Information about Optare Excel
The Optare Excel was a full-size single deck bus manufactured by Optare.
Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear. At the front, a simple flat panel with the Optare name was set between two pairs of twin headlamps, below a very large front windscreen. Power came from a Cummins 6BT, a 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine. A Mercedes-Benz 900 series engine was an option. Both transmitted their power via an Allison "World Series" B300R gearbox.
The Excel was built in a range of lengths, and in Optare tradition, the chassis code reflected this. An L960 was 9.6m in length; an L1000 was 10.0m in length, and so on; with L1070 and L1150 variants built. The longest manufactured was the L1180, a length only available with the later Excel 2. Examples of the 11.8 m long Excel 2 were purchased by Wilts & Dorset, and Trent Buses, which still use them in service today. Seating ranged from 27 in the L960, 35 in the L1070, 43 in the L1150 and 45 in the L1180, although these figures can vary.
The Excel was updated in 1999, with the front similar to that of the Optare Solo and using round headlights, 2 less rear lights, and a repositioned fuel-filler cap. This was known as the Excel 2, and was only built in L1070, L1150 and L1180 configurations.
Wilts & Dorset's Excels now operate routes from Bournmouth as well as Salisbury, but most of these are in Park & Ride Livery & work Park & Ride. These are Excel 2's.
The Excel has now been replaced by the Tempo, but the design is used for the NABI 700SE, which uses a Scania powerplant.
Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear. At the front, a simple flat panel with the Optare name was set between two pairs of twin headlamps, below a very large front windscreen. Power came from a Cummins 6BT, a 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine. A Mercedes-Benz 900 series engine was an option. Both transmitted their power via an Allison "World Series" B300R gearbox.
The Excel was built in a range of lengths, and in Optare tradition, the chassis code reflected this. An L960 was 9.6m in length; an L1000 was 10.0m in length, and so on; with L1070 and L1150 variants built. The longest manufactured was the L1180, a length only available with the later Excel 2. Examples of the 11.8 m long Excel 2 were purchased by Wilts & Dorset, and Trent Buses, which still use them in service today. Seating ranged from 27 in the L960, 35 in the L1070, 43 in the L1150 and 45 in the L1180, although these figures can vary.
The Excel was updated in 1999, with the front similar to that of the Optare Solo and using round headlights, 2 less rear lights, and a repositioned fuel-filler cap. This was known as the Excel 2, and was only built in L1070, L1150 and L1180 configurations.
Wilts & Dorset's Excels now operate routes from Bournmouth as well as Salisbury, but most of these are in Park & Ride Livery & work Park & Ride. These are Excel 2's.
The Excel has now been replaced by the Tempo, but the design is used for the NABI 700SE, which uses a Scania powerplant.
See also
| Optare Buses | |
|---|---|
| Current: | Solo - Alero/Alero Plus - Tempo - Versa |
| Discontinued: | Spectra - MetroRider - CityPacer - StarRider - Vecta - Delta - Sigma - Prisma - Excel - ColumboRider |
| Optare Coaches | |
| Toro - Solera - Soroco - Bonito | |
bus is a large road vehicle designed to carry numerous passengers in addition to the driver and sometimes a conductor. The name is a neologic version of the Latin omnibus, which means "transport for everyone.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Group Limited
Private
Founded 1985
Headquarters Leeds, Yorkshire
Industry Bus building
Products Buses
Website www.optare.com
Optare Group Ltd. is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England.
..... Click the link for more information.
Private
Founded 1985
Headquarters Leeds, Yorkshire
Industry Bus building
Products Buses
Website www.optare.com
Optare Group Ltd. is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England.
..... Click the link for more information.
Cummins Inc.
Public (NYSE: CMI )
Founded 1919
Founder Clessie Lyle Cummins
Headquarters Columbus, Indiana, USA
Key people Theodore "Tim" Solso, Chairman & CEO
Joe Loughrey, COO
Jean Blackwell, CFO
Industry Diversified Machinery
..... Click the link for more information.
Public (NYSE: CMI )
Founded 1919
Founder Clessie Lyle Cummins
Headquarters Columbus, Indiana, USA
Key people Theodore "Tim" Solso, Chairman & CEO
Joe Loughrey, COO
Jean Blackwell, CFO
Industry Diversified Machinery
..... Click the link for more information.
This article may be too long.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page and help summarize or split the content into subarticles of an article series.
..... Click the link for more information.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page and help summarize or split the content into subarticles of an article series.
- For other uses of the name Mercedes, see Mercedes.
..... Click the link for more information.
Allison Transmission is a manufacturer of automatic transmissions for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle applications. The company's headquarters are located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Solo is a low floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance "so low" to the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.
Amongst the first operators in the UK were Trent Barton of Nottingham, Wilfreda Beehive of Adwick-le-Street,
..... Click the link for more information.
