Bristol VRL Chassis - a photo on Flickriver

            Bristol Commercial Vehicles Ltd  first attempt at designing a rear-engined  double-deck chassis was the VRL denoting  vertical rear-engined, the letter L denoted the engine was mounted longitudinal in the offside rear of the chassis. The VRL was announced to the trade press in August 1966, and launched a month later at that year's Earl's Court motor show. The VRL was developed under the code N type and Bristol released photographs showing artist's impressions of   both single and double-deck bodied N type buses. The N type was allocated the chassis designation VRL, apart from the two prototype chassis VRX 001 and  VRX 002 which had Gardner 6LX engines, the production chassis were powered by the 11.1-litre Leyland 0.680 engine. The VRL was available for 33ft or 36ft overall length bodywork, I believe only the 36ft version was  built. Only  30 VRL chassis were built for the UK market for W.C. Standerwick Ltd, the rest went overseas, in total 59 VRL chassis were built. The first production VRL chassis were part of an order for Johannesburg and had 200bhp Leyland 0.680 engines driving through Bristol/Self Changing Gears RV.66 fully automatic gearboxes. These would be  the first Bristol chassis to be exported following the lifting of the sales restriction after Leyland Motor Corporation acquired 25%  shares in Bristol and Eastern Coach Works.   Bristol introduced the VRT  chassis in 1967,  the letter T denoted transverse mounted engine, the VRT was not to be Bristol's finest hour until the VRT3 was launched in 1974.

This official  view shows a production VRL chassis which I guess was destined for Johannesburg judging by the white steering wheel, all the VRLs for Standerwick had black steering wheels, It is strange that it is not fitted with any cross members on the chassis, all other photos I have seen of the VRL chassis, they had cross members. The VRL chassis, like the Lodekka and VRT chassis were designed for the bodybuilder to integrate their body with the Bristol chassis for added strength.    

Copyright Bristol Commercial Vehicles Ltd

Taken on: May 11, 2012

Tags:

Bristol VRL

Eastern Coach Works

Leyland Engine

Gardner Engine

SCG Gearbox

Standerwick

VRT

Earls Court

Motor Show « less

Sets appears in: • Bristol buses and coaches

Groups appears in: • Buses • British Buses more » • BRISTOL VEHICLES • Buses UK • Bristol buses « less

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