What turned out to be the last new to Devon General Leyland Atlanteans were delivered to the company in 1968. The batch consisted of ten PDR1/1 chassis with 75 seat bodies by Metro-Cammell / Weymann. They were numbered 532-541 and registered NDV532-41G. They were , like the previous batch, powered by Leyland’s 0680 engine.
By the time of their construction Metro-Cammell was part of the Cammell-Laird concern. The ship-building group was also the owner of the former Saunders-Roe factory on the Isle of Anglesey and the bodies were fitted out there due to MCW‘s Elmdon factory being seriously overstretched. The bodies themselves were fitted with the rather attractive “Manchester Front” which featured a moulded panel below the dash.
To facilitate boarding the bodies were equipped with a lower front step than previous deliveries and care had to be taken by drivers to prevent grounding.
On arrival four were allocated to Exeter, where objections to the operation of front entrance buses on City services had been withdrawn, with the balance being based at Newton Rd., Torquay.
All ten passed into the ownership of the Western National Omnibus Co. on Jan 1st 1971. Between then and 1973 they were converted for one man operation, receiving NBC poppy red livery at the same time. At various times, all bar 538/40 lost their moulded front panels either at overhaul or following collision damage.
In May 1971 DG introduced the 3X express service between Exeter and Tiverton. Due to the Atlanteans’ comfortable ride one of Exeter’s allocation would always be rostered for this duty.
In 1980 Western National commenced a policy of repainting vehicles into NBC green livery. All bar Nos.535/9 were so treated that year with these two following suit in ‘81.
In June 1981 an unfortunate incident occurred in Old Mill Rd., Torquay when No.541 was decapitated by the Sharon House railway bridge at Chelston. No one was hurt and the vehicle was cleverly repaired by DG engineers at Bideford using the roof from “sea-dog” convertible No.933 , enabling its return to service within a month.
In 1982 No.537 suffered terminal engine failure and was withdrawn by Western National. It then, rather unusually, passed directly into preservation meaning that it did not join the remaining nine when they became the property of the new Devon General Ltd. upon deregulation on Jan 1st 1983.
By the beginning of 1984, following an influx of second-hand Bristol VRs, all but Nos.535/8, had been withdrawn. These 2 continued to work the Rifford Rd. service in Exeter until the end of January when VRs took over. The following month all 9 were driven to a Barnsley dealer and promptly cut up.
As previously mentioned No.537 had passed into preservation in 1982. Fortunately its body retained its moulded front panel meaning that it could be restored to original specification. It has now been in active preservation for over 20 years and looks superb in its original livery.
Following on from the 1964 delivery of eight 30 ft long AEC Regent Fives, Devon General ordered a further six examples the following year. 
Unlike the previous examples their 69 seat bodies were built not by Willowbrook but by Park Royal in Acton. They arrived in May 1965 and were numbered 509-14. 
These Regents, together with a batch of “Reliance” single deckers, were the first vehicles delivered to DG with the new “suffix” type registration numbers, receiving CTT509-14C. 
As with the previous delivery they started work on the 50 and 55 services in Torquay but were soon to be seen operating from both Exeter and Newton Abbot. 
In 1967 No.509 was one of three vehicles fitted with experimental “load-meters”. This system consisted of microswitches fitted within the seats to register the pressure of bums on seats. History does not record the systems effectiveness. 
In January 1971, with the formation of the NBC, all six passed into the hands of Western National and were repainted poppy red. In May 1975 a complete restructuring of route numbers was undertaken by WN. The No2 route between Exeter and Newton Abbot thus became the 187 and was subsequently almost exclusively worked by buses from this batch.
In 1977 No.509 was withdrawn and sold directly to Roselyn’s Coaches of Par in Cornwall, whose fleet comprised a great many second hand Regents sourced from many UK operators. In March 1979 No.512 was also withdrawn and sold to a Gloucestershire dealer.
In March 1980 the rear upper deck of No.511 was damaged by fire whilst operating a school contract. It was stored at Newton Rd. depot and did not turn a wheel in anger again. 
The remaining three examples continued in service up to and during 1980 until their time finally ran out in the Autumn of that year due to the rostering of OMO Bristol VRs on the 187 service. 
The final example to be withdrawn was No.513 which came off service on October 31st, having run an enthusiasts special from Exeter to Torquay’s Pavilion.
