- Fleet Number: 708
- Registration: JAA 708
- Year: 1950
- Chassis: Leyland Olympic HR40
- Engine: 0.600
- Body: MCW Integral B40F
Arriving in Winchester in 1950 708 was the first underfloor single deck bus in Hampshire. Put to frequent use on the 4 service to Stanmore, its considerable power from the 0.600 engine came into its own on the steep gradients.
Sold in 1966 to Bakers of Fareham, 708 was bought by Glynn Coaches of Graigue Na Spidogue, Co Carlow, Ireland. Rediscovered in 1990 in a near derelict state 708 was bought by FoKAB and repatriated to Hampshire.
708’s restoration had to take its turn but began in earnest in 2002 when IM Service of Romsey made good the integral framing. There followed eight years of painstaking restoration with many challenges along the way. Olympic 708 made its debut in time for the 2012 London Olympics looking as though it had just been delivered from the Leyland factory.
Sadly, on 7/8 December 2023 the Olympic was severely damaged by a fire at the building in which it was parked. The damaged remains of JAA 708 are now in secure storage and await assessment of the possibility of restoration.
The first of a series of videos about 708, and updates following the fire is at the bottom on the page. Further videos are available on YouTube:
Leyland Olympic JAA 708 Part 2
BBC South Today news report
ITV Meridian news report
March 2024 Update
April 2024 Update
JAA 708 at the Buses Festival event at Sywell Aerodrome
