MCV Bus and Coach

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MCV Bus and Coach is a manufacturer of bus bodies founded in late 2002 after buying the assets of defunct bus builder Marshall Bus (UK) who closed down in the summer of that year.

Contents

[edit] Early days

MCV started production with a batch of 5 Dennis Darts for Warrington Borough Transport and were built to the Capital design. However at this time TransBus (who produced the Dart and other Dennis products) didn't want any other bodybuilders for the chassis as they were to sell them as complete TransBus products (i.e. Darts with Pointer bodies etc.), so these remained a one off.

MCV looked at a few other chassis to body before deciding they would body on the MAN 14.220, the bodywork for this was based on the Capital design, but with a new front end, and being adapted to work with this heavy duty chassis, it was renamed the Sterling and was launched in 2003. It was later added to the shorter 12.220.

A new Evolution owned by Countryliner, at the 2007 Cobham bus rally
A new Evolution owned by Countryliner, at the 2007 Cobham bus rally

[edit] Evolution

In late 2004 MCV unveiled a new bodywork for the 14.220 called the Evolution, based on the frame of the Sterling but it has been drastically restyled, incorporating a new roof-dome (which is no longer peaked), and other new mouldings. It is also offered on the 12.220 and there are plans to body on an even shorter MAN chassis, the 10.220, which can be built as short as 8.5m long. From late 2005 it was offered on the Dennis Dart since Alexander Dennis wants to offer their chassis with other bodies. Although Alexander Dennis has replaced the Dart with the new Enviro200Dart it will still be offered with the MCV bodywork.

[edit] Ego

At Coach and Bus Live 2005 MCV showed a part-built minibus called the Ego. Based on the Irisbus LoGo chassis, it is a low-floor minibus, for a market to replace older step entrance minibuses. It was launched at the "Euro Bus Expo" in November 2006.

[edit] New products?

At the Coach and Bus 2004 show, MCV had also expressed some interest in bodying the then forthcoming new MAN A48 (ND243F) double decker, which at this moment is available with East Lancs Kinetic+ bodywork.