Not all yellow buses are school buses. This 1936 White Model 706 used to carry tourists around Yellowstone National Park, but its most recent stop was at Jay Leno’s Garage.
While similar models are still in use (with some modifications) in the National Park, this 16-passenger bus was acquired and restored by Winslow Bent, founder of Legacy Classic Trucks. He had previously appeared at the garage with a Six-wheel Dodge Power Wagon.
White was founded in 1858 as a manufacturer of sewing machines, but branched out into car, some of which became the first official White House cars. The company gradually transitioned from passenger cars to larger vehicles, turning everything from World War II half-way buses to buses like this.
1936 White Model 706 Yellowstone tour bus on Jay Leno .’s Garage
Similar to modern commercial trucks, White offers only the cabin and chassis, leaving customers looking for bodywork suppliers. This bus is owned by Henri Binder, a bodybuilder who has also built the body of luxury cars like the Duesenberg and Hispano-Suiza. However, the distinctive grille and narrow hood are offered in White.
Underneath that hood is a 318 cubic-inch inline-six engine that produces what Bent estimates to be 120 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. That’s not too much power for such a large car, but this flat-head engine is very quiet, Bent notes. So it won’t scare off wild animals.
The transmission is an asynchronous 4-speed manual transmission, earning the driver the nickname “Gear Jammers”. The powertrain isn’t the only thing that needs to be perfected, as four-wheel drum brakes aren’t designed for an emergency stop.
One of 150 acquired by the federal government, the bus has amassed 600,000 miles in passenger service on mostly unpaved roads. It is worth noting that after that there is still enough to restore. The body is wood, while the other components are a mixture of steel and aluminum which is susceptible to corrosion through electrochemical reactions.
The streets of Los Angeles may not be as pretty as Yellowstone, but this restored bus still makes for an impressive sight. Check it out in the embedded video.
