Sixty years of a rare single-decker will be celebrated at this year’s Leyland Gathering – and the organisers are hoping as many survivors as possible will attend. Leyland Panthers and its smaller sibling the Panther Cub will take pride of place for the event, which is taking place at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland, Lancashire, on 7 July. All commercial vehicles from Leyland and its sister companies are welcome – with 60 years of the Ergomatic lorry cab also being commemorated.
Leyland Society spokesman Malcolm Robinson said: “We’re pleased to return to the British Commercial Vehicle Museum for this year’s gathering and are hoping for a very successful and enjoyable event. Attendance of Leyland Panthers and Panther Cubs would be much appreciated to help us celebrate these milestones.”
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Leyland’s Panther was a modest success with some 1,300 examples sold between 1964 and 1972. Powered by Leyland’s O.600 engine the low frame Panther was normally seen in 36ft bus form though there were some coaches. The biggest customer was Brisbane City Council in Australia which took 341 examples. Stockholm’s municipal operator took 200.
British customers included Liverpool Corporation, with 110 Metro-Cammell Weymann-bodied examples, and Sunderland which had 90. Municipals serving Preston, Hull and Eastbourne were all Panther buyers. BET-owned East Yorkshire Motor Services, along with East Yorkshire and Maidstone and District also took examples, as did West Riding. East Lancs, Marshall and Roe all bodied the type.
The bus was marketed as a ‘rear-engined silent passenger transport chassis’ and won praise for its refinement but missed the success of the arguably more reliable Bristol RE. The Panther Cub was shorter and fitted with Leyland’s smaller O.400 engine. Only 94 were built.
Vehicle entry forms can be downloaded from the Leyland Society website at leylandsociety.co.uk which also has further details of the event.
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