Why did Midland Red buy retro-Plaxton bodies?

It was something of a surprise that Midland Red should take a batch of thirty Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopards in 1969 about a year after the new more streamlined Elite range had been launched. My guess is there were a large number of body parts left over and they were offered them at a knocked down price. However if that is true I feel they did not get a bad deal as the passage of time has left the impression that they were equally attractive in their own way. No.6243 WHA 243H was pictured as it approached Hanley Bus Station in 1979.