One for Tatra - A Swedish d/decker with a Gardner

Well, here's something a little different! .. this bloke in Stockholm, has a really neat old Gardner-powered, "Bristol Lodekka" (I presume that's "Low-Decker" in English .. ) .. and it's up for grabs.
For a 1965 bus, that has spent all its life in a place that's under snow and ice half the year, it's in brilliant shape ..

Note that it's RHD, a rare feature in that era, despite being a country that drove on the left between 1916 and 1967 .. and have driven on the right ever since. Amazingly, the largest % of vehicles in Sweden in the period from 1916 to 1967 were LHD!

When they swapped from left to right-side driving, confusion must have reigned supreme .. as any imports were RHD, but Volvo always built their cars in LHD!!

I think he might be dreaming about getting US$50,000 for it, though! ..

www.dieselenginemotor.com/diesel/engines/2746,1.html

Swedens left/right driving story .. www.volvoclub.org.uk/history/driving_on_right.shtml

It looks to me as if he's asking $50,000 just for the engine! According to the specs he gives, it's a V6 Gardner, if so it would be the rarest engine in the world and worth millions

In Sydney, Australia a few years ago> I'd love a Bristol low decker. Each had names and this one was called "Loft" This is one that was owned by the former owner of Top Deck Travel in NSW. Apparently his family had a fleet in the UK & when he moved to Australia he brought this one with him. It used to holiday on a farm in Warragamba in NSW where I saw it. Not sure who owns it now or where it is. he used it for 'weekends away with the boys'. They said it was powered by a Gardner LW engine but I can't remember if they said it was a 5LW or 6LW, tending to go with 6LW.
Regards, Stephen

The owners of top deck travel started the chain of flight centre travel agencys and sold top deck. That bus was in a variety club bash a few years ago and was also parked at West Gosford industrial estate for some time.

Onetrack,

Unless I'm greatly mistaken, the Bristol is one which was imported to Sweden after it finished its revenue earning days in the UK - there were quite a few of these (and other) Pommy double deckers exported to Europe, mostly for promotion puposes. I Used to maintain an old ex-London transport RTL here in Vienna years ago... I simply can't believe any Swedish operator would have imported an early 60s Bristol - too expensive when you could buy a regulation compliant Volvo or Scania for 75% of the price - I actually don't think they ever had double deckers in revenue earning service in Sweden...

As for the V6, 120hp Gradner, the bloke must have eaten too much raw fish

Cheers,

T

RTL in Vienna...

and in case anyone asks, it came from the UK. The irony is that when the Austrian Gr