Mailing Address P.O. Box 601105 Sacramento, CA 95860-1105
The Flxible New Look bus was a line of transit buses manufactured and sold in the United States. It was a major competitor to the popular New Look bus from General Motors.
History
Flxible introduced its own “New Look” design in 1960. Regular production began in 1961, replacing the Flxible Twin model. The Flxible New Look was produced until 1978 when it was replaced by the “870” Advanced Design Bus. Over its 17-year production run a total of 13,121 New Looks were manufactured.
Design
The Flxible New Look looked similar to General Motors’ New Look design. Both buses had a large 6-piece “fishbowl” windshield, fluted aluminum siding, and oblique passenger windows. The first model introduced was 40 feet long and 102 inches wide. In 1963, Flxible introduced 31, 33, and 35-foot models that were 96 inches wide.
By the end of the 1950s, GM was forced to sell its engines and transmissions to other manufacturers, free of royalties. Like GM’s New Look, the Flxible bus could be fitted with a 6 or 8-cylinder Detroit Diesel Series 71 engine. GM, however, did not offer an 8-cylinder engine in their 35-foot bus, Flxible did. The alternative to Detroit Diesel engines came from Cummins. The majority of Flxible New Look buses used diesel-fueled engines.
The Pacific Bus Museum has a membership newsletter called The Paddle. This newsletter predates the PBM and goes back to its predecessor the West Coast Motor Coach Society, and was started ~1984. But, why is it called The Paddle? PBM Member Tim Evans provides some explanation in his story, called “Paddles”, which he wrote for […]
Amtrak, Denver Tramway, Flxible, Fort Wayne Transit (FWT), Indianapolis Transit System (ITS), Leppert Bus Lines, Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines (SMMBL)
#7103 became one of the first buses of the newly formed Pacific Bus Museum in 1989 when it was split off from the West Coast Motor Coach Museum.
2-Speed Automatic, Automatic, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Flxible, Perkins, Southern California RTD (SCRTD), Spicer, Transit, West Coast Motor Coach Museum
This Flxible two-level model 223DD-D2 “Flxiliner” Bus was delivered, new, to the San Joaquin Delta Junior College District in Stockton, CA in 1970 as #9E.
Model: 223DD-D2 “Flxiliner”
Serial#: 10821
Powertrain: GM 6-71 Diesel engine with a 5-speed mechanical transmission
Length: 35 ft
Width: 96 in
5-Speed Manual, Delta Junior College, DINA (Diesel Nacional S.A), Flxible, General Motors, Intercity Coach
This Flxible Visicoach was one of four (#48-51) delivered new in 1955 to the Utah Parks Company as #50.
The bus was donated to the PBM in 1996 along with the five other buses of Richard Twining’s historical bus collection.
Year Built: 1955
Manufacturer: The Flxible Company, Loudonville, Ohio
Model: 218FA1-55-29IC Visicoach
Serial#: 30839
Original Owner: Utah Parks Co. #50
5-Speed Manual, Fageol, Flxible, Glacier Transport Company, Hercules, Specialty, Union Pacific Railroad, Utah Parks Company
The PBM’s Archives contain a treasure trove of history. This series leverages the archives of the PBM’s membership newsletter, The Paddle, to dive deep into various stories.
Today’s Paddle Deep Dive is into the SunBus #1439.
From the Pacific Bus Museum Paddle Archives, we have been able to document the following information:
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