I recall as a child in 1971 my ears being hammered by one of these sitting near the front with my dad on a sightseeing trip around snowdonia out of Llandudno, as well as the noise climbing the hills I recall the sunroof leaking in the obligatory rain. I was fascinated by it being twin steer.

These old Bedford coaches have a sound of their own. Music to my ears! I hope this one has lots of miles to travel yet. She runs as sweet as a nut.If the Bedford Val in the Italian Job had been driven as well as this, the guys would have got the gold bars to their intended destination!

That sounds bloody great I loved the sound of trucks and buses when I was a kid this sounds awesome I used to love the sound of the bedford army trucks great stuff glad people like these vehicles keep em going 👍

Love the Bedford air brake whistle - trademark sound

Takes me back to when I was a nipper in the late 1970s. We used to get taken to the local swimming baths in St Helens in one very similar to this. Can still hear that engine and smell the upholstery. Happy days.

That sound takes me back 30 years and going on the coach with all the family and extended family to Blackpool for the lights such happy times sadly so far away least can see these old girls saved now

Ah, memories of childhood trips to the seaside, really nice to see a classic British coach design still storming up the roads.

Takes me back to my childhood. Thanks for this one. :)

Really good to hear that engine tone once again I’ve held a Pcv for over 33year and a val twin steer was my first vehicle. So comfortable was the ride that you always got good comments at the end of a day out. My duple dominant was not so enlightening to drive as the val. Only down side as I recall braking efficiency was not its strong feature but it would turn on a sixpence. Often wondered what that chassis would have gone like with the late ynt turbo in. Classic coaching much better than my Volvo b8r that I have now. Many thanks for that trip down memory lane.

It’s cool to hear the old engine sounds ! These things were desperate for a turbo

Hi from Sydney , Australia. I grew up in Mosman , Sydney & the local bus owner/operator was my grandad's mate they had both studied engineering together. When Bill bought his first 4 VAL's I was still a kid at school & one of my favourite toys was Dinky Toys Bedford VAL Vega Major , I had all 4 versions , the 2 British versions with & without flashing indicators & the 2 Swisse mail versions with & without flashing indicators. As an aside, I had to go all the way to a Swiss post shop in the 1960's to get my M-961 blinking light version , & saw one at a toy auction 3 years back sell for just below $3500 US dollars !! for a TOY . However in reality in the end , Bill bought all 16 Bedford VAL chassis that came to Australia, including one that was damaged in an accident & subsequent small fire , to remedy this he bought a "display" body off GM-Vauxhall in the UK which had been on show at their facility when he had earlier visited the UK to place orders & look at the new VAL, he enquired if they still owned it and would it be available for sale, it had a chassis , no engine , no interior , so once purchased & shipped here 12,000miles away , the fitted the engine & drive line from the damaged on , commissioned a new fresh interior , had it passed for New South Wales registration & it was then in service. When I was going to UNI' in my last year I helped Bill out on several charters when he was a driver short on trips from Sydney to Canberra all up about 400 mile run and back then then driving around the spacious and in 70's near empty grand wide boulevards & freeways in Canberra taking groups to the Nation's premiere museums, art Gallery , National Art gallery etc over a long weekend, also back in the early 70's we did not have the Sydney to Canberra motorway so there were windy hilly sections of the old Hume Highway , then off that & onto the Federal highway just out of Goulburn , finally the really windy hilly & steep section just before NSW becomes the ACT, these VAL's were a joy to drive , & they were all I'd hoped that they would be all the years later when I was finally old enough to be legally allowed to drive one with a full compliment of passengers. AS they still to this day look amazing with their twin steer wheels & beautiful ahead of their time panoramic window & body designs. Re the unique gear shift pattern , compared to some of the older specialist vehicles that my own Grandad owned in his fleet of vehicles , the Bedford VAL's was easy .

Takes me back to early 1970's when as kids we were taken to the swimming lessons at Lancaster Baths and school tours in a Duple Viceroy run by Baterrsy silver grey coach company from Heysham. I can remember how we all roared " Hurray" as the coach moved off on our trips. This video is timewharp and beautiful. That guy really knows how to drive thus lovely old coach. Pity about the toerag in the red car overtaking at an insane speed. Yess a turbo would be welcome but that's how these old creatures were full of character.

I just love the bit where he signals to the lorry driver his intentions proper driving proper gent love a plaxton🤠

Mr Lester doing a fine job there :P

That engine sounds crisp!

I drove a VAL back in the 70`s. Only had it for a few days, as it was hired to cover a vehicle off the road due to breakdown. It had really nice steering and very bad brakes, due to the small size of the brake linings on the 16 inch wheels apparently, though it did have a retarder. BUT, the thing I took ages to get used to, was the Turner "Chinese" gearbox. My permanent coach was a Bedford with the regular 5 speed, but the VAL had the change pattern completely different. By the time I got used to it, it was sent back and I got my regular vehicle back.

"this is the self preservation society"

This man could maneuver cargo ship in a puddle

I love that engine sound!

That distinctive icky smell as you boarded one of these old girls...reminds me of the Wednesday night after school detention bus what used to be laid on for us naughty kids back in the day 😂

Can we see the bus outside, love the shape, I got a leyland 1974 panorama

Came across this video, used to part own & drive a plaxton panorama elite with a Ford straight 6, chinese gearbox & Eaton 2 speed backaxle. No power steering & air over hydraulics brakes, gearbox was badly worn synchro so double declutching was a must, you wouldn't get thro the box if you couldn't do that.

what a fantastic sound

4:36 - What a cacophony. I love it!

didnt like hills very much did it?.....

Reminds me of primary school journeys in late 80s on 45 seater coach plated SOR944G.

I know people don't like noise but that's brilliant

Brings back many happy memories of going to Blackpool as a boy on holiday in the seventies and 80s the coach park was Rigby road in those days.

Geared like a road bus

Gets up and boogies for an old Beddy. What engine has it got? They might be crude but they have a character all their own. Love that brake whistle.

I wonder why Bedford didn’t use larger units like leyland did, and taller gearing ?

How much power does this thing have? I was quite surprised to see the driver have to rev match it into first going up that hill at around the 5:00 mark. Sound reminds me of American 2 stroke diesels.

These things were woefully underpowered

Nice one. A couple of extra gears and some more soundproofing wouldnt go a miss 😀

Would love a shot of that!

5 speed Turner gearbox?

I want to have a go on that one

I remember this as a kid, was that big block next to the gear stick the engine? I always wondered what that was

This vehicle fiitted with Leyland 401?

hanson coaches hudderfield a mon my way to school 1974

Is this bus powered by Leyland Engine?

Think the BMW wanted to pass 🤔 lol

This is the 6 wheeler bus from Italian job right

noisy!

Is this bus powered by Leyland 0.400 Engine?

I don’t think he likes his mirrors very much

That driver never used his N/S mirror once, it’s a good job nobody was up his near side,does make me wonder how many times he’s clipped something and not known about it,I’m glad he not driving an artic with a 40 foot trailer behind him.