AEC Regent V

The AEC Regent V was a front-engined double-decker bus built by AEC between 1954 and 1969, the last of the Regent series and the successor to the Regent III. It had AEC's own front design with a concealed radiator, although some customers asked for an exposed one, and it used an AEC or Gardner 6LW engine with synchromesh, semi-automatic Monocontrol or fully automatic gearboxes. Operators outside London bought it, since London Transport was buying the Routemaster, and it was exported to Ireland, Portugal, South Africa, Iran, Iraq, the Isle of Man and Hong Kong, where Kowloon Motor Bus took 210 extra-long examples in the 1960s. The 1968 Bus Grant, which favoured one-person operation, ended demand for front-engined double-deckers, and the last Regent V entered service in 1969.