Bedford VAL: the twin-steer coach of the 1960s

The Bedford VAL is a type of coach chassis built by Bedford in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. It was unusual at the time for its multi-axle design, in a Chinese six wheelplan with two front steering axles.

Bedford VAL at a glance

History of the Bedford VAL

An unusual wheelplan

The VAL was a coach chassis with two front steering axles, a layout known as a Chinese six. It was Bedford’s first chassis designed specifically for bus and coach work; until then Bedford had simply modified its own truck chassis. The type was presented at the 1962 motor show as a 36 ft (11 m) chassis, and it was built from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

Originally the VAL was fitted with the Leyland O.400 straight-six diesel engine, a 6.17-litre unit mounted vertically at the front, with a Clark five-speed gearbox. With this engine the chassis was designated VAL14. Over 900 VAL14s were built from 1963 to 1966, with the largest orders coming from Wallace Arnold of Leeds, Seamarks of Westoning, Don Everall of Wolverhampton and Bartons. The VAL14 had small 16-inch wheels, like a light van, while coaches normally used 20-inch wheels; the small wheels caused heavy brake overheating and rapid loss of efficiency.

The VAL70

In December 1967 Bedford presented the VAL70, with a larger 466 cubic inch (7.64-litre) engine of Bedford’s own manufacture, and it quickly superseded the VAL14. A total of 713 VAL70 chassis were built between 1967 and 1972. The VAL was replaced by the Bedford Y series, the last model built by Bedford before it ceased activity in 1986.

Bodywork and films

The VAL was built with bodies from a number of coachbuilders. The majority of VAL14s were of Duple or Plaxton origin, although VAL14s were also bodied by Harrington, whose Legionnaire bodywork was adopted, and by Yeates. Some VAL14s received bus bodywork, including 10 by Marshall of Cambridge for British European Airways and 10 by Strachan for North Western.

The VAL gained public recognition through its use in the 1969 film The Italian Job. The vehicle was a Harrington Legionnaire, ALR 453B, new in April 1964 to Batten; after modification for the film it went back into coaching and was scrapped in 1990. A Plaxton-bodied example, URO 913E, appeared in the 1967 Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour; in the film Ringo Starr raced the coach around RAF West Malling against sports cars and won. A bus tour of Liverpool marketed as the Magical Mystery Tour has run since 1983 and originally used a Bedford VAL coach like the one in the film.

Design and features

• Chinese six: two front steering axles gave the VAL its distinctive twin-steer layout.
• Purpose-built coach chassis: the first Bedford chassis designed specifically for bus and coach work.
• Leyland power: the VAL14 used a 6.17-litre Leyland O.400 straight-six diesel and a Clark five-speed gearbox.
• Bedford power: the VAL70 replaced it with a 7.64-litre Bedford diesel.
• Film star: a Harrington Legionnaire VAL appeared in The Italian Job and a Plaxton VAL in Magical Mystery Tour.

Bedford VAL versions

• VAL14: the original Leyland O.400-engined chassis, over 900 built from 1963 to 1966.
• VAL70: the 7.64-litre Bedford-engined version, 713 built from 1967 to 1972.
• Duple and Plaxton bodies: the majority of VAL coachwork.
• Harrington Legionnaire: the body used for the coach in The Italian Job.
• Yeates bodywork: another coachbuilder used on the VAL14.
• Marshall and Strachan bus bodies: 10 each for British European Airways and North Western.

The VAL was replaced by the Bedford Y series, and the Bedford VAM was its medium-length stablemate. More are in the Bedford collection.

Sources

• Bedford VAL, English Wikipedia: history, engines, bodies, films
• Bedford VAL, German Wikipedia: production and bodywork
• Bedford VAL, French Wikipedia: chassis details, VAL70 production, films