Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
sixcyl ◊ 2005-10-02 22:42	Legionnaire?...est-ce une marque?...Bedford par contre c'est sûr!...alors serait-ce un Bedford Legionnaire???.ou quoi?..dans ce cas il devrait classé avec bedford...
SteveA ◊ 2005-11-10 22:32	It's a Bedford VAL14 with Harrington Leigionnaire bodywork
Jaqob P. ◊ 2006-01-14 19:24	I vote: 3 or 4 star's, the bus IS famous
antp ◊ 2006-01-14 19:34	3 or 4 it depends if it used a lot or only in some scenes
Jaqob P. ◊ 2006-01-14 19:41	Yeah... that's right. But the bus is in 3 scene's or so, so I guess 3 star's
antp ◊ 2006-02-12 18:32	-- Last edit: 2010-12-18 14:11:20 (vilero)
SteveA ◊ 2006-04-16 23:24	http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Lane/1710/alr.htm
Alba ◊ 2006-04-19 15:26	As a kid I used to see it on a daily basis in the 70's, Painted yellow and white, it was one of our school buses run by a small coach company in Angus, Scotland. I remember you could still see the rivetted seam down the back where the "doors" were fixed shut.
2491tj ◊ 2006-04-30 04:00	albas comment is interesting as the movie bus is supposed to be in scotland somewhere,it was last heard of in the late 1990s..the bodywork is by Harrington Cavalier..only 40 or so were ever built.
truckface ◊ 2006-06-01 13:53	What causes the bus to hang on the cliff???
antp ◊ 2006-06-01 14:00	Driving too fast and not watching the road carefuly enough
Alexander ◊ 2006-06-01 17:05	... and important for the plot. Else the baddies would have made it with the loot!
qwerty_86 ◊ 2006-06-02 06:10	It's a real cliffhanger ending, don't you think?
truckface ◊ 2006-06-02 11:59	antp wrote Driving too fast and not watching the road carefuly enough Didn`t one of the wheels come of and cause it to spin and then end up hanging on the cliff???? -- Last edit: 2006-06-02 12:00:00
antp ◊ 2006-06-02 13:32	Not sure, but I would say no
truckface ◊ 2006-06-02 19:57	These coaches are strange. 4 wheels in the front. Only bus that`s similar to the Bedford VAL is the Vega Major Coach.
Alexander ◊ 2006-06-02 21:22	A late friend, who owned and operated such busses, told me that at their time of apperance in 1962 also more and more motorways were built in Britain. This ment higher speeds and the idea was that the bus stayed steerable in the event of a tyre blow-out. It didn't catch on, though. Probably a tyre blow-out was a rare incident but the costs for an extra pair of wheels was permanent.
G-MANN ◊ 2006-06-10 20:54	Shouldn't this get four stars? People definetely remember this as part of the movie more than the Aston Martin DB4, and it features in an unforgettable ending scene.
antp ◊ 2006-06-10 21:44	Yes, it was quite important in the movie though it is not seen for so long time (but still well seen in the movie).
lastinpurple ◊ 2006-09-18 16:29	Rest In Peace. After making The Italian Job, that coach returned to daily service until 1990. That year, the most famous coach was sadly destroyed in a scottish junk yard.
jplemoine ◊ 2006-09-18 16:32	lastinpurple wrote RUst In Peace...
marsh ◊ 2007-01-13 13:26	I heard that as recently as 2005 it had not only survived but was being restored by a company specialising in classic Minis...
londonitalian ◊ 2007-09-05 08:00	I`m not into coaches, but this one I make an exception for! 4 steerable wheels & wonderful 60`s styling! superb! It reminds me of the Tyrell P34 with 6 wheels too! I`m not into busses, but I also like that RMC Routemaster bus with 4 slanted headlights [which reminds me of the Rolls-Royce Silver cloud III Mulner Park Ward!] I also like that Ecurie ecosse car transporter for the 50`s! If I won the lottery, these would be a few of the oddities I`d buy! lol
TheHeartbreakKid15 ◊ 2007-10-20 20:30	What was spraypainted on the side? I can never make it out
Cycolac Fan ◊ 2008-02-21 22:12	Painted on the side was, I believe, 'Croker's Luxury Tours' this coach was definitely destroyed but at least one replica does exist -- Last edit: 2008-02-21 22:13:17
Covster ◊ 2008-06-10 16:06	Just a bit more info. - yes the original was scrapped for sure - there are only 4 others in existence and only one of these is road going as a classic passenger vehicle in Kenzies livery - you may have seen the Corgi model of it! I have one of the other 3 a 1962 and am currently restoring it as a replica of the Italian Job coach. Myself and 3 brothers have TheItalianJobMinis.com with restored original Mk1 Coopers for hire. The coach will complete the set and the idea is to hire it out for events and maybe organise some tours of the film locations.
