1948 Bedford OB Plaxton Motor Coach
Descended from the O-series truck chassis rather than purpose-designed as a passenger vehicle, the Bedford OB is among the more recognized survivors of post-war British motor coaching. Only 73 had been completed before wartime halted production, with the Vauxhall and Bedford factories redirected to Churchill tank manufacture.
When production resumed in October 1945, the design was carried over largely unchanged, and the OB went on to reach a total of 12,693 units by 1951.
The six-cylinder overhead-valve gasoline engine produced 72 bhp at 3,000 rpm, driving through a four-speed manual gearbox to a fully floating rear axle. Braking was by vacuum servo-assisted hydraulics. The characteristic whine of that gearbox became something of a signature sound for the model.
While Duple’s Vista was the standard coachwork supplied through the factory, Plaxton (the Scarborough-based coachbuilder) also fitted bodies to OB chassis. Plaxton’s house style of the period featured a very rounded front profile at the windshield, with side windows that angled rearward at the front, ran upright through the middle, and angled forward again at the rear.
Seating capacity was normally 29, with overhead luggage racks and a rear trunk. Approximately 180 OBs are known to survive, with around 70 in roadworthy condition.
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