Southdown double-decker bus GUF 144, Guy (Corgi Original Omnibus)
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Southdown double-decker bus GUF 144, Guy (Corgi Original Omnibus) |
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Arch Three , Area 41 |
A green and cream 1:76 diecast model Guy Arab Utility Bus double-decker, in Southdown livery with a dark green (plastic) roof, made by Corgi Toys in 1991.
Markings
The bus is part of the Corgi "The Original Omnibus Company" range, marked on the base as "The Original Omnibus", and often abbreviated in listings to "OOC".
The model is a number 31 bus for Chichester, Bognor Regis and Brighton, with numberplate GUF 144, and the main side banners carry adverts for Vanguard paints and Nodan ("Cures scurf and dandruff")
The original bus
The "Arab" utility buses were built by Guy from the 1940s onwards, according to War Department restrictions regarding the use of materials and the amount of work required to build the buses. this resulted in a more angular design, and while many of these buses were produced during the period, their lifetime was comparatively short - the vehicles were intended as "bridging" designs intended ot rebuild the country's bus stock as quickly as possible using minimal resources, until the country had recovered from the war sufficiently to be able to go back to building more expensive "built to last" vehicles.
External links
the bus
- Guy Arab II (londonbusmuseum.com)
- Guy Arab Bus (old-bus-photos.co.uk)
- Provincial Guy Arabs: 1 - The Wartime Utilities (regent8.co.uk)
