Plaxton Panorama Elite
Encyclopedia
The Plaxton Panorama Elite was a successful design of coach
bodywork
built between 1968-1975 by Plaxton
of Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. A wide-doorway variant called the Plaxton Elite Express was also built. Collectively, they are commonly referred to as the Plaxton Elite.
It was preceded by the Plaxton Panorama I, and replaced by the Plaxton Supreme
. Around 6,000 Elites were built.
Extensive use is made of brightwork. Up to four beaded chrome strips run along the side of the vehicle, as well as ribbed skirt panels. The front grille and headlights are contained within a distinctive chrome surround which merges with the side brightwork.
The offside emergency exit door was positioned directly behind the driver's cab, and a corresponding short window bay on the nearside, immediately behind the doorway, was of slightly reduced height.
The twin central brightwork strips run together along the side, separating close to the rear end and enclosing the badge. Twin round rear lights are arranged vertically at each side of the boot. An illuminated fleetname display is normally fitted above the boot.
The twin round rear lights were replaced by a single, vertical, lozenge-shaped cluster.
The side trim was revised slightly, with the twin beading strips running separately along the length of the coach, only meeting at the very front. However, this was variable: some operators opted for the older layout instead; Barton Transport
requested that the strips separate further back, allowing a larger space for their logo; the National Bus Company generally opted for only a single strip.
The emergency door initially remained behind the cab, but was subsequently repositioned close to the rear.
Bodywork built on Bristol
chassis with front-mounted radiators did not have space for a destination indicator or illuminated panel in the usual position below the windscreen, so one was instead positioned in a bulge above the windscreen. This feature thus became known as a "Bristol Dome", even when it was later fitted to other types for different reasons.
Several different lengths were available, including 10m, 11m, 12m. Smaller vehicles, however, continued to be bodied using the older Panorama design, which was replaced by the Supreme in 1974 - a year earlier than it superseded the larger Elite.
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
bodywork
Coachwork
Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...
built between 1968-1975 by Plaxton
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
of Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. A wide-doorway variant called the Plaxton Elite Express was also built. Collectively, they are commonly referred to as the Plaxton Elite.
It was preceded by the Plaxton Panorama I, and replaced by the Plaxton Supreme
Plaxton Supreme
The Plaxton Supreme was a design of coach bodywork built by Plaxton. It was first built, on small chassis only, in 1974, replacing the Panorama. On full-sized chassis, it replaced the Panorama Elite in 1975, and was superseded by the Paramount in 1982/3...
. Around 6,000 Elites were built.
Chassis
The Elite was built on a number of different chassis, including:- Leyland LeopardLeyland LeopardThe Leyland Leopard was a mid-engined single-deck bus and coach chassis built by Leyland between 1959 and 1982. It was popular with bus and coach operators throughout the British Isles...
- AEC RelianceAEC RelianceThe AEC Reliance was a single-deck bus or coach chassis with a mid-underfloor-mounted engine, built by AEC in Southall, west London, England between 1953 and 1979. The name had previously been used between 1928 and 1931 for another single-deck bus chassis....
- BedfordBedford VehiclesBedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
Y Series, VALBedford VALThe Bedford VAL was a type of coach chassis built by Bedford Vehicles in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. It was unusual at the time for its multi-axle design, in a "chinese six" wheelplan, i.e. with two front steering axles....
and VAM - Volvo B58Volvo B58The Volvo B58 is a mid-engined bus chassis built by Volvo of Sweden from 1966 until early 1982. It was the forerunner to the highly successful B10M....
- BristolBristol Commercial VehiclesBristol Commercial Vehicles was a vehicle manufacturer of in Bristol, England. Most production was of buses but trucks and railbus chassis were also built....
RE and LH - Ford R-SeriesFord R-SeriesThe Ford R-Series is a range of bus and coach chassis evolved from designs made by Ford's Thames commercial vehicle subsidiary until the mid-1960s. A number of components were shared with the D-series lorry, including the engine which was mounted vertically at the front of the vehicle, ahead of the...
