The Guy Wulfrunian

More Than Just a Blunderbus

author: Basil Hancock
hardback 210mm x 297mm, 416 pages
ISBN 978 1 7637446 0 8

The Guy Wulfrunian is generally considered to have been a disaster on wheels and has nearly always been described in a negative way. But was it really such a blunderbus? In reality there were many worse bus disasters around.

In fact, the West Riding examples were once attaining the highest mileages of any buses in the fleet and the Wulfrunian went on to leave a much bigger legacy than is generally realised.

With a low floor, air suspension and disc brakes, the Wulfrunian had what are today considered as standard features – but nearly half a century too soon. More than 15,000 double-deck buses used suspension systems derived directly from the Wulfrunian, and even the much criticised engine position was copied by around 2,400 double-deckers which followed it.

In principle there was nothing wrong with the Wulfrunian. Its main problems were that its manufacturer was financially strapped an could never afford the time or money to fully develop the bus, while in the absence of any other manufacturers following suit at the time, its specialised parts were expensive and hard to obtain.

In this new self-published book, featuring around 600 illustrations and 100 specially drawn layouts, Basil Hancock, a semi-retired bus designer, engineer and fleet manager, an unashamed fan of the Wulfrunian, and a former owner of one of the two preserved examples, tells the full story – the good and the bad.