Mercedes-Benz O319 10 Passagiere Luxusbus 1960 for sale

In 1960, at Mercedes in Stuttgart, it was decided to send some 0319 buses to urban centers in America to promote them. About 200 vehicles would be shipped to the United States for this purpose. Most of the buses were sent to hoteliers and entrepreneurs so they could impress their customers with German quality. This bus with the chassis number was built at the Mannheim plant and shipped directly to a dealer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The special feature of this bus is that it was equipped with a 6-cylinder M180 engine and luxury seats inspired by those of the DC-3 airplane. For two years, the bus was used by the dealer as a demonstration vehicle. Although it proved to be very functional and reliable, paying customers showed little interest. In 1962, the University of Minnesota purchased the bus and used it as transportation for the women's sports team. It was used for ten years for these purposes, until a law came into effect requiring the same transportation to be provided for men and women. After the university had to sell the bus, it passed to a medical student from St. Paul, Minnesota, who used it for various family trips. After driving it extensively for over 20 years, the owner faced increasing repairs and eventually decided to park it. In 2013, a Mercedes-Benz enthusiast discovered the valuable piece. He took care of the bus and restored it from scratch. Since then it has been ready for further road trips.