- Seddon PennineSeddon PennineSeddon Pennine was a name given to several different single-deck bus chassis built by Seddon :* Seddon Pennine IV and VI - front-engined chassis with Perkins engine...
IV and VI - Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
O302
Design features
The Panorama Elite has continuously bowed sides, front and rear ends. It has large, bowed, round-cornered side windows mounted in rubber (the Panorama series had flat side windows mounted in metal frames with square corners) and double-curvature windscreens which are the same at front and rear of the coach. There is a shallow ridged area above the front windscreen.Extensive use is made of brightwork. Up to four beaded chrome strips run along the side of the vehicle, as well as ribbed skirt panels. The front grille and headlights are contained within a distinctive chrome surround which merges with the side brightwork.
Original ("Mark I")
The original Panorama Elite design, despite its all-new shape, retained the design of grille/headlight surround used on its predecessor, the Panorama I.The offside emergency exit door was positioned directly behind the driver's cab, and a corresponding short window bay on the nearside, immediately behind the doorway, was of slightly reduced height.
The twin central brightwork strips run together along the side, separating close to the rear end and enclosing the badge. Twin round rear lights are arranged vertically at each side of the boot. An illuminated fleetname display is normally fitted above the boot.
Mark II
The Panorama Elite II introduced a new grille/headlight surround, slightly squarer and more closely integrated with the trim. The small window, which had been of reduced height on the original design, was made to be of standard height on the Mark II.Mark III
The front end of the Mark III was largely the same as the Mark II, although the illuminated panel or destination display below the windscreen was squared off and given a chrome surround. Also, pantograph windscreen wipers were introduced, although some early Mark IIIs had the older type.The twin round rear lights were replaced by a single, vertical, lozenge-shaped cluster.
The side trim was revised slightly, with the twin beading strips running separately along the length of the coach, only meeting at the very front. However, this was variable: some operators opted for the older layout instead; Barton Transport
Barton Transport
Barton Transport plc was a British bus and coach operator based in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire. It commenced its first service in 1908. Its fleet and operations were sold to Wellglade in 1989, and the combined operations later became Trent Barton...
requested that the strips separate further back, allowing a larger space for their logo; the National Bus Company generally opted for only a single strip.
The emergency door initially remained behind the cab, but was subsequently repositioned close to the rear.
Elite Express
All three variants were also produced to the "Express" configuration with wider, two-piece doors. By making the coaches suitable for a dual-purpose role, this allowed operators to take advantage of the British Government's New Bus Grant towards their cost.Other variations
A narrow (7'6" width) version was sold to some operators.Bodywork built on Bristol
Bristol Commercial Vehicles
Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a vehicle manufacturer of in Bristol, England. Most production was of buses but trucks and railbus chassis were also built....
chassis with front-mounted radiators did not have space for a destination indicator or illuminated panel in the usual position below the windscreen, so one was instead positioned in a bulge above the windscreen. This feature thus became known as a "Bristol Dome", even when it was later fitted to other types for different reasons.
Several different lengths were available, including 10m, 11m, 12m. Smaller vehicles, however, continued to be bodied using the older Panorama design, which was replaced by the Supreme in 1974 - a year earlier than it superseded the larger Elite.
Competitors
- DupleDuple CoachbuildersDuple was best known as a British manufacturer of coach and bus bodywork from 1919 until 1989.-History:Duple Bodies & Motors Ltd was formed in 1919 by Herbert White in Hornsey, London...
Commander - Duple Viceroy
- Duple DominantDuple DominantThe Duple Dominant was a design of coach bodywork built by Duple between 1972 and 1982. It had an all-steel structure.-Chassis:Duple Dominant bodywork was built on different chassis types including:*Albion Viking EVK55CL*AEC Reliance...
- Alexander Y TypeAlexander Y TypeThe Alexander Y Type was a long-running design of single-deck bus or coach bodywork built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders of Falkirk, Scotland. It was built on a wide range of chassis between 1962 and 1983...