Capoco Design operated from 1977 until 2021 so about 45 years
The company was founded to cover automotive & marine design & analysis. The projects have always been specialist ones directed at lower volume sectors
A passion for creating new mobility designs
What a particular excitement when starting a new design project – whatever, whenever, wherever?
City and/or transit buses
Small & large city buses across 60 countries, market leaders in many sectors.
Luxury coaches and/or tour buses
Luxury coaches starting with the wonderful Duple 425, Greyhound, Dennis R Series, Plaxton Elite and FAW Coach A, B & C.
Specialist trucks – race, refuse & fire
The ZIL race truck, the Dennis Eagle Elite & the Dennis Rapier – Design Council Award Winner
Midi & minibuses
The core of the Capoco work, 1977 thru 2005, mid sized buses in Europe, North America & Asia
Cars
Volume cars were a dimension solely with the late, great Alex Moulton, plus AVA, of course
Boats
Workboats, military boats, VIP boats plus wooden boats
An array of resources
Great, long term partners in the fields of styling, 2D & 3D CAD & packaging
Optare
- The wonderfully creative period of Excel, Solo & Tempo
- Plus Alero mini, Versa midi & DD2000 double deck
- Design study by the oh-so-gifted Fran Cush
ElDorado National
- First project in late 1990s on re-design of 30′ EZ-Rider 2
- New front & rear trailing link suspensions
- Design 40′ Axess 30X integral frame & suspensions
Plaxton
- Design of Verde & Pointer aluminium body systems
- Transfer work on the Plaxton 425 to French factory
- New styling on Centro, Cheetah 2 & Elite
Duple Metsec
- Structural FEA analysis on SBS contracts – B10M & O405
- Structure work on 4,250 CKD bus kits fot Sri Lanka
- Package, styling, design on Trident for HK, Singapore & NA
Dennis
- Structural FEA analysis on all Dennis chassis ’84 to ’15
- Concept for Dart SLF, plus frame & suspensions
- Design work for Javelin, Lance, Trident 2 & 3, Rapier, Sabre
Moulton
- First Capoco client in Spring 1977 on Moulton Coach
- Last Capoco car project Autumn 2012 on Yaris
- Design work on cars, bicycles & boats.
Dennis Eagle
- Work on chassis frame concept, then front suspension
- Project to fit M-B OM366 engine for joint M-B project (!)
- Analysis on service failures of bin lift mech – interesting.
New Bus for London
- Started as an off-the-cuff Xmas special for Autocar
- Became graphic lesson in how some spend others’ cash…
- Thankfully one-&-only public sector contract in 125 jobs!
Dennis Rapier
- Innovative concept using the Capoco designs for cab, chassis, suspension & overall packaging
- Sales into mainland Europe – quite an exception!
- Design Council Award winner
“Too many headline projects to mention in full – Dart, Solo, Trident, Enviro, Rapier, Duple 425, EZR-2, ElDorado National, FAW – some 125 projects across 60 countries”
Alan Ponsford
Design Director
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