Plaxton Paramount
Encyclopedia
The Plaxton Paramount was a design of coach
bodywork
built by Plaxton
. It first appeared at the 1982 British Motor Show and was built until 1991.
In its more common single-deck form, it replaced the Supreme V and Viewmaster IV
, and was replaced by the Premiere and Excalibur
.
Structurally the new Paramount was similar to the Supreme, utilising 25mm square tubing to form the frame. The whole structure was treated inside and out to resist rusting.
Although the previous Supreme was of all steel construction, that applied mainly to the actual structure of the coach as the panelling was individual aluminium which can be easily shaped and formed, and easy to replace and featured the Plaxton special flush finish, but aluminium suffers in hot weather from a rippling effect. The Paramount however utilised a continuous steel panel below the windows that was zintec-coated for corrosion protection, requiring fewer side mountings having been stretched into place and gave a sleeker finish. The front and rear panels used GRP as did many previous Plaxton coach ranges. According to Plaxton brochures the roof was one piece GRP and as such unlikely to leak unlike some of the Paramount's competitors.
Initially the Paramount was available in single-deck form only, in two heights, the Paramount 3200 (initially available in 8, 10, 11 and 12-metre lengths) and the high-floor Paramount 3500 (available in 11 and 12-metre lengths, although only three eleven-metre 3500s were built). The figures 3200 and 3500 refer to the height in millimetres.
In 1984 the design was adapted to create the Paramount 4000 double-decker coach, initially built on Neoplan
underframes. Neoplan's Skyliner coach had popularised the use of the double-deck coach layout, often with a galley, toilet and other amenities on the lower deck. By comparison the Plaxton design was somewhat more utilitarian, usually more focused on higher capacity than on luxury. Later it was also offered on Scania
and DAF
chassis.
The Paramount II, the first update to the original single-deck design, was later launched for the 1985 season. It incorporated only minor visual changes, gone was the black full width grille moulding above the headlights and the "hole" like appearance of the centre of the grille between the lights. The rectangular headlights were retained within a bright silver like surround. Other modifications included deeper parcel racks that were capable of supporting air conditioning. A tweed like material was used to cover the interior skirt and a large part of the racks. Some important options were introduced, most notably bonded glazing, alongside the gasket glazing.
A low driving position option was also made available, which had already appeared on some Paramount I bodies on Quest 80 chassis. The driver sat low in the body so the passengers had a better view. On the 3200 version the two-piece 3500 windscreen was used, the headlights being closer to the road than usual. Also new in 1985 was the Paramount 4000RS, on mid-engined Volvo B10MT chassis. This was a 1½-deck version of the 4000, with a small lower deck saloon at the rear.
The Paramount III was launched in 1986, it introduced still stronger body structures than before and to quote a Plaxtons advert of the time "Progress is Paramount". It had bonded glazing as standard, it also introduced some more obvious changes to the design, notably the replacement of the small and sloping "feature windows" (with white screen printing lines) with a pentagonal one immediately behind the cab or door, with Plaxton's "castle" logo being engraved on it. Changes to the front end consisted of a new grille and bumper, and changes to the shape and angle of the windscreen. The rear window contained a blind like decal at the base with a castle badge in the centre. The dashboard consisted of a moulded cabinet; gone was the formica and wood of the earlier versions. In the centre of the black finished cabinet was a large "castle" logo. Airline style locker doors were now available on the parcel racks to further give a sleek appearance like a 747.
A variant of the Plaxton Paramount III 3500 built to National Express
specification on Volvo B10M
chassis was named Expressliner. It was fitted with a windowless, moulded plastic rear end featuring an embossed National Express double-N logo. The rear end could be replaced by a standard Paramount rear end when the coach was no longer used for National Express services.
Around 30% of Mark I Paramounts were the 3500 high-floor option, a figure which rose to 34% of Paramount IIs and 55% of Paramount IIIs. The proportion of 12m vehicles also climbed steadily, from 66% of Paramount Is, 74% of Paramount IIs, to 91% of Paramount IIIs being of the then maximum permitted length.
