Description
Could you be interested in providing a new home to my 1968 London Transport AEC Merlin MB 90? Very reluctantly I have decided that the time is right to offer her up for sale.
MB 90 was one of the first batch of 33 Country Area buses (MB 81 – 113) delivered new to London Transport at the start of 1968. These were Lincoln Green and Canary Yellow liveried dual door buses with 45 seats. She carries an AEC 691 11. 3 litre engine mounted horizontally at the rear. Registration numbers in the SMM - – F sequence had been reserved, but only 13 vehicles, including MB 90, actually entered service with the SMM registration. Most were sent to Reigate, replacing RFs on the 447, but MB 90 went to Garston for route survey work before transfer to Walthamstow Garage in the Central Area for driver training duties. She returned as a trainer to Amersham Garage in Oct 1968, and took up service duties there shortly after in November on routes 305/ A, 353, and 362/ A.
In total London Transport took delivery of 665 Merlins, of which 109 were green Country Area vehicles. The name “Merlin” was taken from AEC’s intended heavy duty export version of its Swift chassis (which did not progress beyond the drawing board), and distinguishes this class of vehicle from London Transport’s shorter and 505 powered SM class Swifts. Of the total batch of 665 Merlins, just 6 survive in the UK, with a further 2 in Australia. MB 90 is unique piece of LT history in being the only Country Area survivor worldwide, and also the only example of the earlier AEC 3P2R chassis most noticeable by its lower driving position.
MB 90’s service life with London Transport / London Country Bus Services lasted barely 10 years, operating from Amersham, High Wycombe, Hemel Hempstead and Leatherhead garages. The class was well-known for unreliability in service conditions, which was not helped by London Transport’s inability/ unwillingness to understand and adapt to a fundamentally different type of vehicle (same could be said for the DMS class). She was sold off in January 1979 and passed through a handful of other owners/ operators before being acquired by Location Facilities in Feltham in 1983, where the bus was stripped out and used as a film support dining facility. Fortunately she was acquired for initial preservation in 1990, with ownership passing to me in 2008.
After initial recommissioning, the bus has been subject to a rolling restoration over the 17 years in my ownership. The aim has been to keep the vehicle active whilst restoration work continues, and she has been a regular performer on Country Area running events for many years. The bus has been professionally maintained and has always carried a class V MoT – the latest ticket running to April 2026. Most significantly the engine was subject to a full rebuild in 2017-18 with new pistons, crankshaft, bearings and valves. The injector pump has been overhauled. The cooling system has been upgraded with a new larger capacity aluminium radiator coupled to an electric fan assembly – which has cured the overheating problems that the class was known for in service. The interior has been restored to original with correct seating, luggage rack, replacement “rexine”, to the sidewalls and new flooring in the lower saloon. There is a comprehensive record (receipts/ invoices etc) of all works undertaken. Cosmetically she would benefit from an external repaint, but still presents well as can be seen from the attached pictures taken at the 2025 East Grinstead running day.
The bus is offered for sale for continued preservation only, no conversions or other uses. She requires secure undercover accommodation, and ideally should be looked after by someone with previous bus preservation experience. The bus is a joy to drive and is a unique survivor of an era where bus preservation is poorly represented. If you are interested, please contact me on the details below for further detail.