Amongst the first operators in the UK were Trent Barton of Nottingham, Wilfreda Beehive of Adwick-le-Street,
..... Click the link for more information.
North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston, Alabama. NABI was founded in 1992 when the Hungarian firm Ikarus Bus, a key bus supplier to Eastern Europe, spun off a majority share of their American
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Scania AB
Public ()
Founded 1900
Headquarters Södertälje, Sweden
Key people Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Martin Winterkorn; Vice Chairman: Börje Ekholm; President, CEO, and Director: Leif Östling; Group VP and CFO: Jan Ytterberg
..... Click the link for more information.
Public ()
Founded 1900
Headquarters Södertälje, Sweden
Key people Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Martin Winterkorn; Vice Chairman: Börje Ekholm; President, CEO, and Director: Leif Östling; Group VP and CFO: Jan Ytterberg
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Group Limited
Private
Founded 1985
Headquarters Leeds, Yorkshire
Industry Bus building
Products Buses
Website www.optare.com
Optare Group Ltd. is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England.
..... Click the link for more information.
Private
Founded 1985
Headquarters Leeds, Yorkshire
Industry Bus building
Products Buses
Website www.optare.com
Optare Group Ltd. is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Solo is a low floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance "so low" to the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Alero is a low-floor integral minibus built by Optare since 2001. It was built as an alternative to van-derived buses such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Around 300 were built in the first five years of production.
..... Click the link for more information.
Around 300 were built in the first five years of production.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.
Amongst the first operators in the UK were Trent Barton of Nottingham, Wilfreda Beehive of Adwick-le-Street,
..... Click the link for more information.
Amongst the first operators in the UK were Trent Barton of Nottingham, Wilfreda Beehive of Adwick-le-Street,
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day [1] .
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Spectra is a double decker bus body built on the DAF (now VDL) DB250 chassis.
The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased.
..... Click the link for more information.
The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare MetroRider was a midibus sold by Optare between 1989 and 2000. The original design was based on the MCW Metrorider for which Optare bought the rights after MCW decided to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare CityPacer was a minibus body, typically seating 25, produced by Optare from 1985 to 1992. It was based on a Volkswagen LT55 van chassis. It was moderately successful, with around 300 produced.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare StarRider was a midibus/midicoach body produced by Optare between 1987 and 1994. It was based on a Mercedes-Benz 811D/814D chassis, with its body made from a steel frame with aluminium alloy and GPR exterior panels.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Vecta is a single-decker bus body produced for the MAN 11.180/11.190 chassis.
United Automobile Services purchased the largest number of Vectas (51 buses). Other customers included Trent Buses (15) and Reading Transport (13). A total of 130 were built.
..... Click the link for more information.
United Automobile Services purchased the largest number of Vectas (51 buses). Other customers included Trent Buses (15) and Reading Transport (13). A total of 130 were built.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Delta is a single-decker bus body produced for the DAF SB220 chassis.
It featured a dramatic front windscreen which developed from the windscreen on the CityPacer. The design of the Delta was continued in a less dramatic form onto the Sigma.
..... Click the link for more information.
It featured a dramatic front windscreen which developed from the windscreen on the CityPacer. The design of the Delta was continued in a less dramatic form onto the Sigma.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Sigma was a step-entrance single-deck bus body built by Optare between 1994 and 1996 on the Dennis Lance chassis. The body was constructed from Alusuisse aluminium alloy with GRP front and rear panels.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Prisma is a single-decker bus body produced for the Mercedes-Benz O405 chassis.
..... Click the link for more information.
See also
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare ColumboRider was an integral bus built from 1987. It was based on the Optare StarRider. As its name suggests, it was designed for Colombo. This bus was the first go at selling buses abroad (NABI didn't acquire Optare at this point).
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Optare Group Limited
Private
Founded 1985
Headquarters Leeds, Yorkshire
Industry Bus building
Products Buses
Website www.optare.com
Optare Group Ltd. is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England.
..... Click the link for more information.
Private
Founded 1985
Headquarters Leeds, Yorkshire
Industry Bus building
Products Buses
Website www.optare.com
Optare Group Ltd. is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Toro is a mini-coach body built by Optare for use on Mercedes-Benz chassis.
..... Click the link for more information.
See also
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Solera is a coach body built by Optare. It is designed for mini and midi coach chassis.
..... Click the link for more information.
Original Solera
The original Solera has the characteristic behind front axle door, this gives it an appearance of a very small coach...... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Soroco is a mini-coach body built for Mercedes-Benz chassis. It was recently overhauled to form the Soroco+ but this brand name seems to be abandoned. It featured a complete restyle of the front and rear sections as well as a restyled interior to give a luxury coach feel.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Optare Bonito was a mini-coach built for the Mercedes-Benz chassis. It was the last Optare coach that did not received a face-lift.
..... Click the link for more information.
See also
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus
