Leyland Motors: Panther Cub
Note: This is a sub-section of Leyland Motors
The Leyland Panther Cub was a rear-engined single-decker bus built by Leyland Motor Corporation in the UK.
It was a derivative of the Panther that Leyland were forced into building for an influential customer, it was only offered on the home market, and only bought by operators in England and Wales. Leyland engineers felt it was underpowered and their heart was never in the project, although it was marketed to the extent of full-colour full page press adverts and the production of a demonstrator. Only 94 were built. They entered service between 1964 and 1968, few served full lives with their original operators.
The Leyland Panther Cub was a short-wheelbase derivative of the Panther for 33 ft 6in long by 8 ft 2.5 in wide bodies. It was proposed by Manchester Corporation, whom Leyland had targeted as a potential launch customer for the Panther.
Due to United Kingdom stautory construction and use rules on maximum rear-overhang length, Leyland considered that the O.600H engine of the Panther would not be a feasible fit in a shorter version. So instead units from the Leyland Tiger Cub rather than the Leyland Leopard were employed. Manchester already had 15 Tiger Cubs with Park Royal bodies and the first Panther Cub was shown at the 1964 Commercial Motor show at Earls Court. Sales were patchy thereafter and the model was axed in 1968 by which time Manchester had ordered 30 Panthers.
The steel-channel ladder frame (upswept to the rear) was similar to the Panther but about 2 ft shorter, with a wheelbase of 16 ft 6in rather than the Panther's standard 18 ft 6in or optional 17 ft 6in. The front-mounted radiator, front steel-leaf springs, driving controls, fuel-supply, braking system, electrical systems and other ancillaries were standard Panther components, whilst the Leyland O.400H engine, pneumocyclic gearbox, brakes, axles, 8-stud wheels, tyre equipment and rear steel-leaf springs were units taken from or derived from the Tiger Cub PSUC1/13.
Bodies on the Panther Cub were by East Lancashire Coachbuilders, Park Royal, Marshall, Massey, Metro-Cammell, Northern Counties and Strachan, Wigan’s two had the only Massey B45D bodies and were registered DJP496E and EEK1F.
The Panther Cub was an endemically-underpowered chassis asked to do a job beyond its capabilities.
Although Panther Cubs had a bad reputation within the United Kingdom they sold well in former British colonies and to UK independents as second-hand bargains.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia