Yellowstone Tour Bus: 1936 White Model 706 Visits Jay Leno's Garage
Not all yellow buses are school buses. This 1936 White Model 706, which once guided tourists through Yellowstone National Park, recently pulled into Jay Leno's garage.
While similar models are still in service (albeit with some modifications) in the national park, this 16-passenger bus was acquired and restored by Winslow Bent, founder of Legacy Classic Trucks. He previously showed up at the garage in a six-wheeled Dodge Power Wagon.
The White Company was founded in 1858 as a manufacturer of sewing machines, but branched out into steam automobiles, some of which became the first official White House cars. The company gradually shifted from passenger cars to larger vehicles, building everything from World War II half-tracks to buses like this one.
Like modern commercial trucks, White supplied only the cab and chassis, leaving the customer to find a supplier for the body. The body of the bus was made by coachbuilder Henri Binder, who had also built bodies for luxury vehicles such as the Duesenberg and the Hispano Suiza. However, the distinctive grille and narrow hood were provided by White.
Under that hood sits a 318 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder that Bent estimates produces 120 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. That's not a lot of power for such a big car, but this flathead engine is very quiet, Bent notes. So it won't scare away wildlife.
The transmission is an asynchronous four-speed manual, nicknamed the "gear jammer" by drivers. The transmission is not the only thing that needs improvement; the four-wheel drum brakes are not designed for emergency stopping.
The bus, one of 150 purchased by the federal government, traveled 600,000 miles in tourist transportation service, mostly on dirt roads. It is remarkable that it then had enough miles left to be restored. The body is made of wood, and the other parts are a mixture of steel and aluminum, which are susceptible to corrosion by galvanic reactions.
The streets of Los Angeles may not be as scenic as Yellowstone, but the restored bus still makes an impressive sight. Check it out in the embedded video.
