Corgi OM49901 Plaxton Centenary Set with Excalibur, Panorama, Panther and Beaver

This item has a limited edition certificate included.

Plaxton has been trading in Scarborough since 1907, initially in construction but soon after became heavily involved in vehicle Coachbuilding. The business developed rapidly in the post war era, capitalising on the boom in travel which followed the austerity period of the forties. By the early 1960GÇÖs, Plaxton had become the second largest coachbuilder in the UK and with the launch of the highly acclaimed Panorama and Elite ranges, moved into the number one spot by 1970, a position it has sustained ever since. By 1990, the company had moved from a publicly quoted company, largely under control of the founding family, to merge with the Henlys Motor Group making it one of the UKGÇÖs largest publicly quoted automotive companies. The model and market range had by this stage expanded to include buses and a takeover of Northern Counties in Wigan added double deck buses to the portfolio for the first time, making complete the already comprehensive range. Expansion saw ventures in the US and Canada acquired by Henlys, some in partnership with Volvo. A further change of ownership came in 2000 when Henlys merged their UK bus operations with those of the Mayflower Corporation to form Transbus International and a subsequent internal restructure which consolidated bus production in plants in Scotland and the north west. Scarborough became a dedicated coach plant once again, setting new standards for production and innovation in the industry. Major developments in lean manufacture, accessible vehicles and supply chain all contributed to the success of the venture in this period. The collapse of Mayflower saw a management buyout of the Plaxton operations in 2004, subsequently the company entered into a period which can be seen as one of the most rapidly developing in itGÇÖs history.