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The Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, Made in Preston home page was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis manufactured by Leyland Bus between 1981 and 1992. Bus Lists on the Web This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1927 and 1968. London TD class Leyland Tiger buses It replaced the Leyland Leopard, which had been in production for over 20 years.
When Leyland launched the Tiger, it continued this same unwillingness, just as Dennis was developing the Gardner-engined Dennis Dorchester, which similarly had the potential to win Scottish Bus Group orders away from the Tiger. Faced with this possibility, Leyland offered Gardner 6HLX-series engines in the Tiger from 1984. Gardners for Tigers Commercial Motor 16 April 1983 To facilitate this, the Tiger chassis had to be modified, as the Gardner engine was significantly larger than the TL11. Although the threat from the Dorchester was successfully warded off, there proved to be a limited market for the Gardner-engined Tiger outside of Scottish Bus Group.
The Cummins L10 engine was also made an option by 1987. Cummins L10 gives more bite to Tiger Commercial Motor 4 April 1987 Tiger breaks cover Commercial Motor 15 October 1987 The Cummins engine was being specified more often from around 1988, and with this engine, the gearbox would usually be a ZF as opposed to the Leyland Hydracyclic.
Volvo took over Leyland in 1988, and from 1989 the Tiger was offered with the Volvo THD100-series engine (as fitted in the best-selling B10M). The large majority of Volvo-engined Tigers went to Northern Ireland. At around this time, the TL11 and Gardner options were dropped, leaving only the Cummins and Volvo options available. TL11 to be dropped Commercial Motor 28 February 1987 Royal wave to Lions and Tigers Commercial Motor 12 May 1988 Irish Transport Trust
Like the Leopard, the Tiger was also sold as a bus. Usually, it would have a downrated engine, and leaf springs in place of the standard air suspension.
The Tiger also proved to be very popular in Northern Ireland, with Ulsterbus and Citybus purchasing 747 between 1983 and 1993. £8 million Celtic bus order boost for Leyland Bus Commercial Motor 24 February 1987 The last Tiger to enter service did so in Northern Ireland in August 1993.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Volvo Buys British Leyland's Bus Division Associated Press 30 March 1988 Volvo buys Leyland Commercial Motor 7 April 1988 Volvo was aware that Leyland had a loyal following, and that the Tiger had a good reputation, and so the Tiger continued.
Despite accounting for 50% of all UK bus sales in February 1989, Leyland Bus takes lead Commercial Motor 16 March 1989 sales slowed and in 1990 in an attempt to shift stock, Volvo had Plaxton body forty chassis. Twenty-five of these bodies were the only Plaxton 321 bodies built, this being the Plaxton derivative of the Duple 320 body acquired when Duple closed.
Volvo acknowledged that the Tiger and B10M were broadly similar, and whereas Leyland had sold 3,500 Tigers since the model's launch, Volvo had sold 20,000 B10Ms during the same period. The penultimate major buyer of the Tiger, Shearings, switched to the B10M in 1991, and Volvo decided to cease production and close the factory at Farington.
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