Bristol Chassis Codes Explained.
Vehicle manufacturers always use rather cryptic codes to identify their products. Bristol Commercial Vehicles used a rather simpler form of coding. This took the form of vehicle type and engine type which included the number of cylinders in the engine. As for the vehicle type code the first letter (for J to L types) is the vehicle type the remaining letters involved the length and width of the vehicle (W for wide, S for Short and L for long). The W code was only applied to early vehicles at a time when the regulations were changed allowing wider and longer vehicles. The short and long codes were applied to all subsequent chassis.
The number of engine cylinders then followed and the code ends with the engine type. So a Bristol K5G for example was a K Type fitted with a Gardner 5 cylinder engine, a KSW6B was a K type, short and wide chassis fitted with a 6 cylinder Bristol engine.
Short explanations are available using this rather neat device (providing your browser is compatible; if not they're further down the page so don't worry!!)
Engine Codes.
A = AEC (K and L type only), or Albion (SU chassis only)
B = Bristol AVW or BVW engine.
G = Gardner engine.
L = Leyland engine.
P = Perkins engine.
Chassis Codes.
LD = Lodekka.
The LD was further developed and the following variants became available, the 'Lodekka' name was retained as the chassis were for low height double deck bodies.
FS Flat floor Short (open rear platform), FSF Flat floor Short Forward entrance, FL Flat floor Long (open rear platform), FLF Flat floor Long Forward entrance.
VR = Vertical Rear. Rear engined double deck chassis. Very few were made in this format. The VRT was the production variant with a Transverse rear engine (ie mounted across the rear of the chassis).
LH = Light Horizontal. Lightweight single deck chassis.
LS = Light Saloon
MW = Medium Weight. Single deck chassis.
RE = Rear Engine. Single deck chassis with the engine mounted horizontally at the rear. This was produced in several variants; RELL - Rear Engine Long Low floor; RESL where 'S' denotes 'Short', RELH - Rear Engine Long High floor; RESH where 'S' denotes 'Short', REMH - Rear Engine Motorway High floor.
SC - Small Capacity, the only Bristol chassis supplied with a Gardner 4LK engine. One prototype had a Perkins engine.
SU - Small Underfloor engine, a shorter SUS was produced.
HA - Heavy goods Articulated. HGV tractor unit.
HG - Heavy goods rigid. Four axle rigid HGV.
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