Bedford VAS
The Bedford VAS was a commercial vehicle chassis produced by Bedford Vehicles from 1963 until 1987. It was sold as a bare chassis including engine, transmission and driving controls, and was intended to be fitted with a bus or coach body from another manufacturer.
Background
The Bedford subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors had produced rolling chassis suitable for single-deck buses and coaches since 1931, with models such as the WHB, WLB and WTB produced until 1939, to be succeeded by the OB/OWB in 1939 and, during the war, the OWB. The bodies were produced for these by outside coachbuilders such as Duple, and provided up to 32 seats in an overall length of around. The Bedford SB replaced the OB in 1950, and was longer with a greater seating capacity - typically 33 to 41. However, some operators still felt a need for a smaller vehicle. Consequently, Bedford introduced a new model in 1963, the VAS, which provided an overall length of up to around upon which a 29-seat body could be fitted.Design
The basic layout was similar to the SB model, but the wheelbase was shorter. The chassis frame had two longitudinal main members arched over the front axle; at the rear they were tapered upwards to clear the rear axle. The axles were mounted close to the ends, to give a nominal front overhang of, a wheelbase of and a nominal rear overhang of. The engine and transmission were mounted above the front axle, with shaft drive to the rear axle. road wheels were fitted. The driver's position was alongside the engine, the forward control arrangement.A choice of two engines was offered, giving rise to numeric suffixes to the model code: the VAS1 used a diesel engine, and the VAS2 used a petrol engine. Both had a four-speed synchromesh gearbox, but the ratios differed. In 1967, the VAS1 was replaced by the VAS5, which used a diesel engine. A petrol engine was offered from about 1972, and this was model VAS3.
A new system of model codes was introduced by General Motors in 1968. Under this, the first letter denoted the basic model range; the second letter denoted the engine type; and the third letter the gross weight range for a complete vehicle, which for a VAS was K, denoting. Model codes for the VAS were as follows:
| Original code | Revised code | Engine type |
| VAS1 | – | diesel |
| VAS2 | PDK | petrol |
| VAS3 | PFK | petrol |
| VAS5 | PJK | diesel |