Plaxton Paramount

Plaxton Paramount
Plaxton Paramount II 4000 and 3500 coaches
Overview
ManufacturerPlaxton
Body and chassis
Doors1 door
Floor typeStep entrance
Chassis
  • Paramount 3200 and 3500
  • ACE Puma
  • Bedford VAS
    Bedford Y series
    DAF MB200 & MB230
  • DAF SB2005
  • DAF SB2300 & SB2305
  • DAF SB3000
  • Dennis Dorchester
  • Dennis Javelin
  • Ford R-Series
  • Leyland Leopard
  • Leyland Royal Tiger
  • Leyland Tiger
  • Mercedes-Benz O303
  • Quest 80 VM
  • Scania K92, K93, K112 & K113
  • Volvo B10M
  • Volvo B58
  • Ward Dalesman
  • Paramount 4000
  • Auwärter (Neoplan) N722
  • DAF SBR3000
  • Scania K112T & K113T
  • Volvo B10MT

The Plaxton Paramount was a body of a coach. It had a step-entrance. It was made from 1982 to 1992 by Plaxton.

In 1986, the Paramount replaced the Supreme V and Viewmaster IV.

In 1991, the Paramount was replaced by the Premiere and Excalibur.[1]

Models

Paramount I

From 1982 to 1983, Plaxton made a body of a coach called the Paramount I.

Plaxton made different heights of the Paramount; the names and heights were:

  • Paramount 3200 - 3.2 metres (10 ft)[2][3]
  • Paramount 3500 - 3.5 metres (11 ft)[2][3]

Paramount 4000 double-decker

In 1984, Plaxton and Ogle Design made a double-decker body of a coach called the Paramount 4000.

In 1984, the first prototype model was sent to Excelsior European Motorways of Bournemouth.[4] It was built on the Neoplan N722/3 chassis.[4]

The Paramount 4000 body was later built on the Volvo B10M Tandem chassis,[5][6][7] the DAF SBR3000 chassis[8] and the Scania K112TR chassis.[9][10][11][12]

Paramount II

From 1984 to 1985, Plaxton made an improved body of a coach called the Paramount II.

The improvements were:

  • The black full width grille above the headlights was removed
  • The small grille between the headlights and the trim around the headlights was changed from black to silver.
  • The chrome strip below the side windows went from the first window to the last window (the Paramount I chrome strip had a gap).
  • The air conditioning was improved and the interior was improved.

Plaxton made different heights of the Paramounts; the names and heights were:

  • Paramount 3200 - 3.2 metres (10 ft)[13]
  • Paramount 3500 - 3.5 metres (11 ft)[13]

Paramount III

From 1986 to 1992, Plaxton made an improved body of a coach called the Paramount III.

The improvements were:

  • A new grille and front bumper,
  • A new windscreen,
  • A rear window was added in the middle of the bus,
  • The interior was improved.

Plaxton made different heights of the Paramounts; the names and heights were:

  • Paramount 3200 - 3.2 metres (10 ft)
  • Paramount 3500 - 3.5 metres (11 ft)

Expressliner

From 1989 to 1992, Plaxton made a body of a coach called the Expressliner.[14][15][16] It was made for National Express.[17][16]

The Expressliner body was built on the Volvo B10M chassis.[14][15][16]

The rear of the coach had the National Express logo moulded on, it didn't have a back window and it had rectangular lights above the brake lights.

Mini Paramount

In 1988, Plaxton made a body of a bus called the Mini Paramount.[18]

The Mini Paramount body was built on the Mercedes-Benz 811D van chassis.[18]

Only one Mini Paramount was built because Plaxton wanted to sell more of its Beaver minibus body.

Chassis

The Paramount body was built on the following chassis:

Mini Paramount

  • Mercedes-Benz 811D[18]

Paramount 3200

Paramount 3500

Paramount 4000

  • Paramount 3200 I on short-wheelbase Bedford YMP chassis
  • Paramount 3200 I Express on Leyland Tiger chassis, showing the wider two-piece Express door. This coach also has non-standard sliding-ventilator windows.
  • Paramount 3200 I on Quest 80 VM chassis. This vehicle has a low driving position and non-standard window spacing which omits the small feature window.
  • Paramount 3500 I on Leyland Tiger chassis
  • Paramount 3200 II on Volvo B10M chassis. The minor revisions to the grille distinguished the mk.II from the mk.I, although some mk.IIs (mainly front-engined Fords) retained the original style.
  • Paramount 3200 II LS on Volvo B10M chassis.
  • Paramount 3500 II on Mercedes-Benz O303 chassis. This one-off body used a Mercedes-Benz front, whereas subsequent O303 Paramount III bodies had standard Plaxton fronts.
  • Paramount 4000 II on Neoplan N722/3 chassis
  • Paramount 4000 II RS on a Volvo B10MT. The rear-saloon version of the Paramount 4000 was for mid-engined chassis.
  • Paramount 3200 III LS on Dennis Javelin chassis
  • Paramount 3500 III on Volvo B10M chassis

