In 1967 Volvo, a subsidiary of the Swedish company Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF), was approached by two businessmen, Jim McKelvie and Jim Keyden, who, impressed by Volvo’s high engineering standards had set up a company, Ailsa Trucks Ltd and wanted to break into the UK lorry market importing Volvo trucks.
Off the back of this successful scheme, they then turned their attention to the UK bus and coach market, setting up a wholly owned subsidiary, Ailsa Bus Ltd, importing Volvo buses. Again, their venture flourished with sales climbing steadily over the following years. Volvo Bus Corporation then acquired both sections of the Ailsa company in 1988, along with Leyland Bus, its biggest competitor and this amalgamation gave rise to VL Bus & Coach UK.
Drawing on over 35 years’ experience driving Volvo buses the author, Howard Berry, provides a brief, but none-the-less detailed, introduction outlining the story of how Volvo buses entered the UK. He then goes on to cover the first four decades individually and illustrates each decade with a selection of colour photographs relevant to the time.
Photographs include, the first Volvo PSV in the UK, an Alexander Y type-bodied B58; the only B59 built to UK specification; the first Ailsa to be built, an Alexander-bodied double-decker with the chassis no. 73001; MGE 183P, one of only fifteen Ailsas to be produced with curved, panoramic Alexander bodies; the tallest coach in the UK the only full double-deck Van Hool B10M to be built and, in direct contrast RTO 71R the only low-height Ailsa to be built.
180 colour photographs accompanied by informative captions. 96 pages.