1959 Bedford SB3

The wrap around windscreen Bedford truly captured the styling of the late 1950s

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About This Bedford SB3

Driver Classics' Bedford SB3 was new to Willis in Vermont, eventually passing to Craig Coop of Nuline Bus Service before being acquired by Driver Bus Lines in 1994. It has been meticulously restored to represent No. 5 HHS-805, a Bedford SB3 'wrap around' originally operated by Driver Brothers.

This Bedford SB3 is powered by a Bedford 300ci, 6 cylinder petrol engine with a 5 speed Turner constant mesh transmission. The model designation SB3 stands for – S – model series, B - bus, 3 - petrol engine.

The Story

General Motors UK Vauxhall-Bedford division unveiled the forward control ‘S’ model truck and bus chassis at the 1950 Commercial Motor Show in London. Bedford ‘S’ model bus chassis arrivals in Australia began in 1952. Vauxhall-Bedford and GMH’s (General Motors-Holden Australia) marketing referred to them as the “Big Bedfords”, because the ‘S’ model buses were built on a longer 206” wheelbase with a higher floor line than their predecessor Bedford OBs. In 1955, GM UK Vauxhall-Bedford announced a new 216” wheelbase version. The 216” wheelbase models can be identified by 10” longer, more elongated rear side windows on the GM-H designed body.

The ‘S’ series bus chassis was designated ‘SB’ with this latest model featuring a new, larger Bedford 300ci 6-cylinder petrol engine with a smoother and quieter drive line. The model designation became SBG (Gasoline) and sometime later SB3, '3' being the new code for a petrol engine. In 1957, Bedford introduced its own, in house design, 6-cylinder 300ci diesel engine. The diesel model designation was initially SBO (Oil), then SB1 and later SB5. For a time in the late 1950s, GM-H referred to the SB3 as the 7SB for reasons known only to GM-H. It wasn’t until 1962 that Bedford would offer the venerable and long serving Bedford 330ci 6-cylinder diesel engine.

The first version of the General Motors designed body that was built by CAC (Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation) for the Bedford SB would in time become known as the ‘flat screen’. Like its predecessor Bedford OB, the Bedford SB flat screen was a major success with 818 being built in Melbourne between 1952 and 1957. On very early Bedford SBs produced in 1952, CAC body production used carryover smaller Bedford OB side windows before offering the larger design side windows, but still with flat front windscreens like the OB series.

When the larger side windows were adopted they offered greater vision and an enhanced appearance, but the large windows had a downside… they rattled considerably. In the 1950s, tear off block type tickets were widely used by private operators, and the cardboard backing for each ticket block became invaluable…it could be jammed in the window frame to stop it rattling!

In 1957, GM-H released a facelifted version of the flat screen Bedford SB that became known as the ‘wrap around’ due to its large curved windscreen. It was a stylish bus with a design that took full advantage of the wrap around windscreen trend and it truly captured the styling of the late 1950s.

Of the 377 Bedford SB 'wrap arounds' that GM-H built, 217 were directly sold by GM-H dealers as a complete bus. In 1958, GM-H decided to remove itself from direct marketing of complete buses and handed over the sales role to Bus Sales, a division of Victoria’s Road Passenger Service Operators Association (RPSOA), later Bus Proprietors Association VIC (BPA). A further 160 Bedford SB 'wrap arounds' were built by CAC and directly marketed and sold by Bus Sales.

Other bus body builders were once again able to build bodies on Bedfords, as Bus Sales were now able to provide Bedford SB chassis’ to any bus body builder. The Bedford SB was now widely sold throughout Australia. Ansair, a division of Ansett Transport Industries and a major bus builder, saw the potential to compete with CAC and acquired significant bus body builder, Symons and Fowler, to increase its sales volume of the Bedford SB.

The 'wrap around' Bedford SB was the last model designed by GM in Australia. The next model, known as the ‘Comair CAV 12’, was fully designed and built by CAC on the Bedford SB chassis.

The Bedford SB3 with the 300ci petrol engine was a delight to drive. It was easy to manoeuvre, had an easy shift Turner synchromesh or crash gear box and although not quick, it had enough power to drive comfortably in most situations. But most importantly, it was a bus that private operators could make money with.

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