo Buses
Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....
, the Swift was phased out and in some respects replaced by the rear-engined B6
Volvo B6
The Volvo B6 is a midibus manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 2000. Its low-floor variant, the Volvo B6LE, was first built in 1994.The Volvo B6/B6LE chassis was built to compete with the Dennis Dart/Dart SLF chassis. It could be fitted with Volvo TD63E/TD63ES engine...
model. A Swift "clone" has since been manufactured in small numbers by Cannon Coaches.