The DINA Olímpico was the long-distance coach that made DINA a household name in Mexican passenger transport. It was produced from 1961 under licence from the American builder Flxible, and for more than two decades it was the model most Mexican intercity lines relied on.
DINA Olímpico at a glance
| Maker | DINA (Diesel Nacional), Ciudad Sahagún, Hidalgo |
|---|---|
| Production | from 1961 |
| Licence | Flxible Flxliner |
| DINA model codes | 323 G1 and G2 |
| Segment | long-distance (foráneo) coach |
| Related model | DINA 311, the Flxible Hi-Level |
| Notable operators | ADO (Autobuses de Oriente) and Omnibus de México |
| Predecessor in buses | 682 RN of 1956 |
| Replaced by | DINA Avante, launched in 1987 |
The Olímpico has no article of its own; it is described in the English and Spanish Wikipedia articles on DINA, and this page is based on that company history (one source).
History of the DINA Olímpico
DINA, the state-owned Diesel Nacional, had built its first passenger bus, the 682 RN, in 1956 after its early agreements with Fiat. In 1961 the company began an association with The Flxible Corporation of the United States, which gave it the licence to build two Flxible bus models in Mexico. The Flxible Hi-Level became the DINA 311, nicknamed the “Hunchback”, and the Flxliner became the DINA 323 G1 and G2, sold as the DINA Olímpico.
The Olímpico was an immediate success in the intercity market. According to the company history, every passenger transport line in the country had the model in its fleet at some point, and it became the emblem bus of Omnibus de México and ADO. The protectionist tariff policy introduced by the Mexican government in 1962 helped DINA keep the market for domestically built coaches for the following three decades.
The Olímpico stayed in production for years after the Flxible licence had served its purpose. It was only in 1987, after several years of sales of the model, that DINA launched its successor, the D-350 G-7, later known as the DINA Avante. That bus was based on the Eagle 15 and adapted some features of the Flxible bodies, closing the chapter that the Olímpico had opened in 1961.
Design and features
- Flxible licence: the coach was the Mexican-built version of the Flxible Flxliner.
- Two versions: the G1 and G2 model codes covered the range sold as the Olímpico.
- Intercity focus: the model was designed for long-distance passenger work, not city routes.
- Market presence: it was used by the largest Mexican operators of its day, including ADO and Omnibus de México.
DINA Olímpico versions
- DINA 323 G1: the first version of the Olímpico.
- DINA 323 G2: the second version of the same coach.
- DINA 311: the related Flxible Hi-Level built by DINA, known as the Hunchback.
- Olímpico in service: the model remained the backbone of Mexican intercity fleets until the Avante arrived in 1987.
The Olímpico was replaced by the DINA Avante, and the later Marcopolo-based coaches are covered in the DINA Paradiso article. More vehicles from the maker are in the DINA collection.
Video: DINA Olímpico, the most luxurious of the Olímpicos
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- DINA S.A., English Wikipedia: Flxible licence, model names, market position
- Diesel Nacional, Spanish Wikipedia: model codes, operators, dates
