Back to Bus Basics: Autocar Revives London’s Routemaster Double Decker

We’ll give UK auto-mag Autocar major props - for its latest series of conceptual renderings, they not only produced exterior sketches, but actually contracted with an engineering firm to speculate on a feasible design.

But what’s it of? The next Lotus supercar? A Jaguar sedan that could actually revive the marque? Nope. Associate editor Hilton Holloway sent artists and engineers at Caporo Design scrambling to revive nothing less of the most iconic London double decker bus - the Routemaster.

(Click through for more on the Routemaster revival)

Over the course of five decades, the A.E.C. Routemaster became a global icon, becoming the “face” of London’s fleet of red double deckers. Although they weren’t handicapped accessible nor environmentally-friendly, they remained in service until 2005, when they were finally retired in favor of buses that were.

Autocar’s renderings certainly retain cues from the original (e.g. open rear, front fascia styling, red livery), but it’s by no means stuck in the past. Key to the concept is the use of a series hybrid system, allowing in-wheel traction motors to move the bus while keeping the floor low and flat. Electricity would be generated by a Ford-sourced 127-hp 2.3-liter I-4 running on hydrogen, which is itself stored in tanks under the rear staircase.

The weight, estimated at being around 8230 kg, is only 400 kg more than the original Routemaster, thanks to the use of an aluminum spaceframe and body panels. Although that open rear door is still present, a second door, located towards the front, sports a ramp, allowing passengers with strollers or wheelchairs easy access to the lower deck.

In Capuro’s dream London, the RXML would take to the streets in the course of a decade, with close to 500 buses being built per year. An estimated lifespan of 20 years, compared to a typical decade, would make the bus attractive not only to London Transport, but also operators in the United States - who likely would opt for a closed aft door.

We know it’s a flight of fancy, but Autocar’s found a neat way to reinvigorate a historical legend with modern design and technology. Call us crazy, but isn’t that what retro designs should be all about?

+Autocar: Autocar re-invents the Routemaster