For single-deck Paramounts, early oness were available on Bedford, Ford, Leyland, Volvo and probably Scania chassis but as the years went by the "lightweight" chassis were ceased by the respective manufacturers. The Bedford YNV also known as the Venturer was available for the Paramount series. The Tiger and Royal Tiger chassis were popular as were Volvo chassis. Some were built on ACE Puma chassis, with Exclesior of Bournmouth took a number with Paramount II low driver position bodywork. The MkIII was also available on Mercedes-Benz rear-engined chassis.
Examples of H1X, H2X and P3X are rare.
Since the 1989 build season, Plaxton's body numbering system has used a letter to identify the body style. The following letters were used for the Paramount III:
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 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:...
. It first appeared at the 1982 British Motor Show and was built until 1991.
In its more common single-deck form, it replaced the Supreme V and Viewmaster IV
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...
, and was replaced by the Premiere and Excalibur
Plaxton Premiere
The Plaxton Premiere, Plaxton Excalibur and Plaxton Prima were closely related designs of coach bodywork built by Plaxton.The Premiere and Excalibur were introduced in 1991 as replacements for the Paramount. The Premiere was the mainstream design, available in the same two heights as its predecessor...
.
Design
The Paramount had squarer lines than its predecessor the Supreme, with cleaner lines, a flatter roof line and square-cornered side windows including a small "feature window" just behind the front wheelarch. Forward of this, the window line sloped downwards to meet the deeper windscreen. The rear was similar to Supreme V and VI but all else was new.Structurally the new Paramount was similar to the Supreme, utilising 25mm square tubing to form the frame. The whole structure was treated inside and out to resist rusting.
Although the previous Supreme was of all steel construction, that applied mainly to the actual structure of the coach as the panelling was individual aluminium which can be easily shaped and formed, and easy to replace and featured the Plaxton special flush finish, but aluminium suffers in hot weather from a rippling effect. The Paramount however utilised a continuous steel panel below the windows that was zintec-coated for corrosion protection, requiring fewer side mountings having been stretched into place and gave a sleeker finish. The front and rear panels used GRP as did many previous Plaxton coach ranges. According to Plaxton brochures the roof was one piece GRP and as such unlikely to leak unlike some of the Paramount's competitors.
Initially the Paramount was available in single-deck form only, in two heights, the Paramount 3200 (initially available in 8, 10, 11 and 12-metre lengths) and the high-floor Paramount 3500 (available in 11 and 12-metre lengths, although only three eleven-metre 3500s were built). The figures 3200 and 3500 refer to the height in millimetres.
In 1984 the design was adapted to create the Paramount 4000 double-decker coach, initially built on Neoplan
Neoplan
NEOPLAN Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. NEOPLAN is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH, which itself is a part of MAN SE.-Foundations:...
underframes. Neoplan's Skyliner coach had popularised the use of the double-deck coach layout, often with a galley, toilet and other amenities on the lower deck. By comparison the Plaxton design was somewhat more utilitarian, usually more focused on higher capacity than on luxury. Later it was also offered on Scania
Scania AB
Scania Aktiebolag , commonly referred to as Scania AB or just Scania, is a major Swedish automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles - specifically heavy trucks and buses...
and DAF
VDL Bus International
VDL Bus Chassis is a Netherlands-based bus builder which originated from the bus-building business of DAF.Originally named DAF Bus International after being separated from the truck-building business of DAF, it joined the United Bus in 1990...
chassis.
The Paramount II, the first update to the original single-deck design, was later launched for the 1985 season. It incorporated only minor visual changes, gone was the black full width grille moulding above the headlights and the "hole" like appearance of the centre of the grille between the lights. The rectangular headlights were retained within a bright silver like surround. Other modifications included deeper parcel racks that were capable of supporting air conditioning. A tweed like material was used to cover the interior skirt and a large part of the racks. Some important options were introduced, most notably bonded glazing, alongside the gasket glazing.
A low driving position option was also made available, which had already appeared on some Paramount I bodies on Quest 80 chassis. The driver sat low in the body so the passengers had a better view. On the 3200 version the two-piece 3500 windscreen was used, the headlights being closer to the road than usual. Also new in 1985 was the Paramount 4000RS, on mid-engined Volvo B10MT chassis. This was a 1½-deck version of the 4000, with a small lower deck saloon at the rear.
