Leyland Cheetah

The Leyland Cheetah, type code LZ, was a light bus chassis built by Leyland Motors from 1935 to 1940. It was designed as a lightweight vehicle with a total mass of under five tonnes, but its 4.7 litre six-cylinder petrol engine was too weak for the job. It was usually fitted with a coach body seating up to 39 passengers, built by Alexander, Brush, Burlingham, Harrington, Wadham or Park Royal. The coaches bodied by Harrington had a characteristic rear fin, which matched the contemporary idea of aerodynamic design. As on other British buses of the time the driver sat in a half cab that reached almost to the radiator grille, giving good all-round vision and easy access to the engine. Many survivors were rebodied in the late 1940s, and the bus company Ribble, which ran 309 of them, was one of the largest customers.