Bristol VR - Chassis Types

Chassis Types

The chassis code of a Bristol VR is very logical, and reveals a lot of information regarding the vehicle. The format is VRw/xxx/yyy, where w is the engine orientation (T or L: transverse or longitudinal, respectively. The prototype chassis carried an X here, i.e. VRX), xxx reflects the chassis details, and yyy the engine, e.g. VRT/SL3/6LXB is a short, low, Series 3 with a transverse Gardner 6LXB engine. The VRT/SL3/6LXB with ECW bodywork is the most common variant of the VR.

The chassis types are as follows:

• LH - Long/High; Series 1 (note: VRLs were only of the form VRL/LH)
• LH2 - Long/High; Series 2
• LL - Long/Low; Series 1; built primarily for Scottish Omnibus
• LL2 - Long/Low; Series 2; built primarily for Reading Transport
• LL3 - Long/Low; Series 3
• SL - Short/Low; Series 1
• SL2 - Short/Low; Series 2
• SL3 - Short/Low; Series 3

Engines:

• 6LXB - Gardner 6LXB (Gearbox: Type RV90 5-speed semi-automatic)
• 501 - Leyland 501
• 680 - Leyland 0680