CROWN SUPERCOACH TANDEM AXLE 4 WHEEL DRIVE 40 FOOT... THE BEST OF THE BEST! (1985)
Sale price: US $32,800.00 Make an Offer
| Used |
| “THE MOST DESIRABLE CROWN STYLE, THE MOST DESIRABLE CROWN POWERTRAIN , THE MOST POWERFUL CROWN, AND IT'S IN UNIMAGINABLY GOOD CONDITION. IF YOU LIKE THE BEST, YOU NEED TO READ THIS CAREFULLY. ONCE IN A LIFETIME BUS "FIND".” |
| Fuel Type: | DIESEL | Model Year: | 1985 |
| Make: | CROWN | Type: | School Bus |
San Bernardino, California, United States
Vehicle description
If you"re planning a serious high end conversion, or want the ultimate collector bus, there are a ton of reasons why you need to check out this Crown Supercoach Tandem Axle classic. One of me most famous of all Crown Coaches, and, interestingly, not from CA like most Crowns, this bus was special ordered and purchased new by Bainbridge Island, WA for their school district. It set a record for the most money ever paid for a new Crown school bus at the time. In January of 1986, this beauty was delivered to Bainbridge Island School District for a little over $142,000.00. Even the finest motor vehicle in history, the Crown Super Coach, could be insanely upgraded and this one is all that and more. First off, it"s a tandem rear axle model with a total of ten wheels and tires and 6 separate brakes. Crown Tandems were very expensive new, and remain the most desirable school bus body design in history. These 40 foot long monsters are simply the coolest thing on ten wheels. And they"re extremely hard to find. Many, including this bus, have both rear axles powered by thge motor, and have a lock control, which makes them into serious 4 wheel drive vehicles. Snow, mud, ice, rain. . nothing can keep this old girl off the street. Actually, with dual rear wheels, it"s an EIGHT wheel drive! But, Bainbridge School District didn"t stop there. They specified the most powerful and expensive engine available in a Crown (or any school bus), the monster (and world famous) Cummins 855 "Big Cam" 14 liter diesel motor with 300 horsepower and almost 1000 pound feet of torque. Only a very few Crowns ever had a "Big Cam Cummins", and those few are the most collectible of the entire Crown line. This bus could virtually tow your house off its foundation and down the street. It pulls steep mountain grades at highway speeds in top gear. The Big Cam 855 was the last (and finest) big cubic inch FULLY MECHANICAL Cummins diesel truck engine. It was designed to power 90,000 pound double trailer big rig trucks. At 35,000 pounds loaded, this bus is barely 1/3rd of the weight the engine is designed to pull! "Overpowered" is an understatement. Interestingly, this engine weighs nearly two tons, all by itself and is as quiet as it is powerful. And, unlike most 40 foot buses, the motor is mounted UNDER THE FLOOR in the center of the bus. With light weight aluminum body panels up top and the heavy engine down low, this bus corners better than many cars. Then, not to be outdone, they ordered it with a Fuller Road Ranger RT ten speed, HD truck transmission. If you"re in the mood, you can shift it without using the clutch, just like an over the road trucker. And, if you don"t feel like shifting gears, you can use only a few. It"s so powerful, it doesn"t mind skipping gears. If you decide you want this bus, I will teach you to drive it. Believe it or not, it only takes about three hours and you"ll be ready to roll. And, unlike most school buses, this Crown will cruise at 70 MPH. So, the Crown is the ultimate collector bus, the underfloor Big Cam 855 is the ultimate powerplant, The Fuller 10 speed is the ultimate transmission, and the dual driven axles with locking 4 wheel drive provide the ultimate traction. And it"s got quite a few unusual options installed by Crown. Focused fog lamps, rear air bag suspension, DUAL Tachographs (one for RPM"s and one for bus speed), an adjustible air suspended driver seat, quad crossover lamps, extra protective body side moldings, extra marker lamps, an AM-FM factory radio (that still works!) with PA system, a NASTY loud air horn, a dash mounted Pyrometer gauge (avoids extreme upper cylinder temperatures when climbing), a hand made custom shift knob, extra gauges, and a yellow matching roof. But wait. . there"s more! Bainbride is a very small island in Pugeot Sound near Seattle, WA. It is five miles at the widest and ten miles at the longest. All Bainbridge school bus routes were very short, and this bus didn"t run regular routes. It shows 62,000 total miles on the tachograph, and if that"s accurate, it