What makes this bus stand out?
The Greyhound Silversides as:
- Cult bus
- design icon
- living art of engineering from 1948
- the only bus of its kind in Switzerland
- lower diesel consumption than today's buses
The history of the Greyhound Silversides
The GM PD-4151 Silversides was the last model of the second generation of cars produced by the General Motors Truck and Coach Division in 1948. The nickname "Silversides" refers to the corrugated aluminum trim.
The first V-drive coach was the Yellow Coach Model 719 "Super Coach", introduced by General Motors in 1936. The Yellow Coach Model 719 was a novelty with V-drive - a 707 cc gasoline engine installed transversely at the rear and an angular gearbox, luggage under the floor, a flat front and a door in front of the front wheels. It was followed in 1937 by an updated Yellow Coach Model 743, which for the first time featured a GM Diesel 2-stroke 6-71 engine.
The first Yellow Coach Silverside from GM, prototype no. 1206, was presented at the New York World's Fair in 1939. Production began in 1941 as the Yellow Coach PDG-3701 and PDG-4101 with a length of 33 and 35 feet respectively. Designed by Raymond Loewy, the coach was built exclusively for Greyhound, hence the "G" in the model designation, and 591 Silversides were produced before the war. Greyhound was looking for a futuristic design, and Raymond Loewy certainly found it with this classic design inspired by the Zephyr aluminum cars of the time. Loewy also designed the famous Coca-Cola bottle.
After the war, Silversides production was resumed in 1947, but not as the Yellow Coach. The Silversides was now a product of the GM Truck and Coach Division with the GM PD-3751 model, followed by the GM PD-4151 in 1948, both 35 feet long.
In 1947 and 1948, 1,643 GM PD-3751 Silversides were built. This was followed later in 1948 by the GM PD-4151, of which 357 were built. The most important change was the increase in seating capacity from 37 to 41. Greyhound ordered a total of 2,000 post-war Silversides coaches.
Of all the Silversides built, only 10 were fitted with toilets, eight of which were PD-3751 and two PD-4151.
The Greyhound Silversides buses from 1948 are a piece of history on wheels. The buses were the most luxurious in the world at the time. They were already equipped with air conditioning, reading lamps and reclining seats. The competition searched in vain for a similar bus to rival the Silversides.
In 2023, 12 Silversides were still on the road in the USA, equipped as coaches with seats.
The rest (exact number unknown) were converted into motorhomes.
Three Silversides are on the road in Europe, one of which is in Switzerland.
With the completion of phase 1 according to project planning, it will be possible to experience this piece of American history in Switzerland from July 7, 2023. Initially as an exhibition bus and bus for events of all kinds. After the seats have been installed, it will also be available as a coach.