Double-decker hotel cruises in luxury
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GOTTLOP Auwarter of Neoplan fame has just completed the first articulated doubledeck luxury "Hotel Bus" for a Dutch-based international operator.
Designed to -accommodate no more than 16 passengers in its 18m (59ft) length, the first CAR-O-TEL Roadcruiser will be used next year on tours of Egyptian antiquities and the Aswan Darn.
Travelling over roads which have been specially cleared by the Egyptian government for use by foreign tourists, the CAR-O-TEL operation will be supported by three new roadhouses, due to open in March 1978, and several service support vehicles to minimise the risk of delays from breakdown.
Four additional CAR-O-TEL units will be introduced at a later stage for tours of the Middle East and Europe.
In 1979 it is hoped to extend the concept to holiday tours of North and South America. The new vehicle, based on the Neoplan Jumbocruiser, has 10 individual compartments, each with its own shower and toilet installation and seats which can be converted to sleeper berths.
Mains voltage is available for the passengers' own electrical appliances. Six compartments are on the lower deck with the one at the front for the crew.
On the upper deck, three compartments are in the trailing section while the remaining one is located between the forward "observation deck" and a galley/bar section amidships.
The bus is powered by a Daimler-Benz OM 403 V-10 engine of 320 bhp driving one of the bogie wheels through a ZF S 6-90 gearbox.
Many mechanical and body components have been specially built to withstand tropical conditions. The fuel tank has a capacity of 460 litres (99 gal) and is supplemented by a reserve tank of 125 litres (27.5 galls).