Prototype Leyland National B705 BTJ 857J

            The fifth prototype Leyland National to be built was  B705 and wore an attractive two tone metallic golden brown  livery with a white roof, it was the first prototype built to the 11.3-metre length, B705 featured Michelotti styling which was close to the styling of the production Leyland National.  B705 was registered BTJ 857J and was the only other prototype to be registered, also B705 was fully trimmed, although the seating was not the type fitted to production  buses. B705 was erroneously referred to in The Leyland Bus book and other publications as B702.

B705 was completed a few days before the opening of the 25th Commercial  Motor Show held at Earl's Court in London  18th to 26th September 1970 where it was  the centre piece of the British Leyland stand and launched the Leyland National to the world! It is believed that the seating was fitted to B705 at Earl's Court  before the motor show opened. After the launch B705 was shown to a number of operators but never carried any fare paying passengers, it was photographed at Preston Bus Station  with people onboard for a publicity photograph which was widely published and graced the front cover of Buses Annual 1972. It is possible that B705 was used to train the staff at the almost completed Leyland National factory  at Lillyhall prior to the first preproduction Leyland National buses built in late August 1971. 

It is  believed that the interior of B705 was stripped out to go into the first preproduction Leyland National  completed at the Leyland National factory in November 1971. This  was only temporary allowing the bus to be displayed at the Scottish Motor Show that year, but it was not because the seating was the prototype seating and not the production seating. B705 was later used to test the independent front suspension to be fitted to the B15 which became the Titan. After 1976 it is thought B705 was sold for scrap, certainly it was no longer used by Leyland at this stage. 

This widely used official  British Leyland publicity photograph shows B705, note the bright metal horizontal trim on the front which was not carried over to the production  Leyland Nationals. Also note the early version of the famous L badge. There is a slight difference with the bright trim around the headlights to fitted to the production Nationals,  also the location of the badges on the front which would be mounted on the rear of production buses. B705 like the other  prototype buses had fixed side windows, although some did later gain opening windows, also B705 is fitted with the production roof pod, which the other prototypes would be fitted with. Flickr user aecsouthall posted a few weeks ago a colour view of B705, so check it out. The year date on the registration plate was changed each year, with late 1971 early 1972 the last time Leyland would use this publicity photograph. I have more detail photographs of B705 including interior views which I shall post.

Photograph credit: British Leyland Truck & Bus Division

Taken on: June 14, 2020

Tags:

British Leyland Truck & Bus Division, Earl's Court, September 1970, Motor Show, Prototype Leyland National, B705, BTJ857J, Preston Bus Station, Basil Hancock, Lillyhall Workington, 510 engine, B15, Suspension, Scottish Motor, Buses Annual 1972

Sets appears in: • Leyland National Story • Leyland prototype buses and coaches more » • Leyland National « less

Groups appears in: • Buses • British Buses more » • Leyland Buses • British Automobile Photography • LEYLAND NATIONAL / LYNX • Bus UK Demonstrators, Development and Special Vehicles • Bus Operators - Bankrupt, Extinct, Orphan, Former • Demonstrator Vehicles • Buses UK • Layland National • BMC and British Leyland fans • Leyland-Bus • LEYLAND BUS AND COACH • Bus U.K. Buses of the 1970s • Bus UK Leyland National Factory in Cumbria • Leyland Bus and Train Group • Bus Memorabilia • Leyland Lynx & Leyland National's • British rear engined single deckers of the '60 & '70s « less

Camera: samsung SM-T585, f/1.9, 1/100 sec, 2.9mm, ISO 64 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	samsung SM-T585
Aperture:	f/1.9
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	2.9mm
ISO:	64
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	T585XXU6CSL1
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