The Ikarus 200s have been flying in Budapest for half a century
On December 20, 1971, those interested flocked around two brand-new BKV-painted buses at the Ikarus factory in Mátyásföld. It was then that the prototype of the 260 and its articulated pair, the 280, was officially unveiled for the capital. The former was registered with GA 95-86 and the latter with GA 95-87.
The first 260, which was handed over to Budapest but assembled in Székesfehérvár, had 21 seats and 76 standing places, Rába-MAN D2156 HM6U type, 10,350 cm3The floor-standing, 192-horsepower (141 kW) diesel engine with a Praga 2M-70 automatic transmission was provided. “Our old desire has been fulfilled with this car. The crackling, cumbersome shift lever is gone, you don’t have to push the clutch thousands of times a day. The automatic transmission is comfortable, we drive with two pedals, only gas and brakes”One of the BKV drivers told Esti Hírlap about the new 200s. It greatly increased driving comfort on the power steering wheel, making it easier for the car to turn through narrow streets. BKV experts praised the air spring, the automatic brake adjuster and the automatic brake force regulator.
“The length of the 280 articulated bus is 16 and a half meters. In its case, the designers counted thirty-five seats and 112 stands. When can we meet the two buses delivered today in traffic? The larger one will go to line 12, the smaller one to flight 144, running fifty thousand kilometers on a problematic line load test. In the meantime, we will get to know their benefits, we can suggest changes in all ways”The daily issue of Esti Hírlap announced. The Rába-MAN D2156 HM6U, with a cylinder capacity of 10,350 cm3 and a 192-horsepower diesel engine, is connected to the drive of the articulated bus with a self-supporting body, to which a hydromechanical Praga 2M-70 automatic transmission was connected.
The first Ikarus 260 (left) and 280 (right) made for BKV in the yard of the Ikarus Body and Vehicle Factory in Mátyásföld. The photo was taken after the press conference on December 20, 1971. Photo: MTI / János Hadas
The reception of the 28 in Budapest was favorable at 200, although the height of the model was 4 mm higher due to the 180, larger-area windows and the angular body of the cabin, which became lighter and more cramped. For doors of the same size, the passenger flow on the 280 has become much smoother. Passengers had greater travel comfort on board the 280 due to air suspension. The hydraulic power steering as well as the “self-aligning”, i.e. the forced-steering C-axis, maneuver the bus on the narrower city streets. The outer turning circle of the 280 was 20.8 meters, according to factory data from 1971. However, due to the smaller rear overhang of 2440 mm for the 180 model, the 280 had less far sweeping.
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Rare association with the Millennium Underground on December 20, 1971. Photo: János Hadas / MTI
“THEdamagejust their factory the rest make, the most atgiven buses van already more international exhibition proved that are achieved the world class, excellent technical propertytheir saga through are suitable the metropolitan totraffic to carry out. THE factory the following months more 10-10-et to deliver the new from buses the From Budapest Transport To the company”Remarked József Toldi, CEO of Ikarus, at the handover ceremony. Defy Joseph, the BKV CEOand his spokesman said that the new wagons maintenanceof the and improvement faster and easier do, that the bodywork type elements azonosak, therefore the parts supply van all togethermore will be for these vehicles.
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One of the Ikarus 280s, now in series production, is on the 1973 BNV. Photo: Sándor Bauer / Fortepan
Birth of the 260 & 280 pair
According to the original plans, the prototype 260 should have been completed as early as 1968. In contrast, they only started working on the first 260s and 280s two years later. The prototype of the solo and articulated versions was finally unveiled at the 1971 Budapest International Fair, next to the pavilion of the Automotive and Tractor Industry, in the open air. The domestic manufacturer exhibited 1-1 Volan-yellow versions of both models. After appearing in the capital, on June 28, 1971, a 260 and a 280 went to Moscow on their own for a long-term test. Also in the year in question, these types were awarded gold medals at the autumn Leipzig fair.
It is interesting that the prototypes handed over to the capital still differed from the versions intended for later series production by one or two points. Although the vehicles used the classic dark blue-gray two-tone paint, the prototypes also painted the doors two-tone. In later versions, however, the accordion doors were also painted gray. It was also a noticeable difference that while the first series 260s came to BKV with 1/3 partially retractable windows, the later ones were made with 2/3 partially openable side windows for better ventilation. Another important difference was that although the prototypes had a wide Ikarus inscription on the front wall between the two turn signals, only the line-written logo was displayed on later copies.
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Gyula Nagy received this Ikarus 280 in 1975 at the Buda end of the Elizabeth Bridge in Budapest.
On December 22, 1973, a year later, when Budapest launched the first 260, the first twenty pre-series Ikarus 260s were handed over to BKV, which had already been modified based on feedback from the transport company. In addition, the two companies entered into a development and cooperation agreement, under which BKV’s specialists carried out in-process inspections and then applied a full inspection and a unique running test for each vehicle when the buses were received. The grimace of fate is that 260s were not allowed to travel on mountain roads for a while, but in June 1973, the KPM Automobile Inspectorate approved this vehicle type certificate.
Between 1971 and 1992, BKV bought a total of 2,385 of the 260, but in 2010 it also bought some of this type from Hajdú Volán. Between 1971 and 1993, the transport company bought 1680 of the 280 new ones, and in 2002 the capital also bought 17 of these types second-hand.