"Rationalising its manufacturing, General Motors moved production of Chevrolet commercial vehicles to its Vauxhall car plant at Luton, from whence a redesigned range of 'Bedford' branded commercials emerged in 1931. In 1939, Bedford introduced the 'K' series which, in common with passenger cars of the time, was more curvaceously styled and featured a rounded radiator grille. The 'K' series catered for 30-40cwt payloads, while further up the scale Bedford offered the 'M' and 'O' series for loads of up to three tons and five tons respectively. Introduced at the same time, the 'OB' was the coach version of the 'O' lorry chassis. Relatively few 'OB' chassis were built prior to WWII, but the model would prove to be an outstanding success with 12,766 produced up to 1951, making it one of the most popular buses of its type ever.
This Duple-bodied Bedford O.B. Coach was supplied new in 1949 to Townsend Coaches of Crowthorne, Berkshire, from there it went to East Anglia, then to the West Midlands before ending up in the Reading based John Mould collection. While part of the collection this coach was restored having a new interior fitted and being repainted in maroon. The coach was then purchased by the current owner in 2003 from an auction of some of the vehicles from the John Mould collection. Shortly after the purchase he had it repainted in its current livery of cream and red to complement the restored red and black floral fabric seats. This coach can be driven on a normal driving licence with up to eight, none paying passengers or it is fully licenced to be used commercially. Supplied with a V5C registration document, a Class six MoT test certificate which expires in January 2024, a PSV certificate of initial fitness and a history of the eight weekly PCV inspections. This Bedford O.B. presents well, will be driven to the auction and is an opportunity to join the classic bus owner’s community with a business potential.
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