Wow! They don’t sell Sprinters this long over here. And I don’t think in Europe either, where Roshake shot this. I assume it’s an aftermarket conversion. Is it being used as a bus, or maybe a mobile bowling alley?
Here’s the factory extended body Sprinter:
170″ wheelbase; 289.9″ long.
I’ve owned a limousine business and worked with other livery companies to supply smaller bus conversion vehicles, and I’ve ridden on many tourist buses all through Europe. All had at least one side door for passenger entry/exit.
Other than the 2 front doors, I’m not seeing an additional door on the side, no external hinges or a method for sliding a door rearward. If this is in Europe, what we see is the curb side, and one would expect to see some type of entry door for the main passenger area. I don’t see a steering wheel like the one in the black van, so I don’t think it’s a RHD vehicle visiting from the UK [with the side door on the opposite side].
That would suggest entry would be through the passenger front door, however the ergonomics to walk in and out of that door makes this unlikely, and there is no visible step between the door and the ground to assist entry & exit.. The other possibility is thru doors in the rear area, but I doubt rear entry doors for a passenger vehicle of this size would be permitted due to safety issues. There appears to be a tow hitch at the rear, and if the primary entry/exit route was there, I cannot imagine allowing a tow hitch where people would step. [There is a bright line that appears to be extending rearward from the tow hitch, but on close inspection, that line is painted on the far curb].
As it’s equipped with side windows and a large rooftop A/C, one would think it’s a passenger van, but the lack of side doors suggests otherwise.
Any ideas?
My first thought was where are the emergency exits? I hope those windows serve the purpose or there’s hatches on the roof. Otherwise seems unsafe to me
I wonder if it’s right hand drive. I’m looking at the fuel filler door just behind the front door. The shop vans at work have them on the left side. Then the slider door should be on the opposite side.
Fuel filler is on the left regardless if steering wheel location.
Heaven help us if Amazon or FedEx gets ahold of these. I watched this kid FedEx driver try to turn around a standard wheelbase one in my driveway yesterday. It was a classic 9 point turn (which I will note that the actually trained UPS driver can do in 2 points). Inching back 75% of the amount of space he actually had to back up…turning the wheels about 10 degrees…inching back another 60 – 75%, turning the wheels another 10 degrees….and so on. It was painful to watch.
Some optimist/sadist equipped it with a tow hitch, too.
I think this would be like a bus inside, with maybe steps up cut into the floor and a remote opening for the front passenger door. My fear would be that this would quickly overload the tires.
Looks like it’s a 30-passenger (29 + the driver) bus made by a Polish company.
More pictures here at the company’s website:
https://www.goluchmerc.pl/sprinter29+1.html
And wow, that vehicle must have some pretty serious tail swing!
Interior shot below:
Well done Eric!
The longest (current gen) official MB-Sprinter “minibus” is the Sprinter City 75, built by Tremonia Mobility GmbH. Overall length 849 cm (334.3”). I’d say that’s enough!
Even there it seems to lack a passenger entry door.
I find things like this, the Hummer “Limo’s”, Escalade limo’s, and any similar type of party bus/limo to be a true annoyance. Not only are they just not as safe, but they just can’t do much in any true sense of the meaning except for pile in a bunch of drunks to shuttle them in a straight line from point A to point B. They don’t look nice. They are not as safe. They certainly are not my idea of a limo. So why build these things? Just rent a buss or motor coach if you have that many people. But as a “limo”? No way.
But, but, but how are you going to go off-roading with all twelve bridesmaids at once if you don’t have something like this? 🙂
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/junkyard/junkyard-classic-1998-land-rover-discovery-v8i-4×4-lwb-itd-be-a-stretch-to-say-i-love-this-thing/
lol. I understand!
I want to put a pallet of bags of cement just inside the rear doors, just to see if that makes the front tires float.
Has to be a winner in the front to rear overhang ratio!
Q: How many dead bodies can you fit into this accident-waiting-to-make-headlines?
A: How many live ones do you intend to start the journey with?
And as if the proportions aren’t enough, someone’s fitted ‘ground effect’ style sills – now that’s optimism!
I’d reckon those are there just to visually extend the body down by a few inches, to help conceal the exposed chassis and extra ground clearance caused by raising the rear on heavier-duty springs.
I’d feel more comfortable in that than in the average airport Ford E-350 cutaway with fiberglass rear “bus” body plopped on it. I’m guessing the window glass pops out or there’s a slider in there somewhere if need be. All the doors on the right side (like in a real bus) don’t seem to help much in a real tour bus that flips over onto its right side as isn’t uncommon when a driver runs off the road…
Besides the length aspect its styling is quite restrained otherwise. And by the looks of the front vs rear wheel well gap there seem to be some serious springs on the back end, I’m surprised it doesn’t just use an air suspension instead.
That tow hitch does double duty as a “feeler”, have you priced a Mercedes rear bumper lately?
I’m assuming the owner attempted to save on whatever extra a proper small bus would cost. I’ve never seen anything like this here in Austria (and that includes the many Polish registered buses we get here regularly). I suspect most people are too sensible to even consider such an option.
I came here to look at the vintage photos of the campers, but I saw the preview of this post below. When I first saw the teaser photo, I thought it was some sort of photochop, but Eric703’s sleuthing put that idea to rest. Wow, just wow.
I don’ know why, but this bus reminds me of those nine passenger minivans that are sold in Asian countries. It’s a mind-boggling experience when you see something like this for the first time.
extremely impractical, you can’t park it in a normal car park.
I see not so tiny house van conversion
I would turn this into an Interstate 35 GL sprinter van and make it my custom RV and have Airstream make a bunch of these RVs!!!!!!!!