The Neobus Spectrum is a bus body built by the Brazilian coachbuilder Neobus in Caxias do Sul. It began in 2002 as an intercity model, grew into a family of highway, midi and city versions, and was still on the price list in 2021 as the Spectrum 325.
Neobus Spectrum at a glance
| Maker | Neobus (San Marino Neobus), Caxias do Sul, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Body type | intercity, highway and midi buses |
| Spectrum | 2002–2006 |
| Spectrum Intercity | 2004–2018 |
| Spectrum City (midi) | 2006–2014 |
| Spectrum Road 330 | 2006–2014 |
| Spectrum Road 350 | 2008–2014 |
| Spectrum Road 370 | 2008–2014 |
| Spectrum 325 | 2018–2021 |
There is no Wikipedia article on the Spectrum itself; the dates come from the model list in the Portuguese article on Neobus. based on one source.
History of the Neobus Spectrum
Neobus was officially founded in 1996 in Guarulhos, but the company traces itself back to Ciferal Paulista, formed in 1978 from a split in Ciferal, renamed Condor in 1981 and Thamco in 1985. In 1999 it was taken over by San Marino Implementos and, as San Marino Neobus, moved to Caxias do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul. The Spectrum arrived in 2002 as the company’s intercity body, a class of bus that sits between the small micros and the long-distance road coaches.
Spectrum (2002–2006)
The first Spectrum was an intercity model and stayed in production for four years. In 2004 a second model, the Spectrum Intercity, was added beside it, and that one went on to become the longest-running version of the name: it was built until 2018, well after the original Spectrum had gone.
Spectrum City and Spectrum Road (2006–2014)
In 2006 the name was spread across two more classes. The Spectrum City was a midi bus for city work, built from 2006 to 2014. For the highway, Neobus used the Spectrum Road name with a number for each body length: the Road 330 from 2006 to 2014, and the Road 350 and Road 370 from 2008 to 2014. So in the early 2010s the Spectrum badge covered a midi bus, three highway coaches and the Intercity.
Spectrum 325 (2018–2021)
The last model to carry the name was the Spectrum 325, listed from 2018 to 2021. It came after the Spectrum Intercity was dropped in 2018 and after the company had ended its separate New Road N10 line of road coaches in 2017. The Spectrum name has not been continued on the models that Neobus still lists, which are the urban Mega and New Mega and the small Thunder models.
Design and features
- Three classes: the same name was used on intercity buses, highway coaches and a midi city bus.
- Longest-running version: the Spectrum Intercity of 2004–2018 outlived every other Spectrum.
- Numbered highway range: the Road 330, 350 and 370 of 2006–2014 made up the long-distance part of the family.
- End of the line: the Spectrum 325 of 2018–2021 closed the series.
Neobus Spectrum versions
- Spectrum (2002–2006): the original intercity body.
- Spectrum Intercity (2004–2018): the long-lived second intercity model.
- Spectrum City (2006–2014): a midi bus for urban work.
- Spectrum Road 330, 350 and 370 (2006/2008–2014): highway coaches in three lengths.
- Spectrum 325 (2018–2021): the final version of the name.
The Spectrum was the intercity part of the Neobus range, above the micro and midi Thunder and beside the urban Mega. More bodies are in the Neobus collection.
Sources
- Neobus, Portuguese Wikipedia: model list with production years, company history
- Neobus, English Wikipedia: the two companies of the same name
