Optare
Excel:
Excel News
Content copyright of
Shaun C. 2008-11.
Email for more details
or to contribute.
Excel:
Excel News
Content copyright of
Shaun C. 2008-11.
Email for more details
or to contribute.
Demonstrator Vehicles
Optare Demonstrators and their uses - Excels kept initially by Optare for their own purposes.
Help for this section (as with all sections in fact) is appreciated if you wish to provide it.
N330EUG Blackpool Feb-May 1998, Isle of Man
P508NWU - Trent Barton in their livery by the time of Showbus '97
P443SWX Blackpool
P446SWX Blackpool Feb-March 1998, Harris Bus
P447SWX Blackpool June-September 1998
R98HUA East Yorkshire January 1998, Blackpool July 1998, Eastbourne in 1998, Ipswich May 1999
T790KNW Blackpool 2000
X538NWT Ipswich late 90s
W438CWX Ipswich late 90s
YJ51JXG Wilts & Dorset
YJ51JXH
YA02YRP
YN53ELH
YJ03UMR
Total -
Photo at the top of this page;
Here is 'The Revolutionary Excel' as T790KNW described itself when in use as a demonstrator for builder Optare.
It is seen between the former Odeon Cinema in Blackpool and North railway station in use with Blackpool Transport on 17th February 2001. It was reasonably revolutionary as it was the first Excel to be fitted with a Mercedes engine rather than the usual Cummins power unit, and was in fact the only series 1 Excel ever fitted with a Mercedes engine though that would later become standard on the series 2. Only a small number of the later build vehicles had Cummins engines (Reading's four X-BPA are noteable series 2 vehicles with Cummins engines).
Two months later the bus was sold by Optare for the first time to Ipswich from where it was withdrawn in January 2009. It has since moved to Dorset and is registered K155ELF!
photo copyright of GGC
Last checked: February 2010
Data supplied here protected by the Open Licensing Agreement, according to which information shown here may be used elsewhere ONLY under the condition that the source of the information is acknowledged - this being http://uk.geocities.com/blackpool_excel
Contributions and corrections welcome to slc9t9@yahoo.com (copy and paste email address)
Demonstrator Vehicles
Optare Demonstrators and their uses - Excels kept initially by Optare for their own purposes.
Help for this section (as with all sections in fact) is appreciated if you wish to provide it.
N330EUG Blackpool Feb-May 1998, Isle of Man
P508NWU - Trent Barton in their livery by the time of Showbus '97
P443SWX Blackpool
P446SWX Blackpool Feb-March 1998, Harris Bus
P447SWX Blackpool June-September 1998
R98HUA East Yorkshire January 1998, Blackpool July 1998, Eastbourne in 1998, Ipswich May 1999
T790KNW Blackpool 2000
X538NWT Ipswich late 90s
W438CWX Ipswich late 90s
YJ51JXG Wilts & Dorset
YJ51JXH
YA02YRP
YN53ELH
YJ03UMR
Here is 'The Revolutionary Excel' as T790KNW described itself when in use as a demonstrator for builder Optare.
It is seen between the former Odeon Cinema in Blackpool and North railway station in use with Blackpool Transport on 17th February 2001. It was reasonably revolutionary as it was the first Excel to be fitted with a Mercedes engine rather than the usual Cummins power unit, and was in fact the only series 1 Excel ever fitted with a Mercedes engine though that would later become standard on the series 2. Only a small number of the later build vehicles had Cummins engines (Reading's four X-BPA are noteable series 2 vehicles with Cummins engines).
Two months later the bus was sold by Optare for the first time to Ipswich from where it was withdrawn in January 2009. It has since moved to Dorset and is registered K155ELF!
photo copyright of GGC
Data supplied here protected by the Open Licensing Agreement, according to which information shown here may be used elsewhere ONLY under the condition that the source of the information is acknowledged - this being http://uk.geocities.com/blackpool_excel
Contributions and corrections welcome to slc9t9@yahoo.com (copy and paste email address)