becomes one of the lowest mileage Crowns left on the planet. After only one minute driving this Crown, any experienced Crown driver will tell you, it"s still brand new! Crown buses can last a million miles. This bus is hardly broken in! The body has had all dents removed and a beautiful repaint. The black bumpers and stripes are high gloss fresh paint, and the interior is IMMACULATE, although there are a couple of slightly cut seats. The wood grain dash is still lovely, the plastic has no sun damage, the tires are all very good, the brakes are amazing, the clutch is like now, the motor starts well, even in cool weather, everything works, the is NO RUST on, in or under the bus, the glass is all perfect, all the instruments work properly, there are no fluid or oil leaks, all filters are fresh or new, there"s no steering wheel free play, no quirks or surprises. It drives flawlessly and rides smooth. Unlike any vintage school bus I"ve ever driven, there are so few rattles that it"s uncanny. Compressed air pressure builds fast and holds long after being parked. Oil consumption is VERY low. I would note that totally "mechanical" diesel engines generally run "forever", if not abused. Modern computer controlled diesel engines with all kinds of emission controls, DEF fluid, sensors, warning lights and catalysts, exhaust particulate traps, and high operating temperatures, break down all the time, as do modern diesel motorhomes. An all mechanical, non-computerized diesel Crown is the essence of longivity and reliability. And their aluminum bodies survive well in the snow belt. The 4 wheel drive makes the tandem able to navigate almost any surface. If you plan to make something spectacular out of your bus, this rare, hardly-used Crown would be the ultimate platform to build your masterpiece on. Even this most-expensive Crown with an added high end conversion, is considerably less expensive (and more reliable) than a high end new motor home I have a decade of experience collecting and restoring Crown Supercoach school buses. There is simply nothing like them. Beautiful beyond words, best handling buses ever, comfortable, and they APPRECIATE in value every year, since they"re becoming rare, and most were crushed a few years back. They never wore out, so the state of CA finally had to legislate them off the road by giving districts huge checks toward replacement buses for every Crown that was crushed. Remember the VW Microbus value spike. Crown is doing the same thing. Remember, Crown went out of business in 1991 because they never wore out, and so they never needed to be replaced. If Crowns are new to you, which they are for many people from outside CA and WA, you might want to contact me for the whole story. There"s way too much to share it all here, but hopefully, you"ve discovered how this finest specimen of the finest bus brand with the most desirable powertrain, is really a one-in-a-zillion find. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I"ll take as much time as you need, to explain eferything you need to know. And, I"ll invest all the time necessary to train the new owner about every nuance of this classic coach! VIN is 1C9FJ17A8FL102216. Bus comes with the original title issued when new. Bus is a 1985 model, delivered in the first week of 1986 It"s now stored in Southern CA awaiting your private showing and test drive. It is being fully checked over and serviced by J&R Diesel, a famous and highly respected repair and parts source for vintage mechanical diesel vehicles. I state confidently that I would trust it to make a woncerful and uneventful cross country trip. There"s no warranty on over 30 year old vehicles, but the combination of "breeding" and condition makes this Crown one of the best bets ever for a lifetime of traveling pleasure and attention getting beauty. For about the price of a loaded new Camry, you can own the king of the highway, the KING CROWN. And it will likely still be running strong years after the new Camry is in the junk yard! You only live once. Waiting for something to change your life is a waste of time. You either have to make it happen, or accept life as-is. That "call" is yours and yours alone to make. If this IS the right "call" for you, know that it does not have a duplicate. One would be wise to be decisive, IF it"s for you. And, if you ARE the right person or family for this Crown, I can"t wait to meet you! Thanks for investing the time to share the experience of the King Crown. If you ever meet this bus face-to-face, you will NEVER forget it!