Eyersey468
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Do any Willowbrook Warrior buses survive in preservation?
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Willowbrook Warrior
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TheGrandWazoo
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I can't recall any, nor any of the earlier Willowbrook 003's either. Willowbrook's legendary quality probably saw to that.
Eyersey468
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Thanks, I'm not aware of any either but thought I'd ask
Might be some still parked up on random MoD property! Hopefully stored undercover or under a tarp, so nobody knows or remembers what it even is, just that it is not valuable or dangerous.
I wouldn't go looking mind. They're a bit touchy about that.
I wouldn't go looking mind. They're a bit touchy about that.
Pyewipecarshed
Member
Not preserved, but two entered non-PSV service and may still be extant.
Both ex-Oxford; MUD 27W became the "Goldfinger party bus" and was last reported parked in a yard in Blackpool, the DVLA show it as last taxed in November 2012. Photos on the internet end in about 2017.
ABW 310X (formerly VUD 33X) was/is used by an organisation called "Learn 2 Drift". It was at the Rockingham race circuit near Corby which has now closed, but the DVLA show it taxed to February 2026 though not MOT'd.
ACE Cougar J921 TUK went to Ireland where the owner intended to keep it, but it literally fell apart - despite being under a tarp!!
Both ex-Oxford; MUD 27W became the "Goldfinger party bus" and was last reported parked in a yard in Blackpool, the DVLA show it as last taxed in November 2012. Photos on the internet end in about 2017.
ABW 310X (formerly VUD 33X) was/is used by an organisation called "Learn 2 Drift". It was at the Rockingham race circuit near Corby which has now closed, but the DVLA show it taxed to February 2026 though not MOT'd.
ACE Cougar J921 TUK went to Ireland where the owner intended to keep it, but it literally fell apart - despite being under a tarp!!
Eyersey468
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Thanks
Leyland Bus
Member
ABW 310X is showing on Flickr as being somewhere in Ulceby
Bit unsure of the dates (infact the photographer is too) one caption says 2024, another below says 2023...
Bit unsure of the dates (infact the photographer is too) one caption says 2024, another below says 2023...
Pyewipecarshed
Member
It's not there any more. I saw the Olympian there at the end of July 2024 (whilst passing on a bus) and went back to photograph it a week or so later... the yard was empty!!ABW 310X is showing on Flickr as being somewhere in Ulceby
Bit unsure of the dates (infact the photographer is too) one caption says 2024, another below says 2023...
But I didn't see the Warrior to start with.
Leyland Bus
Member
The plot thickens...
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
It certainly looked like a poor man's Lynx, a very cheap one at that...
I thought that the Lynx from wish
Leyland Bus
Member
Brilliant!!
GusB
Established Member
As far as I'm aware, the Warrior was mainly intended for operators who wanted to give older vehicles a second life; a practice that was fairly common at the time. Companies were reluctant to buy new vehicles because they were either about to be sold off or simply couldn't afford to buy new. East Lancs was another company that gave a second life to many vehicles that were otherwise mechanically sound but the bodywork wasn't up to scratch; the Leyland National/Greenway project was a product of this philosphy.
Even if the new bodies lasted long enough, there's a fair chance that the ageing chassis beneath them were done after a few more years and by then, companies were again starting to buy new.
Even if the new bodies lasted long enough, there's a fair chance that the ageing chassis beneath them were done after a few more years and by then, companies were again starting to buy new.
Pyewipecarshed
Member
I found the link below to an article in Commercial Motor when the Warrior was launched. It seems to suggest that they were looking at fitting it to new chassis primarily (I'm guessing "MOM" should read "B10M"), with a comment that it may also be suitable for rebodying.
However it was launched into a very subdued new bus market, so the vast majority built went onto older chassis.
Given the build quality it's probably just as well!!
Willowbrook's at war | 20th August 1987 | The Commercial Motor Archive
'Willowbrook's at war' first printed in the 20th August 1987 issue of Commercial Motor
archive.commercialmotor.com
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Quite a number were rebodied Leyland Leopards that had bodies that had been susceptible to corrosion and design issues. The one possible survivor was new with ECW B51 bodywork (ouch) and a few had Duple bodies which had well known corrosion problems. However, quite a few were new with Willowbrook 003 bodies so the chassis gained a second Willowbrook body in 10 years!
Rebodying was very much the way forward in those days. Anti-corrosion treatments were less successful than today - you see 20 year old cars now which you'd struggle to find 30 years ago. Also, there was a major contraction in coaching in the late 1980s/early 1990s and so there were quite a few spare coaches going cheap and if the bodywork was a bit suspect, it was a cheap way of getting a "new" bus.
Rebodying was very much the way forward in those days. Anti-corrosion treatments were less successful than today - you see 20 year old cars now which you'd struggle to find 30 years ago. Also, there was a major contraction in coaching in the late 1980s/early 1990s and so there were quite a few spare coaches going cheap and if the bodywork was a bit suspect, it was a cheap way of getting a "new" bus.
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