One of the more striking visitors to Long Hanborough on the occasion of the Oxford Bus Museum Trust's 1999 Bristol VR Running Day was not a VR at all. The King's Coach, a Leyland Atlantean, was built in 1980 for use as a demonstration vehicle with the Saudi Arabia Public Transport Company. It was never shipped to Saudi Arabia, however, and was not even licensed until 1988. It's an AN68/2L model, and much about it is strange even to the casual observer.
 |
The deep split windscreen sets this Atlantean apart, and also the clearly visible tapering of the Neoplan bodywork around the cab. This is also a very tall vehicle |
If you hadn't realised already, this fabulous beast is actually left hand drive, with front and centre doors. It is now used by Oxfordshire Community Churches as a mobile exhibition and classroom. The rear of the bus is barely recognisable as that of an Atlantean.
.
The upstairs classroom is roomy and light, with skylights and plenty of windows.
| Downstairs, in this view you can see the staircase to the left. Looking forward you can see a large gap where the cab should be! |  |
F212 JWV spent much of the day in the company of former City of Oxford 476 - a dual-door Bristol VRTSL3 originally delivered as 926, and now preserved in the traditional Oxford livery which had in fact long died out before 476 was built.
A big thank you to Keith for his hospitality