Now undergoing a Major Restoration

Bus manufacturers became obsessed with saving weight in the 1950s and Midland Red, building its own buses, reacted similarly. Its lightweight double-decker was the D7 of which 350 were built between 1953 and 1957.

They were mechanically similar to the previous D5 type except the 8 litre engine and gearbox were mounted together in the chassis frame. The light weight made them lively performers but passengers were less keen on the D7's spartan interiors and higher noise levels. The earlier examples seated 58 but all but one were upseated to match the later ones with five extra seats upstairs, making them even less popular!

These reliable buses could be seen all around the Midland Red network. XHA 482 entered service as 4482 on 25 March 1956, one of two at Ludlow and thought to be the first D7s allocated to a rural garage. It was amongst the last to receive black wings and yellow lining - from bus 4494 the all-over red 'spray gun' era began. Its rural bliss was short lived and, by late 1958, 4482 was hard at work from Digbeth garage, Birmingham. It was transferred to Stourbridge in September 1961 and to Worcester in June 1967. Like many elderly Midland Red buses, it became a float vehicle and unusually survived for three years in this role. It was allocated to Leamington in 1970 and finally moved to Hinckley in November 1971 but was retired at the end of the year.

It was sold to a dealer in March 1972 and within a month was owned by Aston Martin-Lagonda, ostensibly as a staff bus. A Midland Red-built bus was an unusual choice and, not too surprisingly, within a few weeks it was already being advertised for sale by another dealer. Fortunately it was purchased for preservation in February 1973 and acquired by Wythall in June 1979. The Museum gave it a quick repaint but the bus now awaits a major overhaul.