Leyland Lion PSR1

Engine cover of a Lion PSR1

The Leyland Lion PSR1 was a bus - the chassis of the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Leyland Motors . The series was built from 1960 to 1967 in a number of only 88 copies. It was the first rear-engined monoplane that Leyland developed. After the Leyland Lion PSC and Lion LT , it was the third of a total of five bus models named Lion . The next Lion appeared in 1981 as the Leyland Lion (B21) .

Leyland had invested a great deal of time and money in the development of the drive for the Leyland Atlantean with rear engine and the associated Z-gear. With this type of gearbox, the input and output shafts are in different horizontal planes, the torque is deflected twice by 90 ° in the gearbox. The company was now looking for other uses for the drive unit. The Leyland Dromedary , a tank truck with the 8 × 4 drive formula , was not very successful; only a prototype was created. The combination of the chassis of the Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster with the drive unit of the Atlantean finally resulted in a vehicle that resembled the North American transit buses of the time. The type was named Lion and the type designation PSR1 , where S stands for single deck , i.e. monoplane, and R stands for rear engine , i.e. rear engine . The high, straight frame of the Lion corresponded to that of the Worldmaster , it consisted of high-strength steel profiles. Suspension, brakes and steering were also adopted and adapted from the Worldmaster . The engine, radiator and other attachments, however, came from the Atlantean .

Initially the Leyland O.680 was used as the engine, which delivered an output of 149 kW (200 bhp ). The smaller O.600 with outputs from 93 (125) to 104 kW (140 bhp) was also available as an option. The engine was arranged transversely in the stern. The steered front axle came from the Worldmaster , as did the driven rear axle, which was installed in the Lion rotated by 180 °. The Leyland SCG Pneumocyclic transmission was available with four or five forward gears. It could be switched electrically or pneumatically. The torque was transmitted from the engine to the gearbox via a centrifugal clutch . A hydrodynamic coupling was used in later models. Such a coupling was registered for a patent in 1905 by Hermann Föttinger , chief designer at AG Vulcan Stettin . In the United Kingdom , they were in commercial vehicles from the Daimler Motor Company from 1930 . The differential gear came from Eaton , there were two axle ratios to choose from. For the Australian market, the chassis was offered with a third, non-driven axle. This also came from the Worldmaster and was located in front of the driven rear axle. The suspension of the axle came from the Albion Reiver 6 × 2. This additional axle reduced the wheel load . One of the three-axle buses was delivered to West Australian Independent , all others were used by West Australian Railways .

Leyland offered a hood made of glass fiber reinforced plastic to cover the engine . Alternatively, the engine was clad by the body shop, who also made the structure for the chassis. Leyland himself had developed a fairing with fins and taillights for the Austin A55 Cambridge , but this did not go into series production.

Although it was originally developed mainly for the North American market, not a single vehicle could be sold there. The biggest customer was the government of Iran , which bought 52 pieces. These received superstructures from local manufacturers. 30 of them went to Australia , six of which were three-axle, two to New Zealand , two to Egged in Israel and one each to Spain and Turkey . Existing specimens still known today are a Lion PSR1 in New Zealand that has been converted into a motorhome and a similar specimen in Western Australia. The Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia has restored a model and occasionally exhibits it at classic car shows.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A photo of a Lion PSR1 from Egged used between 1960 and 1969  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

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• Jack, The Leyland Bus Mark Two, Glossop 1982
• Smith (ed), Busse Annual Report 1964 London 1963