The Ikarus 211 was one of the earliest members of the 200 series and the most numerous midi bus the factory ever built. It was made at Székesfehérvár with an IFA engine, leaf-spring suspension and a manual gearbox, a simple formula that suited factories, farms and the army better than city operators.
Ikarus 211 at a glance
| Maker | Ikarus, Székesfehérvár |
|---|---|
| Type | midi bus for city, works and interurban service |
| Production | series from 1975 to 1990 |
| Engine | IFA diesel, 125 hp (92 kW) |
| Gearbox | 5+1 manual |
| Suspension | leaf springs |
| Height | 2,920 mm at launch; 3,000 mm from 1978 |
| In Hungary | about 4,500 vehicles, mostly at companies and farms |
| Volán purchases | 672 between 1975 and 1990 |
| East German deliveries | about 1,100 between 1975 and 1990 |
| BKV | 5 buses on route V between 1975 and 1985 |
Based on one source: the Hungarian Wikipedia article on the Ikarus 211.
History of the Ikarus 211
The 211 was the smallest member of the 200 family, a midi bus meant for operators who did not need a full-size 260. All the leaf-sprung buses built at Székesfehérvár shared the same IFA engine of 125 hp (92 kW) and the same 5+1 gearbox. Series production started in 1975. The first buses were 2,920 mm tall, with small front and rear windscreens and small side windows, a straight dashboard, and the upper part of the front panel sheeted over to carry the destination board.
The type changed quickly in its first years. From 1976 the front and rear windscreens became normal size and the sheeting above the windscreen disappeared. From 1978 the height went up to 3,000 mm, a three-part dashboard arrived and the side windows grew larger. These changes produced the form in which most Ikarus 211s were seen.
In Hungary the type went mainly to industrial companies, agricultural cooperatives and institutions, where it worked special trips and carried workers. The BKV ran five of them between 1975 and 1985 on route V, the replacement service for the Budavári sikló between Clark Ádám tér and gate B of Buda Castle, and kept 21 more for special trips; most of those passed to the Volán companies in the early 1980s. The Volán companies bought 672 between 1975 and 1990, and the Hungarian Army also operated the type. Abroad, only East Germany took it in real numbers — about 1,100 between 1975 and 1990 — with single buses going to Vietnam, Austria and Bulgaria and used examples reaching Romania and Poland after 1990.
Design and features
- IFA engine of 125 hp: simple, well known in the Eastern Bloc and easy to service.
- Leaf springs: cheaper than the air suspension of the full-size coaches in the same family.
- 5+1 manual gearbox: the standard transmission of the Székesfehérvár midi buses.
- Compact body: a midi bus for works traffic, farms and quiet local routes rather than busy city lines.
Ikarus 211 versions
- 211.00: one hand-operated door and city seating; built until 1978 and now very rare.
- 211.01: the most widespread version, one hand-operated door and city seating.
- 211.51: the East German version, with hand-operated doors at the front and the rear.
- 211.52: two doors, the first a double-leaf power-operated one; city or reclining seats.
- 211.53: two doors in a 1-0-1 layout with reclining seats for longer runs.
The 211 was the small member of the family whose best-known member is the Ikarus 260; its suburban relative was the Ikarus 266. More buses are in the Ikarus collection.
Video: Der IFA-Ikarus 211 wird beim Nutzfahrzeugtreffen in Schmannewitz vorgestellt
Video by Silver Kuik on YouTube.
Sources
- Ikarus 211, Hungarian Wikipedia: versions, changes, operators
