Wright Eclipse
The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body that was built by Wrightbus between 1999 and 2019. The second-generation Eclipse 2 was launched in 2008, followed by the third-generation Eclipse 3 in 2015. The Eclipse, and its sister design the Solar, were named for a solar eclipse which was visible in the UK in 1999, the year of its introduction.
| Wright Eclipse | |
|---|---|
East Coast Buses Wright Eclipse 3 bodied Volvo B8RLE in September 2018 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Wrightbus |
| Production | 1999–2019 |
| Assembly | Ballymena, Northern Ireland |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 |
| Floor type | Low floor/low entry Step-entrance (Eclipse SchoolRun) |
| Chassis | Volvo B7L Volvo B7RLE Volvo B7R Volvo B8RLE |
| Related | Wright Eclipse Fusion Wright Eclipse Gemini |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | D7C (B7L) D7A/D7B/D7C/D7E (B7R) D7C/D7E (B7RLE) D8K (B8RLE) |
| Transmission | Voith ZF Friedrichshafen |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 11.8 m (38 ft 9 in) 12.2 m (40 ft 0 in) 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in) 13.2 m (43 ft 4 in) |
| Width | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Wright Renown |
| Successor | Wright GB Hawk |
The Eclipse was launched in 1999 on Volvo B7L chassis and, in 2003, the body was made available on the more popular Volvo B7RLE chassis. A coach version, the Eclipse SchoolRun, was later launched on high floor Volvo B7R chassis. In November 2008, Wright unveiled the Eclipse 2 at that year's Euro Bus Expo, with front and rear ends facelifted to match the Wright StreetCar. In 2015, the Eclipse 3 was launched on Volvo B8RLE chassis, the successor to the B7RLE. Production of the Eclipse has been suspended as Wrightbus entered administration in September 2019.
Over 2,100 Eclipses were built, with FirstGroup the largest customer. A double-decker version of the Eclipse is also available, known as the Wright Eclipse Gemini, and formerly also an articulated version, the Wright Eclipse Fusion.