Iveco TurboCity: the 480, 580 and 680 city buses

The Iveco TurboCity is a class of Italian single-deck buses built between 1989 and 1996 at the Valle Ufita works in the province of Avellino. It replaced the Effeuno and came in three versions with different interiors: the 480 for urban service, the 580 for suburban work and the 680 for interurban routes. A lower-floor version, the TurboCity R, was added in 1992.

Iveco TurboCity at a glance

History of the Iveco TurboCity

The TurboCity followed the Effeuno and looked very similar to it, but the mechanicals were new. Where the Effeuno had a Fiat-Unic 8220.12 mounted horizontally at the rear, the TurboCity took the Fiat 8460.21 of 210 hp, or 260 hp in the interurban and articulated versions, in a transverse position at the rear. That layout, unusual at the time, is still used by most buses on the market. Besides Iveco itself, the chassis was bodied by Italian firms including Mauri, Seac-Viberti, Portesi and De Simon, mainly for the urban and suburban versions.

The range was made to suit individual operators. The 480 urban bus came in 9, 10.5, 12 and 17.8-metre lengths between 1989 and 1993 with three or four doors; the 580 suburban bus of 10.5 and 12 metres followed from 1990 to 1993 with two or three doors; and the 680 interurban bus was built only at 12 metres, from 1990 to 1996, with two outward-opening doors. There was an articulated pusher version of 17.8 metres and a trolleybus version with Ansaldo electrical equipment, while the Milan transport company ATM took 33 articulated trolleybuses bodied by Socimi as the 8843, which stayed in service on the Milan trolleybus network until June 2024.

Iveco also tried right-hand drive. Two demonstration vehicles with Alexander bodies, one of them a double-decker, were built in 1990 and 1991, followed by six Wadham Stringer-bodied buses as dealer stock, but no British orders followed, and the single-deck Alexander prototype was eventually exported to Singapore as a driver trainer. Right-hand-drive TurboCity buses sold better in Malaysia, where a number went to RapidKL in Kuala Lumpur.

The TurboCity was built in large numbers and ran in most Italian cities, with big fleets at ATM in Turin and Milan, ATAN and ANM in Naples, ATAC in Rome, Brescia Trasporti, Trieste Trasporti, TUA in Abruzzo, AMTS in Catania, AMAT in Palermo, ATM in Messina and AST in Sicily; fifteen buses of the CTM in Cagliari were given to the Republic of Benin in 2011. The lower-floor TurboCity R arrived in 1992 as the 490 urban and 590 suburban bus, with a floor height of 550 mm, a Fiat 8460.12R engine of 220 hp, or 290 hp when articulated, and a hybrid version, the 490.12EYY Altrobus, bought in Turin, Genoa, Rome and Ferrara. The 491 CityClass replaced the range in 1997.

Design and features

• Transverse rear engine: a layout that became standard for city buses.
• Three families: urban 480, suburban 580 and interurban 680.
• Many bodies: Mauri, Seac-Viberti, Portesi and De Simon coachwork.
• Lower-floor R: the 490 and 590 of 1992 with a 550 mm floor.

Iveco TurboCity versions

• Iveco 480 (urban): 9 to 17.8 metres, 1989–1993.
• Iveco 580 (suburban): 10.5 and 12 metres, 1990–1993.
• Iveco 680 (interurban): 12 metres, 1990–1996.
• TurboCity R 490 and 590: lower floor from 1992.
• Hybrid Altrobus: 490.12EYY hybrid buses.
• Socimi 8843: articulated trolleybus for Milan.

The TurboCity replaced the Effeuno and was itself replaced by the CityClass, while the smaller member of the family was the Europolis. More Iveco buses are in the Iveco collection.

Sources

• Iveco TurboCity, English Wikipedia: models, engine, lengths, right-hand drive, TurboCity R
• Iveco Turbocity, Italian Wikipedia: engine position, versions, fleets, trolleybus
• Iveco Turbocity R, Italian Wikipedia: lower floor, engines, hybrid version