Bedford VAS

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Bedford VAS with Bella Vista structure from Duple (left)

The name Bedford VAS refers to a bus chassis made by the British manufacturer Bedford Vehicles . It was built from 1961 to 1985.

In 1950 Bedford had launched the SB , which the company believed was required by the market. For many operators, this bus with 33 seats was too big, traditionally buses with 29 seats were in demand. Bedford was hesitant to respond to the demand, so many Bedford OBs stayed longer in service. It was not until 1957 that the Bedford C was a bus of the popular size available. In 1961 the company finally presented the VAS , the name standing for VA series short . The longer versions were consequently called VAM and VAL .

The chassis had a wheelbase of 13 feet and 8 inches. Initially, only a six-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 4.9 l and an optional six-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of 3.5 l were offered; later larger engines were also available. A manually shifted, synchronized four-speed gearbox was standard, and a five-speed gearbox was optionally available for the VAS3 and VAS5 or PFK and PJK .

The superstructures came mainly from Duple and Plaxton . Duple designed a completely new structure, the Bella Vista , for the chassis, whose clear lines corresponded to the zeitgeist of the early 1960s. Based on this design, the slightly larger Bella Vega was also created for the VAM . A few smaller companies supplied additional superstructures for the chassis in small numbers.

In the early 1970s, the design of the VAS was considered outdated. The entrance door located far back and the engine protruding into the interior made one-man operation difficult, in which the bus driver also took on the role of the conductor. However, many of the buses with bodies from Duple or Willowbrook were still used by the armed forces, the police and local authorities. The VAS was also provided with superstructures as an ambulance, mobile library, prisoner transport vehicle, mobile sales point or exhibition vehicle and even built as an armored vehicle. So it was produced, even if only in small numbers, until Bedford was closed in 1987.

variants

VAS
designation engine annotation
VAS1 Six-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 4.9 l
VAS2 Six-cylinder petrol engine with 3.5 l displacement
VAS3 Six-cylinder gasoline engine with 4.9 l displacement
VAS5 Six-cylinder diesel engine with 5.4 l displacement
PDK Six-cylinder petrol engine with 3.5 l displacement
PFK Six-cylinder gasoline engine with 4.9 l displacement
PJK Six-cylinder diesel engine with 5.4 l displacement

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