In the early 1960s, Ford's UK operations faced increasing competitive pressures in the public service vehicle market, particularly from Bedford's twin-steer VAL series and Leyland's heavyweight offerings, with wild kingdom names such as Leopard, Panther, and Royal Tiger Cub, which provided versatile chassis for both bus and coach applications.
Ford's lineup, including the Thames Trader 676E, was Ford's first 36-foot coach chassis. Introduced in 1957, it had limitations, especially in being underpowered, as well as modular coachbuilding obstacles, prompting the development of a dedicated PSV platform to better serve independent operators and regional fleets.
But, Ford would soon introduce a new chassis type that would quietly and dependably, earn their operators enough of an income to stay in business, often on the less glamorous side of the bus and coach business, becoming the "bread and butter" of smaller, independent operators.
And so…what would this new chassis be that was introduced in July of 1965? It was the Ford R-series R192 and R226!
Assembled at Ford’s Dagenham plant, initial models comprised the Medium length R192, with a 16 ft wheelbase, and the Long R226, featuring an 18 ft 10 in wheelbase. Both utilized front-mounted engines, set-back front axles for front-entrance bodywork compatibility, and flat-topped frames to simplify coachbuilding. The Ford R series employed a lightweight ladder-frame chassis design made from high-strength steel, and it could be bodied for both coach and bus applications.
Ford’s R-series was not very sophisticated, as a number of components were shared with the D-series lorry, including the engine, which was mounted vertically at the front of the vehicle.
In 1974, the lineup was updated and redesignated in metric terms as the R1014, which was for the 10.14 metre overall length, and R1114 for the 11.14 metre length, with further refinements including shortened chassis options for urban use.
In 1983, an engine upgrade relabeled the R series as the R1015 and R1115. The chassis would now integrate components from the Ford Cargo truck line, increasing its durability while supporting bodies from builders such as Plaxton, Duple, Willowbrook, Wadham Stringer, and others.
A significant user of the type was Jersey Motor Transport, who, during the 1970s and 1980s, purchased little else, as Ford was willing to supply chassis of non standard dimensions.
Following the election of the Conservative Government in 1979, along with deregulation of the bus industry, the subsidy money began to dry up. This caused demand for full-size buses and coaches to decline, and the last R series was built around 1986. About XXXX were built.
Internationally, the R series was licensed by Hyundai as the R bus in the 1970s.
Even after Bedford moved from front to mid engines with the Y-series in the early seventies, Ford kept with the front-engined layout to the very end. And in September 1977, the R-Series with an Inclined engine was announced, which was not popular with passengers due to steep steps and a large engine cover.
Perhaps an underdog of the UK bus scene of its era, the Ford R-series proved that practicality, simplicity and reliability, was not a forgotten concept in the world of road passenger transport.
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