ItalianJobMiniCooper ◊ 2008-07-16 20:49	Hi IMCD, Just to give you an update, the numberplates HMP729G, GPF146G and LGW809G were all sold at auction in 2006. They were originally taken off the Coopers back in 1969. They were then owned by a private collector until the early 1990s. They were then sold to another private collector who sold them at a classic cars auction in 2006. We successfully bid for these items and now legally own all three logs and retention certifcates. We are presently rebuilding what has been described as 'the most authentic replicas ever built' for these iconic film Coopers. They are exact in every detail and have had huge input from people directly or indirectly associated with the film in 1969. The first of our italian job builds has been GPF146G the white Cooper S in the film. This has been legally registered with the DVLA as GPF146G and is (as the other Coopers we are finishing) as close as you can get to the originals from the film. All three will have the original plates and can be legally driven with these iconic numbers. There are other replicas which is great....as it celebrates this fantastic film. If you wish to build yourself a replica... check out our site for lamp bars and other cool film / merchandise items at WWW.THEITALIANJOBMINICOOPERS.COM They look fantastic and have won great praise from the motoring press, such as Mini Magazine etc. Many Mini companies have formed what we have called the 'Self Preservation Society' such as Mini Machine, Mini Sport, Newton Commercial, Mini Spares, Mini Magazine, Revolution Wheels, Minilite etc.... CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE BUILD BLOG AND STORE AT WWW.THEITALIANJOBMINICOOPERS.COM THESE COOPERS ARE AVAILABLE FOR HIRE - WITH MONEY GOING TO VARIOUS CHARITIES.....THAT WAY EVERYONE BENEFITS...(and we get to enjoy driving these cool Coopers !!!), WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF YOU WISH TO HIRE THESE COOPERS. Best Regards, D.Morton
lastinpurple ◊ 2008-07-29 01:15	The vehicle details for ALR 453B are: Date of Liability 17 03 1987 Date of First Registration 03 06 1964 Year of Manufacture Not Available Cylinder Capacity (cc) 0CC CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type Heavy Oil Export Marker Not Applicable Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour MULTI-COLOUR Vehicle Type Approval null
Sunbar ◊ 2008-11-29 13:53	Sir Michael Caine has disclosed a possible solution to the mystery of the movie's ending. He even suggested that the alternative ending had been filmed in 1969, but producers later decided against using it. "Hang on lads, I've got a great idea," says Sir Michael's character, Charlie Croker... and then the credits roll. The star says he would have saved them by "switching on the engine", burning off petrol until it righted itself. "I crawl up, switch on the engine and stay there for four hours until all the petrol runs out," he said. "The van bounces back up so we can all get out, but then the gold goes over." "There are a load of Corsican Mafia at the bottom watching the whole thing with binoculars. They grab the gold, and then the sequel is us chasing it." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7756288.stm -- Last edit: 2008-11-29 13:56:02
Q-Ball ◊ 2009-05-04 01:51	truckface wrote These coaches are strange. 4 wheels in the front. Only bus that`s similar to the Bedford VAL is the Vega Major Coach. Well, since the design is cab-over type, four wheels in front provides a more smooth ride
Merzedes ◊ 2009-05-05 21:36	The Bedford VAL, legendary Twin Steer. One of the fastest coaches at its time, capable of about 150km/h top speed. Also legendary Finnish racedriver/-team boss, Antti Aarnio-Wihuri, owned one of those. He said, that they drived it up to 150km/h on Autobahn, Germany. In that time, many of ordinary sedans were beaten by that 3-axle Bus :P -- Last edit: 2009-05-05 21:37:37
Richard Davies ◊ 2009-09-14 19:01	VAL's were popular for convertioning into racing car transporters, with similar rear doors to this one.
