With the legendary Guy Arab celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, a fundraising appeal has been launched to restore a unique survivor. Nick Larkin reports
An appeal has been launched to raise funds to complete restoration of a unique 1957 Guy Arab with a surprise under the bonnet. The bus was one of 12 new to Wolverhampton Corporation in 1957, and fitted with a locally-built Meadows diesel engine. The municipal operator was a firm supporter of local industry, this aim being made easy thanks to Guy Motors, for many years one of Britain’s greatest manufacturers of buses, coaches and commercial vehicles, being based in the town.
All of Wolverhampton Corporation’s double-deck orders after 1950 were for Guy’s Arab model except for two examples
of the manufacturer’s sophisticated but unsuccessful Wulfrunian in 1962. Several different body manufacturers were chosen, not least Strachans for the 1967 final order for 30 Arab Vs, a rare combination.
Next door to the Guy factory at Fallings Park and across the road from a Wolverhampton Transport garage was engine and gearbox manufacturer Henry Meadows, best-known for its Frisky microcar built between 1957 and 1961. Guy Arabs were normally fitted with a 6,975cc Gardner 5LW or 8.3 litre 6LW units with rather less power than the 9.6 and 9.8 litre units in AEC and Leyland rivals. Discussions resulted in Meadows providing a 10.35 litre 6DC engine which, downrated to 112bhp, was fitted to 12 Wolverhampton Guy Arabs, among them the surviving example, registered SUK 3, which was also fitted with a pre-select gearbox.
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