Classic Bus Histories Episode VII: AEC Regent V 

Very keen on the Panther video. We had over 300 in service with the Brisbane City Council here in Australia. They were purchased to replace the tram network, which was closed in April 1969. Some Panthers made it into the 1990's. I spent much time aboard these in the 70's and 80's. And that engine sound!!! Very cool bus!

Another cracking video. The AEC engined Regent V is, in my opinion, THE best sounding bus ever built, closely followed by the RT. Music to the ears 👍

The bus of my childhood, (in Sheffield Transport livery). Many years later (still in Sheffield) during deregulation , I was waiting for the bus to work one murky morning, when a heard a familiar sound approaching out of the gloom . What appeared to my surprise and joy was a bright yellow and red liveried Regent with Douglas Corporation Transport written on the side. A real WTF moment !

The more I watch your videos, the more I’m amazed at how many bus operators there were - not just the municipalities, etc, but the smaller independent operators.

12:14 I miss our double deckers so much!!!!!! The one in the picture has the later livery, originally they were dark green, just a tone darker from the one you see at 4:47. Thank you for waking such fond memories ;) Greetings from Lisbon

6:22, This is one of the buses that made the Regent V my favourite. Owned by A. Mayne and sons of Clayton, Manchester, it was one of three they had and I regularly rode on it when I was a kid in the seventies. They were in service until about 1981, by which time they were becoming somewhat tired. One was restored (and now lives in the Manchester Museum of Transport), one was sent to China (not sure if it still exists, last picture I saw of it didn't look promising) and I don't know what happened to the other one. The sounds in this video took me right back! Absolutely unmistakeable.

Very good. Thanks!

I used to ride one to and from school, Herne Bay to Canterbury, every day for eight years

I used to ride these practically every day in the late 60s, South Wales had a large fleet of Regents, Bridgemasters and Renowns that were on my regular service from Port Talbot to Swansea ( where they were often driven VERY fast on the dual carriageway ) as well as the routes to Mumbles . They remain among my favorite buses, although now living in Australia , you do not see many ( if any ) around......

Leigh corp had i think 5 off these with east lancs bodywork they transfered to SELNEC in 1971.

Very interesting. Looking forward to your AEC Swift vlog. I served my apprenticeship in St. Helens in the late 70's and although we still had a few Regent V's in the fleet, the majority of the fleet was Swifts.

Front engined double deckers, Leyland Titan, Daimler CVG, Guy Arab, Bristol Lodekka, Dennis Loline, AEC Routemaster, Regent and Renown.

Mayne of Manchester featured in this video is now in Japan and sister bus 8860VR is in preservation in the Museum of Transport Manchester , great video you have made

Excellent fascinating videos keep up the brilliant work!

Classic car nutter here gradually getting converted to bus enthusiast via your videos!! Good work - keep it up! 👏

I well remember as a boy Newcastle Corporation Regents in their beautiful livery of yellow and cream with maroon trim. I also remember riding on the trolleybuses until they were all finally withdrawn in the mid '60s. Public transport was so much better back then.

Engine and gearbox sounds like my td5 Defender :)

Nottingham City Transport had 65 Regent Vs in 1955/6 with attractive Park Royal bodywork. Fleet number 266 (XTO 266) from the second batch was restored but, sadly, this bus is in Stafford I'm told and has been hacked to pieces.

hi there, great video, i used to work at AEC in the 70s but these buses were long gone then,the reason was when BL took over Donald Stokes stopped production of the double decker.so we could only build single deck chassis,ie, the Reliance and the Swift, we completed an order for Bagdad around 1976 but used Mercury chassis with AV505 engines and left hand drive. all had wooden seats, body by Marshalls of cambridge. [ P smith ex AEC ltd]

I loved the east Kent regents such a great sounding bus, i also remember delivering to the old Canterbury depot. Great content keep it up.

What an excellent video - thank you. I'm watching this instead of the Budget on tv at the moment......and have to say your AEC Regent V story is definitely more interesting! Can anyone explain why AEC Regent's had 'such' musical transmission sounds? As other gearboxes of the time used straight cut gears, but didn't quite have the beautiful whine as those of Southall. I hope you do as good a job on your upcoming Bristol RE video!

East Yorkshire's Regent Vs were unusual in another respect, they, as most EYMS double deckers were back then, were built with specially shaped roofs to fit through the Beverley Bar, the last surviving medieval gateway in Beverley

In Southampton, they had traditional rear platform Regent Vs delivered until 1967- they are what I remember travelling to town on in the early 80s.