Andee B ◊ 2009-09-15 12:53	Now this is very strange. I just found out from a work collegue that this vehicle had been dumped in a Caravan showroom yard near Glenrothes in Fife, Scotland. When i was younger i used to race Karts and we would travel all over the UK. At the time, my Dad was going to buy a Caravan so we could stay at the meetings, rather than Hotel's. Whilst travelling to Crail for a meet, we nipped into the afore mentioned Caravan showroom. I remember saying to my Dad, look theres a coach like my brother used to have (he raced formula 3, and had one converted to take the race car. He was instantly interested so we went to have a look around it. It was in a sorry state. Faded yellow paint that was see through, and i remember i could see the red white and blue through it. It had already been converted, that was instantly apparent, but had been welded up and seats re-fitted into it. We were very interested in this coach, but when we enquired about it, we were told that it had a blown engine. I went to check it out, and right enough there was puddles of oil under it and a huge split in the block. The guy who owned it at the time, never said where it had came from, but did say, he would be sorry to see it go for scrap, but had no option. Dad tried to get the guy to part with it, but he wouldnt budge. I always thought it strange, how he didnt want to sell it, but would scrap it. I pass this place quite alot, and i have always remembered the old Coach sitting there. If we had only known at the time it was ALR 453B (there was no plates on it) it may well have lived on to this day. Or at least been in a better condition RIP old friend. Andy.....
Trainboy12 ◊ 2009-12-01 17:07	I read that it took a long time to get the Clifhanger seen right, It would have been easyer to use a model insted!
NS3730 ◊ 2010-04-08 18:35	One of Japanese bus (Mitsubishi Fuso?) is similar to the Bedford VAL
dsl ◊ 2012-03-11 15:49	^ Not a very good set really - http://www.coolcollectabletoys.co.uk/p/product/1011045572-THE+ITALIAN+JOB+%2336502/ , http://www.flickr.com/photos/16251171@N08/6452895557/ - apart from the coach having the wrong body it is out of scale with the 1-43 Minis (which are detailed as Mk2 and omit lights and other IJ details).
kudos ◊ 2013-05-03 11:55	-- Last edit: 2013-05-03 17:36:18 (Neon)
dsl ◊ 2014-01-26 03:29	http://www.flickr.com/photos/29485695@N02/7496173526/
Raceman ◊ 2014-04-03 07:55	Just on a separate, but linked subject, a VAL chasis was used as a base for the pink Lady Penelopy Rolls Royce years back. Apparantly they tried to base it on a smaller chasis, but the 2 axle steering geometry was to difficult to build, so they utilised a VAL.
jpts ◊ 2015-02-27 12:59	lastinpurple wrote Rest In Peace. After making The Italian Job, that coach returned to daily service until 1990. That year, the most famous coach was sadly destroyed in a scottish junk yard. Yeah, the coach did returned to daily service, as a school bus.
nigelrbfurness ◊ 2015-03-07 18:33	covster wrote I have one of the other 3 a 1962 and am currently restoring it as a replica of the Italian Job coach. Hi Covster Would you be interested in seeing your VAL coach featured in a new book about Bedford Coaches? If so, drop me a line at nigelrbfurness@yahoo.co.uk Nigel F.
train68 ◊ 2018-09-07 07:38	I like to think they were stuck on that cliff until a tow truck just happens to come by. But that doesn't seem very likely. Here's what I do think is likely. Charlie carefully grabs one gold bar at a time and slides them across the floor of the bus. Once all the gold is at the front of the bus, one of the crew members goes back for the Thames van. It's a long walk, but he eventually makes it. Once back, the van is used to pull the bus back onto the road. And once that's done, they're back on the road, and are now more careful about travelling down the mountain. -- Last edit: 2019-06-26 08:19:12

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1964 Bedford VAL 14 Harrington Legionnaire

1964 Bedford VAL 14 in The Italian Job, Movie, 1969

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