References

  1. ↑ "EFE Zone - 266 & 267 Plaxton Paramount 3500 Coach Index". modelbuszone.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Plaxton's Paramount". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 5 June 1982. p. 14. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Paramount will make you see stars". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 12 June 1982. p. 13. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Millar, Alan (4 February 1984). "Trailblazing Plaxtons". Commercial Motor. Vol. 159, no. 4054. Sutton: Transport Press. p. 19. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Millier, Noel (25 February 1984). "Shuttle coach collapse?". Commercial Motor. Vol. 159, no. 4057. Sutton: Transport Press. pp. 23–26. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Berry, Howard (15 May 2021). Volvo Buses and Coaches. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7609-8.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Devoy, David (15 June 2015). Western SMT Buses. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4669-5.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Seamarks, Gary (15 October 2019). Bedfordshire Independent Buses. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-9142-8.
  9. ↑ "Double-deck Daf coach for Parks". Commercial Motor. Vol. 165, no. 4222. Sutton: Reed Business Publishing. 23 May 1987. p. 25. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "First Scania/Plaxtons 4000". Commercial Motor. Vol. 160, no. 4160. Sutton: Transport Press. 1 March 1986. p. 18. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Berry, Howard (15 June 2022). Scania Buses and Coaches. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7471-1.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Devoy, David (15 October 2019). Scottish Citylink Coaches. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-9148-0.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Devoy, David (15 June 2015). Western SMT Buses. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4669-5.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hymans, Michael (15 June 2016). British Coaching: Chassis Manufacturers, Coachbuilders and Operators. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-6181-0.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Street, Mike (15 May 2021). Buses and Coaches in Wales: 1980 to 2001. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-0160-9.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Beddall, David; Seamarks, Gary (15 June 2018). United Counties Omnibus. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-8034-7.
  17. ↑ "NE goes Expressliner". Commercial Motor. Vol. 170, no. 4312. Sutton: Reed Business Publishing. 30 March 1989. p. 19. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Floyd, Adam (1 July 2000), Jeffs E81 HPG, retrieved 27 July 2025, E81 HPG, Mercedes-Benz 811D/Plaxton Mini Paramount C19F, Jeffs Coaches, Helmdon, Buckingham, July 2000, New to Bicknells, Godalming. The former Thurgood factory at Ware was responsible for Plaxton's 'special' builds and produced this unique Mini Paramount in 1988 as a successor to the earlier Mini Supremes. It stayed with Bicknells for only a year before sale to Jeffs, where it intially operated for the small Silverline Travel operation in Middleton Cheney. It was later transferred to Buckingham and retained Bicknells livery for some time but is seen here after repaint with the Paynes fleetnames used at the time. The body seems to use a mixture of Supreme and Paramount parts, the windscreen being the same as the Mini Supreme but the rear end had Paramount lights.
  19. ↑ Cooper, Matt (15 May 2024). Northampton Buses and Coaches: The 1990s and 2000s. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1587-3.
  20. ↑ Devoy, David (15 June 2014). Buses of Clydeside Scottish and Clydeside 2000. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-3982-6.
  21. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 April 2021). Bedford Buses and Coaches. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7569-5.
  22. ↑ Ingham, Simon (15 February 2025). Edwards Coaches: A Hundred Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-2358-8.
  23. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  24. ↑ Barclay, Kenny (15 June 2019). Scottish Buses During Deregulation: Another View. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-8743-8.
  25. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  26. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  27. ↑ Devoy, David (15 June 2015). Western SMT Buses. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4669-5.
  28. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  29. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  30. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  31. ↑ Cooper, Matt (15 May 2024). Northampton Buses and Coaches: The 1990s and 2000s. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1587-3.
  32. ↑ Granger, David (15 October 2020). Shuttle Buses: Fleet History 1990-2020. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-0827-1.
  33. ↑ Stubbings, Richard (15 February 2024). Buses of Wiltshire and Dorset: Past and Present. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1737-2.
  34. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 September 2024). Plaxton: The Paramount Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1649-8.
  35. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 June 2022). Scania Buses and Coaches. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7471-1.
  36. ↑ Berry, Howard (15 June 2019). Leyland's Big Cat Coaches. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-8703-2.
  37. ↑ Devoy, David (15 June 2014). Buses of Clydeside Scottish and Clydeside 2000. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-3982-6.
  38. ↑ Batten, Malcolm (15 November 2024). European Coaches in Britain. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-1846-1.
  39. ↑ MacLennan, Calum (15 September 2022). Nottingham Buses in the 1990s. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-0917-9.
  40. ↑ Fairbairn, George (15 February 2018). Lancashire Buses in the 1980s. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7057-7.

Other websites

Media related to Plaxton Paramount at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.