Plaxton Panorama Elite
At the 1968 Earls Court Show Plaxton revealed the Panorama Elite.
"The Glass Coach" was the title of an article in the "Design Journal" in 1969.
"Plaxton's new coach looks as if it is mainly glass, but in fact the glazed area is similar to that on previous coaches ". Read more here...
http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/diad/article.php?year=1969&title=245&article=d.245.50
The following details are mainly taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaxton_Panorama_Elite
The original Panorama Elite design, despite its all-new shape, retained the design of grille/headlight surround used on its predecessor, the Panorama I.
The offside emergency exit door was positioned directly behind the driver's cab, and a corresponding short window bay on the nearside, immediately behind the doorway, was of slightly reduced height.
The twin central brightwork strips run together along the side, separating close to the rear end and enclosing the badge. Twin round rear lights are arranged vertically at each side of the boot. An illuminated fleetname display is normally fitted above the boot.
Mark II (1970)
This is an example of a Bristol dome though by now it was used on other chassis.
The Panorama Elite II introduced a new grille/headlight surround, slightly squarer and more closely integrated with the trim. The small window, which had been of reduced height on the original design, was made to be of standard height on the Mark II.
Mark III (1972)
An Elite Express (bus grant doors)
The front end of the Mark III was largely the same as the Mark II, although the illuminated panel or destination display below the windscreen was squared off and given a chrome surround. Also, pantograph windscreen wipers were introduced, although some early Mark IIIs had the older type.
The twin round rear lights were replaced by a single, vertical, lozenge-shaped cluster.
The side trim was revised slightly, with the twin beading strips running separately along the length of the coach, only meeting at the very front. However, this was variable: some operators opted for the older layout instead; Barton Transport requested that the strips separate further back, allowing a larger space for their logo; the National Bus Company generally opted for only a single strip.
The emergency door initially remained behind the cab, but was subsequently repositioned close to the rear.
The modified trim for Barton.
Elite Express
All three variants were also produced to the "Express" configuration with wider, two-piece doors. By making the coaches suitable for a dual-purpose role, this allowed operators to take advantage of the British Government's New Bus Grant towards their cost.
Other variations
A narrow (7'6" width) version was sold to some operators.
The extra grilles are seen her on this narrow Bristol LH.
Bodywork built on Bristol chassis with front-mounted radiators did not have space for a destination indicator or illuminated panel in the usual position below the windscreen, so one was instead positioned in a bulge above the windscreen. This feature thus became known as a "Bristol Dome", even when it was later fitted to other types for different reasons.
Several different lengths were available, including 10m, 11m, 12m. Smaller vehicles, however, continued to be bodied using the older Panorama design, which was replaced by the Supreme in 1974 - a year earlier than it superseded the larger Elite.
