Ailsa Trucks Ltd

Commercial vehicle manufacturer  1968 & 1973-1979

The first Ailsa was a prototype Tipper by Ailsa Trucks Ltd, Glasgow-based concessionaire for Volvo cab and diesel engine common to Volvo's F86 range, the motive being to offer a Volvo-powered, Later, the company offered the first British-built front-engined double-deck bus since 1969.

Proto-types appeared in 1973 and a new company, Ailsa Bus Ltd, formed to market the production model. With the exception of one low- height vehicle, all Ailsa double-deckers were of normal height, powered by a 6.75-litre 6-cyl turbocharged diesel engine, driving the rear axle via a 5-speed SCG automatic transmission.

Production increased significantly when a new plant was opened at Irvine, Ayrshire, but in 1979 it was decided to market all passenger models in the UK as British Vovo.