The Paramount III was launched in 1986, it introduced still stronger body structures than before and to quote a Plaxtons advert of the time "Progress is Paramount". It had bonded glazing as standard, it also introduced some more obvious changes to the design, notably the replacement of the small and sloping "feature windows" (with white screen printing lines) with a pentagonal one immediately behind the cab or door, with Plaxton's "castle" logo being engraved on it. Changes to the front end consisted of a new grille and bumper, and changes to the shape and angle of the windscreen. The rear window contained a blind like decal at the base with a castle badge in the centre. The dashboard consisted of a moulded cabinet; gone was the formica and wood of the earlier versions. In the centre of the black finished cabinet was a large "castle" logo. Airline style locker doors were now available on the parcel racks to further give a sleek appearance like a 747.
A variant of the Plaxton Paramount III 3500 built to National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
specification on Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
chassis was named Expressliner. It was fitted with a windowless, moulded plastic rear end featuring an embossed National Express double-N logo. The rear end could be replaced by a standard Paramount rear end when the coach was no longer used for National Express services.
Around 30% of Mark I Paramounts were the 3500 high-floor option, a figure which rose to 34% of Paramount IIs and 55% of Paramount IIIs. The proportion of 12m vehicles also climbed steadily, from 66% of Paramount Is, 74% of Paramount IIs, to 91% of Paramount IIIs being of the then maximum permitted length.
For single-deck Paramounts, early oness were available on Bedford, Ford, Leyland, Volvo and probably Scania chassis but as the years went by the "lightweight" chassis were ceased by the respective manufacturers. The Bedford YNV also known as the Venturer was available for the Paramount series. The Tiger and Royal Tiger chassis were popular as were Volvo chassis. Some were built on ACE Puma chassis, with Exclesior of Bournmouth took a number with Paramount II low driver position bodywork. The MkIII was also available on Mercedes-Benz rear-engined chassis.
Chassis
The Paramount was built on numerous different chassis. Here they are listed in approximate decreasing order of number bodied.Paramount 3200 and 3500
- Volvo B10MVolvo B10MThe Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
- Leyland TigerLeyland TigerThe Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis which was built between 1981 and 1993. This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1920s and 1950s. It replaced the Leyland Leopard, which had been in production for over 20 years...
- Bedford Y-Series
- DAF MB
- DAF SB
- Dennis JavelinDennis JavelinThe Dennis Javelin is an underfloor-engined bus and coach chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. It was unveiled in 1986 and acted more or less as a modern replacement for the discontinued Bedford Y-series...
- Scania K92, K112, K93, K113
- 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...
- Leyland Royal TigerLeyland Royal TigerThe Leyland Royal Tiger was a rear-engined coach built by Leyland between 1982 and 1988. It was intended to counter the offerings of foreign competitors such as DAF and Scania, but was not particularly successful, with only between 160 and 170 built....
- 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...
- Dennis DorchesterDennis DorchesterThe Dennis Dorchester was a mid-engined heavy-duty single deck coach or bus chassis built by Dennis in small numbers between 1983 and 1988.About two thirds of the total number built were bought by Scottish Bus Group subsidiaries Western Scottish, Central Scottish and Clydeside Scottish...
- Mercedes-Benz O303
- Quest 80 VM
- 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....
- Bedford VAS
- Ward Dalesman
- ACE Puma
Body numbering
From the 1982 to 1988 build seasons, Plaxton's body numbering system used three character codes to identify the body style. The following codes were used for the Paramount:- P1C Paramount I 3200
- P1X Paramount I 3200 Express
- H1C Paramount I 3500
- H1X Paramount I 3500 Express
- P2C Paramount II 3200
- P2X Paramount II 3200 Express
- H2C Paramount II 3500
- H2X Paramount II 3500 Express
- P3C Paramount III 3200
- P3X Paramount III 3200 Express
- H3C Paramount III 3500
- D1C Paramount 4000
- D2C Paramount II 4000 or 4000RS
Examples of H1X, H2X and P3X are rare.
Since the 1989 build season, Plaxton's body numbering system has used a letter to identify the body style. The following letters were used for the Paramount III:
- A Paramount III 3200
- B Paramount III 3500
- C Paramount 4000
- D Paramount 4000RS