Crown Supercoach

Crown Supercoach
1977-1991 Supercoach (retired) at a UK bus rally
Overview
Manufacturer	Crown Coach Corporation
Body and chassis
Doors	Single-door
Floor type	High-floor
Chassis	Crown Coach; underfloor or rear engine Single or tandem rear axles
Powertrain
Engine	Gasoline Hall-Scott Waukesha International Harvester Ford Super Duty Diesel Cummins Detroit Diesel Caterpillar
Capacity	72-97
Power output	210-335 hp
Transmission	4-speed automatic 6-speed automatic 5-speed manual 10-speed manual
Dimensions
Length	35-40 feet
Width	96 inches
Chronology

Gasoline

Hall-Scott
Waukesha
International Harvester
Ford Super Duty

Diesel

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. While technically available outside of the West Coast, nearly all Crown school buses were sold in California, Washington State, and Oregon.

From 1948 to 1984, the Supercoach was constructed at the Crown Coach facilities in Los Angeles, California; from 1984 to the 1991 closure of the company, the Supercoach was constructed in Chino, California.

Crown Coach first used the Supercoach model name in 1932 when it built its first transit-style school bus. The first Supercoach was of a front-engine design similar to today's Type D school buses; it predated the Blue Bird All American by 16 years. It was also one of the first buses whose body was constructed primarily of steel instead of wood. During the 1930s, Crown built motorcoaches alongside its school buses, and in an effort to increase passenger room, its first mid-engine bus (with a front-mounted radiator) was built in 1937. In 1939, the company built its school bus with a rear-mounted engine. Following World War II, Crown entered into several joint ventures to save on development costs and to restart bus production; the most notable involved Crown becoming the West Coast distributor for Indiana manufacturer Wayne Works.

In 1946, development began on an all-new Supercoach. Originally designed as a sightseeing motorcoach, the Supercoach entered production in 1948; school bus production began a year later. Breaking from precedent, the chassis featured unibody construction. Although the frame itself was steel, the body panels were rust-resistant aluminum. In the early 1950s, two additions were made to the Supercoach lineup. In 1954, as diesel engines became popular in large trucks, Crown introduced diesel engines to the school bus industry with the option of the mid-mounted Cummins NHH inline-6. As student populations had risen through the 1950s, larger-capacity school buses had become popular out of necessity. In 1955, Crown introduced the tandem-axle Supercoach, with a 91 (with an option for 97)-student capacity; this was the highest capacity school bus ever mass-produced.

In 1960, the body of the Supercoach underwent its first set of modifications since its introduction 12 years earlier. To enhance driver visibility, the windshield was enlarged. Also, the taillamps were moved from the doors of the luggage compartment to the rear corners of the bus.