Dennis Lance (double decker)

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Dennis Lance K4

The Dennis Lance was a chassis for double-decker buses from the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Dennis Brothers . The name was used again for a single deck bus in the 1980s. The monoplane built at the same time was named Dennis Lancet. The name was used again for the company's buses in the 1960s and 1990s.

background

The Lance first appeared in 1930, followed by the Lance II (also Lance 2) in 1931. It was developed from the Dennis H. In the course of the long construction period, different variants with different engines and bodies from different manufacturers were produced. The Lance II received the 5LW from Gardner , a five-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 7.0 liters .

After the end of the Second World War , the K-series buses appeared. In 1946, the K2 series received the 6LW from Gardner, a six-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 8.4 l. The Lance K3 received the newly developed O6 diesel engine from Dennis. The engine made 100 bhp with a displacement of 8.0 l. It had a four-valve cylinder head. The K4 got the 5LW from Gardner, which was already known from pre-war production. A manually shiftable five-speed gearbox with overdrive was installed as the gearbox . The design of the cooler also differed between K2 / K3 and K4.

The superstructures came from Weymann Motor Bodies , East Lancashire Coachbuilders (East Lancs) , Duple Coachbuilders and Strachan . With a one-sided driver's cab and entry at the rear, they corresponded to the typical image of British double-decker buses from the 1930s to 1950s. The design of the driver's cab enabled good all-round visibility for the driver and easy access to the engine. Depending on the manufacturer and variant, they had a capacity of around 45 to 56 seats.

use

Until the 1980s, Dennis wasn't a manufacturer who built large series of buses. After the formation of the British Transport Commission as a result of the Transport Act 1947 , Dennis mainly served the market for small, private bus companies. The Lance's main customers were Aldershot & District Traction in East Hampshire and West Surrey . Between 1948 and 1952 Aldershot procured 40 K3s, and in 1954 another 32 K4s.

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