If you’re a bus lover, you’re undoubtedly aware that GM Coach’s new transit bus from 1959 and used for decades thereafter was called the “New Look” bus, or also the “Fishbowl”, but here’s a version that’s best described as “Boat Look”. Too bad that’s not a fishing boat up there, because then this would be a “Fishing Boat Look” bus.
The key thing to note about this bus is that’s it’s not transporting this boat; the boat has become the upper level, and is quite fully integrated into the bus. Not only that, but the boat hull has been stretched in two places to make it match the 35′ length of this TDH-4523 model.
It’s exactly like the ones I used to drive for Iowa City Transit in 1975-1976, which thanks to the magic of the internet, I can show you here. This one is #6 out of the fleet of 12 of these buses, with which I plied the streets of Iowa City.
Actually, this bus doesn’t have air conditioning, which the IC buses thankfully had. So this one may well be a veteran of Eugene’s transit system, which had a substantial fleet of these (and nothing else) when we moved here in 1993. They were all without AC, due to our historically cool summers here, which has unfortunately become less the case thanks to global warming, and window air conditioners are sprouting everywhere, including our house.
Of course, there were plenty of other fleets in the northern locales that also bought these without AC, so it’s pure speculation.
But it would of course be fitting to have one of Eugene’s buses end up like this. I was rather drawn to the idea of buying one of these from Eugene’s fleet as it was mustered out, but probably it was a wiser decision to just say no. It’s not like I had room to keep it at the house, and if you go to storage lots, one can see a whole lot of old buses that were once somebody’s dream motorhome project that never got finished, or just hardly ever used. Still, the allure of driving my family in one across the West and into Mexico was great, and it still sort of is, although it would be problematic taking it down all those rough forest roads that we drive our Chinook on to boondock camp in the woods.
This being Eugene and all, our featured bus is hardly the only bus in town to sport a sailboat on top. I shot this at the now-defunct Eugene Celebration parade a few years back. It’s a bit more colorful.
I like the look, although it doesn’t seem like the most practical choice of adding an upper deck to a bus. But then what’s practicality got to do with this? And the prow is rather aerodynamic.
Related reading:
CC GM TDH-4523 “New Look” Transit Coach: GM’s Greatest Hit #11 PN
Bus ahoy!
A number of Cleveland buses appear here.
http://www.oocities.org/~buslist/Cleveland/Cleveland.html
The picture below is the end model of the next bus after the boat bus.
Great stuff. I came a little 🙂
Random weirdness. What exactly were they trying to accomplish with sticking that boat to the roof? And those flames look like a rash.
What exactly is the Eugene Celebration Parade and when did Eugene retire the last Fishbowl? That bus you photographed sure looks interesting indeed, but what a pig on fuel it must be.
A celebration of Eugene’s culture, which used to be a part of the Eugene Celebration, both of which bit the bullet a couple of years back.
Google is your friend: https://www.google.com/search?q=eugene+celebration+parade&rlz=1CASMAE_enUS562US567&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjcjO2czprTAhVCrlQKHXu7BCoQ_AUICSgE&biw=1366&bih=630
Thank you.
From V-8, to vee-berth.
If the owner bought four or more of these, would it be a Fleet sail?
In a breeze, at least this one won’t keel over, though the driver might.
Interesting that the hull has a new midsection. Must be the limo version.
Wonder how much faster it goes with the optional outboard mounted.
Surprised it doesn’t have an anchor on the stern. Though inauspicious use might cause the hull to fly forward, through the fishbowl.
No head on this yacht, especially with the owner on board.
Another reason why (most) sailboats have a boom. At least this one can go to SeaTac and won’t have a SONIC boom.
My fingers are tired and I need more coffee. All Hands on the Upper Deck.
Nice!
A great plan for an undersea vessel, providing you can get the waterproofing on the bus right. Just think, with the buoyancy of the sailboat holding the bus right below the surface, what a great view of marine life. And everyone up top thinks it is just a simple sailboat!
Convert the bus to batteries with an auxiliary screw drive and you could stay down for days at a time. Or come up top to enjoy sailing on the surface. The Amphi-Car perfected!
Hey, submarines are *hybrid* vehicles, after all!
So that’s where the “fish bowl” name comes from. 🙂
Just find the outfit that converted Bond’s Lotus. Might have to put the bus on a conventional boat to get it there, but no worries about that return ticket…
Now that is certainly unique…I hope there are not too many low bridges in Eugene…
My musical group has two GMC buses, a 1961 Fishbowl, which was converted from a Montreal city bus to a Luxury Club cruiser, and a 1983 RTS II which does LGBT Activism work as well as a rolling team RV for my SCCA racing team. Both have Dodge/Hino lean burn diesels plus electric motors for cruising/in town use. They also have Solar cells on the roof, which power Onan generators and has Satellite TV. I figure that these buses should be resurrected/recycled for RV use, they’re TOUGH!!
Very cool indeed!
clearly there’s more than one way to get the desired stance.
At first I thought the bus was the transportation rig for the boat and wondering how to get boat down from the bus…..until I read the text and realized the boat is very much an integral part of the bus.
Is the topside deck accessible through the bus roof?
All that’s needed is the “Captain” standing on the deck “steering” the bus, with the wind flowing through his cap and beard as it “sails” merrily along.
Interesting roof ornament. Whatever floats your boat.
DAMN that’s weird ! .
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I go to auctions and there used to often be Fishbowl GM Coaches in road ready condition for $350 on a regular basis – if I’da had the storage place I too would have gone down that rabbit hole of misery .
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I rather like the second SailBus, lots of detail works there .
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-Nate
Ah, great shot of the IC bus. Right in front of Phillips Hall at the corner of Clinton & Iowa. Still looks similar today, though they’ve gussied up the pavement with some brick work. An intersection I’ve traversed many times! Of note, the City has always kept the unobtrusive vertical curbside traffic lights along Clinton. They cause a lot of near misses when the parents visit and they’re only used to overhead lights.
I’m in the market, is this bus For Sail?
Yeah maybe it’s looking for a prow’d new owner…
At first glance I thought that would be a neat trick to see at the boat ramp.