Well, I
used to tell people when they would see my Crown that it was a good thing that they didn't make them any bigger, or I'd probably have one, I guess that's not true any more. (actually, biggest of all is
this)
Let's put this thing into perspective...
I've toured the
Marathon Coach conversion factory in Coburg, OR a few times, gathering ideas for the Crown (actually, mostly getting ideas on what I was NOT going to do), and I have toured the interior of a couple of coaches that were built by another manufacturer in a similar style to the "double decker" design that this bus uses. The driver's seat was almost on the pavement, that there was a stand-up observation deck above it. It is possible to double-deck and still be within the 14-foot limit that many (if not most) freight trucks observe and successfully negotiate the nation's major highways.
The "twin steer" front axle design is an accepted configuration all over the world, many transit and distance buses in Australia use this setup for passenger comfort on rough roads. It's also not uncommon on very heavy vehicles (cranes, etc) in this country. Two axles spread the weight, making weight limits moot. RV's, even as big as this, weigh nearly nothing compared to a trailer filled with long-haul freight.
The fact that this was a "corporate" project means that someone (investors, most likely) thought that there was a market for the largest possible coach. The buyer of such a coach would have the financial resources to hire a driver and pre-plan and map routes that would not offer restrictions on height, width, weight, or length. This is not a small RV that one would use to explore the backroads of quaint villages across the US. The double deckers I toured actually had separate living quarters for not one, but two drivers, so that the bus need never be idle, and the owners wouldn't have to interact with the "hired help" if they so desired.
As to the asking price, a bare-shell Prevost coach that Marathon uses for their conversions costs almost exactly what this coach is being offered at. Of course, a Prevost comes with a damn fine warranty, and loads of nation-wide support, but still, considering the amount of work accomplished on it, the asking price is not outrageous.
Aesthetics? I don't think that any of us would be interested in it even if we could afford it. Over-the-top. Absolutely! Even with all the slide-outs, I'd think that the low overheads of the interior would be a lot like living in a cave. The design and placement of the windows make me think of Disneyland "house-of-the-future-designed-by-Monsanto", and I seem to remember that the listing mentions that four of the windows actually are operable.
When the slide-outs are in, I'd think it would be like a maze inside. I'd rather be trapped in a Subaru on a cross-county drive!
Still, someone with too much money will probably buy it, if not through eBay, and have it fitted out and finished. It would be a rest-of-your-life project for any of us. Hell, it'll take me the rest of my life to put panelling and a kitchen in my Crown.
Oh, and Marathon Coaches do have a single solar panel installed. It's purpose? To keep the starting battery for the four-cylinder turbo diesel generator charged!
. '78 wagon works a lot better on a trip than a '78 Brat.
