 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ford R series" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Ford R series | |
|---|---|
 Ford R1114 withPlaxton body | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Assembly | Dagenham |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 |
| Floor type | Step-entrance |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Diesel |
| Power output | 140 bhp |
| Transmission | Manual or automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | R192 and R1014, 10 metres R226 and R1114, 11 metres |
| Width | 2.5 metres |
| Height | 3.0 metres |
TheFord R series was a range ofsingle-decker bus andsingle-deckercoachchassis, built byFord that evolved from designs made byThames Trader until the mid-1960s. A number of components were shared with theD-series lorry, including the engine which was mounted vertically at the front of the vehicle, ahead of the frontaxle so as to provide a passenger entrance opposite the driver.[1] The originalR192 and longerR226 models later became theR1014 andR1114 variants (nominally 10 and 11 metres long respectively with 140 bhp engines) which with constant revision and upgrading had becomeR1015 andR1115 by the mid-1980s. In an attempt to lower the floor height of the vehicle, theturbochargeddiesel engine was tilted over to one side around 1978.Synchromesh transmission was fitted as standard but some later examples were equipped withAllison automatic gearboxes to ease the driver's workload in urban areas. It ceased production in 1985.[2]
Hyundai licensed this bus to 'R Bus' in 1970s.[3]
In theUnited Kingdom the design was popular during the 1970s, when considerable financial assistance was available to operators for fleet renewal, but following the election of theConservative Government in 1979, thesubsidy money began to dry up causing demand for full-size buses and coaches to decline and the last R series was built around 1986.Front-engined buses have generally fallen out of favour inEurope, as new accessibility requirements favour rear- or side-engined designs so a low front entrance can be provided. Few examples of the Ford R series remain in current passenger use, but many have gone on to second lives asmobile homes andstock car transporters.
A significant user of the type was Jersey Motor Transport, who, during the 1970s and 1980s, purchased little else. Its fleet consisted 100% of this bus model for several years during this period, and was chosen because of the manufacturer's willingness to supply chassis of non-standard width and length to suit local size limits. Many of these vehicles received bodywork byDuple whose narrow-widthDominant also found buyers on other chassis in the UK, but earlier examples were constructed byWillowbrook and later versions byWadham Stringer. JMT also had a number of longer and wider examples, which had started life in the late 1960s with Trimdon Motor Services inNorth East England: thesePlaxton-bodied buses required special dispensation to operate on the island, being restricted to certain services where the roads could accommodate them. All were sold for further use after a few years. A similar model was used by theInner London Education Authority asschool buses.
| Subsidiaries and brands |
|  | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities |
| ||||||||||||
| Passenger cars |
| ||||||||||||
| Commercial vehicles |
| ||||||||||||
