Le Prestige was Prevost’s intercity coach of the 1970s, but it began life under another name. The Champion of 1966 was the Quebec company’s first bus marketed in the United States; an upgraded version followed in 1968, and in 1973 it was renamed Le Prestige.
Prevost Le Prestige at a glance
| Maker | Prevost Car, Quebec, Canada |
|---|---|
| Type | intercity motorcoach |
| Introduced as | Champion, 1966 |
| Construction | integrated frame |
| Front | step-up front |
| Upgraded | 1968, with taller side windows rounded at the top |
| Renamed | Le Prestige, 1973 |
| Production ended | 1981 |
| Rival | General Motors Buffalo |
| First US operator | Somerset Bus Company |
| Conversion shells | Champion shells sold to upfitters from 1970 |
| Successor | LeMirage, 1977 |
Le Prestige has no article of its own on Wikipedia; this page is based on the company article alone. based on one source
History of the Prevost Le Prestige
From furniture shop to coach builder
Eugène Prévost founded the company in 1924 as a cabinet maker who built his first bus body on a REO truck chassis. Under Paul Normand, who bought the firm in 1957 and renamed it Prevost Car, the range grew quickly: the LeNormand of 1957 brought stainless steel side panels, pneumatic suspension and a diesel engine, the Travelair of 1961 was a 25-foot coach for short trips, and the 40-foot Panoramique of 1962 served Grey Goose Bus Lines.
The Champion
The Champion arrived in 1966 as the successor to the Panoramique. It had an integrated frame and was aimed squarely at the General Motors Buffalo bus. More important for the company, the Champion was the first Prevost bus to be marketed in the United States, with Somerset Bus Company as the first American operator. A transit version of the Panoramique with a dedicated body and a rear door had been offered as well, but it was dropped in 1968 when Prevost decided to concentrate on motorcoaches.
Taller windows and a new name
In 1968 the Champion was upgraded with taller side windows rounded at the top, a change that gave the coach its characteristic profile. In 1973 this upgraded model was renamed Le Prestige. The coach kept the step-up front of its predecessors, with the driver and entrance raised above the front axle line, and it was sold alongside the smaller models in the range. Production stopped in 1981, four years after the LeMirage had taken over as the company’s main intercity coach.
Conversion shells
From 1970 Prevost also sold Champion conversion shells to upfitters for the Class A motorhome market. That side of the business grew steadily: the LeMirage that replaced the Champion and Le Prestige was offered as a shell from 1978, and conversion shells remain part of the Prevost range today.
Design and features
- Integrated frame: the Champion introduced a one-piece structure instead of a body on a separate chassis.
- Rounded side windows: the 1968 upgrade raised the window line and rounded the upper corners.
- Step-up front: the raised driving position came straight from the Panoramique.
- American sales: the first Prevost coach sold in the United States, from 1966.
- Conversion shells: from 1970 the Champion was also supplied to motorhome upfitters.
Prevost Le Prestige versions
- Champion (1966): the original coach with an integrated frame.
- Upgraded Champion (1968): taller side windows rounded at the top.
- Le Prestige (1973–1981): the same coach under its new name.
- Champion conversion shell (from 1970): an unfinished body for Class A motorhome builders.
- Transit Panoramique: a short-lived city version with a rear door, dropped in 1968.
The Le Prestige was replaced by the LeMirage, and the H-Series that followed is described in the H3-45 article. The whole company story is in the Prevost history, with more pictures in the Prevost collection.
Sources
- Prevost (bus manufacturer), English Wikipedia: Champion, 1968 update, Le Prestige name, production end, conversion shells
