| AEC Regal IV | |
| Manufacturer: | AEC |
| Production: | 1949–1962 |
| Assembly: | Southall, England |
| Floortype: | Step entrance |
| Doors: | 1–3 |
| Successor: | AEC Reliance |
The AEC Regal IV was a bus chassis manufactured by AEC from 1949 to 1962.
The AEC Regal IV was AEC's first mainstream underfloor engined vehicle. A prototype was built in 1949, before production commenced in 1952.[1] The first 25 were built to the maximum permissible length of 8.4m (27.6feet) for London Transport before maximum length for PSVs increased to 9.1m (29.9feet).[2] [3]
Over 2,600 were built, London Transport was the largest operator, purchasing over 700, while British European Airways purchased 64 as coaches.[4] [5] Production for UK market finished in 1955 with the introduction of the AEC Reliance but it remained in production for export markets until the 1960s.[2]
At least 117 Regal IV vehicles were exported to New Zealand between 1952 and 1955. For Christchurch and New Plymouth, these were specifically to replace the city's tram networks.These included:
