As the general election gets underway, the main party leaders will be spending an increasing amount of time on their battle buses — modern, high-specification coaches with room for the media pack as well as senior politicians and their spin doctors.
Back in the 1980s, of course, things were a little more basic, as these shots of Margaret Thatcher’s armoured battle bus — thought to have been used when she visited Northern Ireland — show.
This armoured, 18-tonne Foden-based bus is now up for sale, courtesy of military vehicle dealer Nick Mead, who says that the beast has now outstayed his welcome and needs a new home.
The bus was built by military vehicle specialist Glover Webb and is based on Foden running gear. It is powered by a 12-litre, supercharged V12 Rolls Royce diesel engine that can propel the coach to a top speed of 80mph.
The windows are made of two-inch thick, bullet-proof glass, while the two-foot thick, honeycomb macrolite floor is capable of withstanding a landmine blast.
With seating for 36 people and space at the rear for an office desk, the coach even had its own auxiliary, roof-mounted motor that could pump clean, carbonised air to the sealed cabin in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear weapon being deployed.
With just 22,000km on the clock, the bus was used to ferry passengers on the dangerous Derry Airport – Belfast route during the 1980s. It was also previously owned by the Met Police, used as transport for the Royal Marines band and as a viewing platform at an MoD research facility.
The asking price for the bus is £25,000. Mr Mead plans to list it on eBay US and believes the bus might end up in America, but hopes it will stay in the UK.