From tiny acorns, mighty oaks do grow

and this is certainly true when it comes to the story of Leyland Motors. From humble beginnings building steam lawnmowers in the Lancashire town of Leyland, the company grew to become one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world. With groundbreaking ideas such as designing buses and coaches with bespoke chassis rather than converted lorry chassis, Leyland vehicles were sold all over the world.

Through acquisition and merger, the majority of British vehicle manufacturers ended up under the Leyland banner, resulting in the creation of the mighty British Leyland Motor Corporation, whose subsequent fall from grace has been widely documented elsewhere.

This, the first in a series of books showcasing the products of the passenger division of Leyland since 1960

concentrates on single-deck coaches and includes such well-known ‘big cats’ as the Leopard, Tiger and Royal Tiger among others. It contains 180 photographs, most of which are in colour, all with informative text and captured when the vehicles were in their operating heyday.