Daimler Fleetlines

History of Daimler and Leyland Motors

The Daimler Motor Co. Ltd and the Lancashire Steam Motor Co. (Leyland Motors Ltd from 1907) were formed in 1896 and produced motor vehicles in the early twentieth century. Daimler established works in Radford, Coventry, where a range of high-end cars and buses were assembled.

Leyland's Atlantean and Daimler's Fleetline

Leyland introduced the revolutionary Atlantean in late 1958 and in August 1960 Daimler's equivalent, the Fleetline, appeared. The Fleetline possessed many of the attributes of the Atlantean but had one advantage: a drop-centre rear axle fitted as standard, eliminating the need for low-height bodywork. Also, apart from a few early models, the bus was mainly powered by the Gardner six-cylinder engine.

Competition and Merger

The two builders went toe-to-toe during the 1960s and early 1970s. Jaguar Cars, acquiring the company from BSA in 1960, was keen to divest itself of the Bus Building Division and a merger with Leyland Motors followed. Fleetline production was transferred to Leyland's Farington site in 1973. However, it wasn’t until 1976 that the Daimler name was dropped in favour of Leyland Fleetline, which continued to be available until 1981. Over 8,700 Fleetlines were produced under the Daimler name.

Legacy of the Fleetline

With a striking selection of images, Mike Rhodes charts the fortunes of the Fleetline under the Daimler name.