I've driven buses in Sheffield since the mid 70s which included the AEC Regent V which I also conducted on. One of those is preserved 7874 WJ fleet number 874. What I really liked about the AEC buses was the way the engine would sing to you when in the lower gears. 50 years later I'm still driving buses in Sheffield and although I like all buses, the old half cabs were my favourites

Thanks for such a lovely video, I enjoyed it very much and appreciate the time taken to post, excellent work indeed. Cheers and best for now : )

Who doesn't love the AEC Regent V. I remember very well M & D route 57 Gravesend to Hastings going through Strood, Rochester, Maidstone and Hawkhurst to Hastings 😉 Now they were the good old days 😂

Great video, my memories are of East Kent Regent V’s and Reliances plying the roads of East Kent where I lived for the first 35 years of my life.

Hi i'm viatron from Sheffield again, I did remember all about one greater Manchester city who did taken delivery of A.E.C. Regent Mk.Vs with Weymann Arora double deck bodies was Rochdale Corporation with the first batch fitted with a Gardner 6LW 8.4 litre 6-cylinder diesel engine via an A.E.C./Wilson 4-speed pre-selector gearbox what sounds like a Guy Arab Mk.IV version from Birmingham Corporation. But in a later order from A.E.C. Regent Mk.Vs fitted with the standard A.E.C. AV590 9.6 litre 6-cylinder diesel engine, plus having rear platform doors. But I hope that you make another Classic Bus Histories videos with my other favourite bus types what includes the Guy Arab series single & double deck buses what will includes NO.23 from Lincoln corporation what had been fitted with a locally built Rushden & Hornsby 8.6 litre 6-cylinder air-cooled diesel engine via it's very NOISY! & this is a victory for the Guy Owners Club for the former Wolverhampton bus chassis manufacturer & that's my good idea for your Classic Bus Histories also including two Guy Arab Mk.lll & a Guy Arab Mk.IV currently in the East Kent Bus Preservation Group. Thank you for your co-operation on this subject from A.E.C. Regent Mk.V to Guy Arab Mk.lV buses. From David Viatron Esquire of crookes in Sheffield.

Nice video 👍👍👍

Wasnt the Crossley Demonstrated as a ACV (Associated Commercial Vehicles - being the sales and marketing name of AEC and its acquistions/partners- and so badged as there was a limit each manufacturer could have for floor space at the commercial motor show etc (some got round it by putting their chassis out on the bodybuilder;s stand !)

What a great video !

a definite favourit,and i would have driven both of the yorkshire woollem lynxs

Appreciate these CBH's. Learnt a lot. Was into buses in the 90's. Volvo Ailsa is interesting.. Any plans? The Liverpool Regents were Corpy austerity which befits the area completely. Has a Manc..I loved Liverpool's unique style ;) And Sheffield of Course....Don't forget Leeds... ;o

Do like the Regent Mk V , unfortunately they weren't operated in New Zealand by bus and coach operator preferring single deck AEC Regal's and Reliance's.I enjoyed your u tube history of the Ŕegent Mkv . I do have some un made East Kent AEC Regent MKV , Reliances models in 1/76 scale not knowing the interior colours stops me from doing them. The Rover shape Radiator always looked smart on the AEC Bus and truck range..

A nice concise and well-presented history of the type.

Brilliant video as always. 👍

I agree with you about the swift or Merlin as LT called it ,it worked ok on the limited stop Red Arrow 500 and the XMS buses looked nice All the best 😊😊

id love to see a video on the history of blackpool transports buses, its very varied history and doesnt really cross with the tram history minus one talbot road route

I stumbled on an ex HK Regent V three years ago parked in a street in Cessnock NSW, still in faded CMB blue and cream (now white) livery The owner has since moved it to a location unknown. I believe it's the only one in Australia and I stumbled on it. The grill was missing. I took a couple of pics. Why do some Regent IIIs, Regent Vs and Regal IVs have flat faced rims with bigger tyres and others like the RT with regular split rims that protrude abit? What's the deal with the Renown and Bridgemaster models? They have what looks like the RM type rear wheel hubs as opposed to the flange hubs of the Regents.

Is that an Alexander bodied Fleetline you use in your little red bus?

Nice video. Would like to know what the difference is between AEC Bridgemaster, Regent V and Renown all look similar to me.

Do they not require working speedometers?

Swansea Bus Museum has a good selection of Regents.inluding SWT no 38...last single deck of that batch...plus 407 the oldest open back Regent V left ..well worth a visit..especially on event weekends. On my RU-vid Channel I have several videos of driving some of them + their resident Routemaster ...filmed around 2014...but good quality footage with Excellent sounds....Steve Lewis Video Channel. If your interested ⭐👍

'Promosm'