Thomas Minotour
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| Thomas Minotour | |
|---|---|
 Minotour on 1997-2003 GMC Savana chassis | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Bus |
| Manufacturer | Thomas Built Buses |
| Also called | Thomas MyBus MFSAB Thomas MyBus Daycare |
| Production | 1980-present |
| Assembly | United States: High Point, North Carolina (Thomas Built Buses) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | School bus MFSAB (Activity bus) |
| Platform | Ford E-Series (1980-present) Ford Transit (Coming Soon) Chevrolet Van/GMC Vandura (1980-1996) Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana (1997-present) |
| Chassis | Cutaway van chassis (see notes) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Thomas Mighty Mite |
The Thomas Minotour is a bus body manufactured by Thomas Built Buses since 1980. The smallest vehicle sold by the company, the Minotour is a bus body designed for cutaway van chassis. Primarily sold for school bus usage, the Minotour is also produced as a MFSAB (activity bus) or in specialized configurations specified by the customer.
The only current Thomas Built Buses vehicle not to use the Saf-T-Liner nameplate, the Minotour is manufactured alongside the full-size Thomas school bus line in High Point, North Carolina.
Background
In the 1970s, design of small school buses underwent a period of evolution, coupled with changes in full-size van design. Following the 1968 and 1971 redesigns of the Ford Econoline (redesigned again for 1975) and Chevrolet G-Series/GMC Vandura, engine placement shifted from behind the front seats (mid-engine) to forward of the front seats. Along with increased durability (by sharing parts with light-truck product lines) and more stable handling characteristics, the shift in engine placement allowed for the development of a new type of commercial vehicle, the cutaway van chassis. Built similar to its name, a cutaway van chassis is the equivalent of a chassis cab truck; from the front seats rearward, the van bodywork is removed from the frame, with the rest of the vehicle to be completed by a second stage manufacturer.
In the context of school bus manufacturing, cutaway chassis allowed for the construction of practical school bus bodies, replacing conversions of passenger vans or full-size SUVs (such as the Chevrolet Suburban or International Travelall). In 1973, Wayne Corporation produced the first school bus body for a cutaway van chassis, the Wayne Busette. In 1975, Blue Bird introduced the Blue Bird Micro Bird. While not the first cutaway-chassis school bus, the Micro Bird introduced several features that were adapted on virtually all subsequent models; it featured a full-height entry door and additional glass ahead of the entry door to aid loading visibility for the driver.
In the 1970s, Thomas Built Buses produced small school buses with two versions of the Mighty Mite. Initially produced as a narrow-body version of the Saf-T-Liner Conventional, in the mid-1970s, the Mighty Mite became a bus body for Chevrolet stripped chassis; produced with relatively few changes, the Mighty Mite was discontinued in 1995.
Model overview
In 1980, the Thomas Minotour was introduced as a supplement to the Mighty Mite; sharing a similar cutaway body design as the Wayne Busette and Blue Bird Micro Bird, Thomas offered the Minotour on both Ford and General Motors van chassis.
Body
The Minotour body is produced in three different versions: one for single rear-wheel chassis along with standard and extended lengths for dual rear-wheel chassis.
Since its 1980 introduction, the body of the Minotour has seen relatively few changes. During the 1990s, a floor-level rub rail was added. In the early 2000s, the front bodywork above the roof was modified to improve body aerodynamics. In 2008, the taillights were updated (to share a similar design with the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 and Thomas Saf-T-Liner HDX). Following various chassis redesigns, the window forward of the entry door has grown in size.
Chassis
Introduced on a dual rear-wheel chassis for both Ford and General Motors, the Thomas Minotour became the first cutaway-chassis developed for a single rear-wheel chassis; in the early 1980s, Thomas developed a narrow-body version of the Minotour for a single rear-wheel Ford chassis. Currently, the General Motors chassis is available with two gasoline engines and a diesel engine; the Ford chassis is available with two gasoline engines. A new bus built on ford transit chassis is also confirmed to join production with 20 passenger seating capacity.
In addition to gasoline and diesel versions of the Minotour, Thomas offers two alternative-fuel versions. On the General Motors chassis, the Minotour can be equipped with the option of CNG (compressed natural gas) or propane-fueled powertrains.
| Thomas Minotour Chassis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis | Production | Configuration | Fuel |
| Ford Econoline 350 | 1980-1991 | Single rear wheel
Dual rear wheel |
Gasoline
Diesel |
| Ford E-350/E-450 | 1992-present | Ford Transit 350/350HD | Coming Soon |
| Chevrolet G30/GMC Vandura | 1980-1996 | Dual rear wheel | |
| Chevrolet Express 3500/4500 | 1997-present | Single rear wheel
Dual rear wheel |
Gasoline
Diesel Propane/LPG Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) |
Although Thomas Built Buses is owned by Freightliner, a Daimler AG company, the Sprinter van family (badged as a Freightliner or Mercedes-Benz, or initially as a Dodge as well) was not adopted as a chassis for Minotour for several reasons. In addition to the Daimler-produced Sprinter being unable to directly compete with its Ford and General Motors counterparts in terms of cost, engineering concerns came into play.[1] In the mockup of a prototype, Thomas engineers discovered that the heavily reinforced body design of the Minotour far exceeded the GVWR rating for the then-current version of the cutaway-chassis Sprinter.[1]
Variants
MyBus
The Thomas MyBus (marketed as MyBus by Thomas Built Buses) is a variant of the Minotour marketed as a MFSAB (Multi-Function School Activity Bus); it is a vehicle intended for entities transporting children (or other individuals) in a group setting, but are not making use of traffic-control devices; these vehicles have been required to take the place of 15-passenger vans due to the risk of rollover in the latter.
Sharing the basic body of the Minotour, the MyBus differs primarily in its more aerodynamic front and rear roof cap styling. In addition, due to its use as an MFSAB, the MyBus is not allowed to be fitted with warning lights, a stop sign, nor can it be painted school bus yellow (conversely, the Minotour is required to be painted that color if it is a school bus).
See also
References
External links
