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The Crown Coach Corporation (founded as the Crown Carriage Company) is a defunct American bus manufacturer.Founded in 1904, the company was best known for its Supercoach range of yellow school buses and motorcoaches; the former vehicles were marketed throughout the West Coast of the United States.
The Crown Supercoach is a bus that was constructed and marketed by Crown Coach Corporation from 1948 to 1991. While most examples were sold as yellow school buses , the Supercoach formed the basis for motorcoaches and other specialty vehicles using the same body and chassis.
Along with Crown Supercoach, highest-capacity school bus ever produced. Gillig Coach school bus c.1940–1980 School bus Various (to 40 feet) Variant of Gillig Transit Coach; body modified to fit customer-supplied cowled truck chassis Produced on a limited basis after Gillig became distributor for other manufacturers of conventional-style buses.
In 1959, Gillig introduced the first diesel-powered Transit Coach, offering two models. Similar to the Crown Supercoach, the mid-engine Model 743 was powered by a 743 cubic-inch Cummins NHH220 underfloor inline-6; the Model C-180 was the first diesel-powered school bus with a rear-mounted engine (Cummins C-180).
From 1925 to 1980, the company was based in Lima, Ohio. After its 1980 closure, the Superior name would live on through several other companies. The manufacturing of school buses would play a part of the formation of Mid Bus (acquired by Collins Industries in 2008) and the professional car operations would remain in Lima as part of Accubuilt.
1990 Crown Supercoach Series II, a body design acquired by Carpenter in 1991 1994-1995 Carpenter Classic with an International 3800 chassis As it entered the 1990s, Carpenter was no longer a family-owned company, transitioning into the leadership formed by Dr. SerVaas.
To increase seating capacity (extra rows of seats), manufacturers began to produce bodies on heavier-duty truck chassis; transit-style school buses also grew in size. In 1954, the first diesel-engined school bus was introduced, with the first tandem-axle school bus in 1955 (a Crown Supercoach, expanding seating to 91 passengers).
Following the mid-1970s launches of the Wayne Busette and Blue Bird Micro Bird, Thomas would launch its own cutaway-chassis school bus, the Thomas Minotour, in 1980. Alongside the small Minotour, Thomas introduced the WestCoastER, a heavy-duty variant of the Saf-T-Liner ER marketed against Crown Supercoach and Gillig Phantom school buses.