So, what’s left? Well, No.513 passed into preservation and has been restored back into Devon General’s maroon livery. After spending some time in South Wales as a driver trainer No.510 was thought to have been scrapped in Barnsley but was seen on a travellers’ site near Exeter in 1999, having been converted to a caravan. 
In 2006 it was acquired by a preservationist in Shropshire and hopefully restoration is a viable option.
No.514 was reported in 1988 as being in use as a catering bus in Surrey but has not been heard of since and is presumed scrapped. An unsuccessful attempt was made to secure No.512 for preservation and it was subsequently converted into a play-bus. Following a low bridge accident it was acquired for spares by Chepstow Classic Buses.
Devon General bought its first examples in 1932 having already been purchasers of the Regent’s single deck equivalent, the “Regal”. The company remained loyal to AEC through the years buying all variants of the type up until 1959 when, requiring a rear engined vehicle, they “defected” to Leyland.
Following the well documented shortcomings of Devon General’s first Leyland Atlantean deliveries the company returned to AEC when looking for a reliable, large-capacity double decker. To this end eight heavyweight AEC Regent Fives with 30 foot long front entrance Willowbrook 69 seat bodies were delivered to the company between January and April 1964.
The eight were fitted with the AEC AV590 engine of 9.6 litres, were numbered 501-508 and were registered 501-508RUO.
They began their service lives in April 1964 on Torquay circular routes Nos. 50 and 55 but could soon be seen on many Newton Abbot and Exeter services. On 1st Jan 1971, following the NBC takeover, all eight became the property of the Western National Omnibus Co. and were repainted from Devon General maroon livery into NBC poppy red. 
In January 1973 No.504 was badly damaged in an accident at Tipton St. John following the unfortunate death at the wheel of its driver. It was repaired and returned to service. 
In March 1976 Nos.507/8 were converted to open-top at Newton Rd. garage. Both were repainted into the same livery as the nine “sea-dog” convertible Atlanteans and given names. No.507 became “Prince Regent” whilst 508 was named “Regency Princess”.
The intention had been to use them on the 137 Torquay to Dawlish Warren limited stop service but sea-dogs virtually monopolised the route. Consequently the two converts actually saw little service use and in 1978 they were both withdrawn and sold to London Transport. 
Withdrawal of the remaining six vehicles commenced at the beginning of 1980. Nos. 502/3/5 were stored at Newton Abbot’s power station site and 501/4/6 at Torquay’s Newton Rd. garage.
In March No.504 had its engine removed to provide a replacement for another vehicle and by July No.506 had been cut up on site by Western National staff. 
So, do any survive? Luckily the answer is yes, three. No.503 is currently undergoing restoration by a member of the Devon General Society and No.507 is still earning a living running for Chepstow Classic Buses of Gwent.
Fellow open topper No.508 has moved to the sun and is now operated by Big Red Tours of San Luis, California. 
One other example, No.505, was initially secured for preservation but was unfortunately sold on to a local farm where it was used as staff transport for fruit pickers. Whilst under this ownership it was regrettably destroyed by arsonists.
Although Devon General’s initial deliveries of Leyland Atlanteans suffered with more than a few early gremlins, once rectified they went on to become stalwarts of the DG fleet. However, the fact that they were underpowered for some of Torbay’s hillier routes meant that any subsequent batches would require a higher engine power output. 
To this end the next batch of Atlanteans ordered by the company, this time the PDR1A/1 variant, were fitted with the more powerful 11 litre 0680 engine, producing 150 bhp at 2000rpm. This power output was selected as suitable following tests over the appropriate routes in 1963 using a Daimler Fleetline demonstrator (4559VC) fitted with a 10.5 litre Gardner engine. 
Gear ratios for these vehicles had been determined during November 1965 following trials over the routes using the 11.1 litre 0680 engined Park Royal bodied Atlantean demonstrator, KTD551C. This vehicle subsequently ran for Woods of Mirfield, Yorkshire, in whose livery it is pictured above
At deregulation on 1st Jan 1983 all passed to the newly formed Devon General Ltd. Within a month No.526 was withdrawn due to mechanical failure. The remainder were distributed between Newton Abbot, Exeter and Exmouth. All had been withdrawn from service by January 1984.
