from an expert in buses . the specific problem is expand on company information and timeline . wikiproject buses or its portal may be able to help recruit an expert . april 2016 this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . march 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message superior coach company former type body manufacturer defunct fate liquidated predecessor garford motor truck company successor accubuilt inc. professional cars subsidiary 2000 present mid bus school bus manufacturer 1981 2008 founded elyria ohio 1909 1909 defunct 1980 1980 headquarters lima ohio united states area served north america products professional cars school buses owner sheller globe corporation 1969 1980 website http www.superiorcoaches.com for existing company superior coach is a former body manufacturer of the american automotive industry . founded in 1909 as the garford motor truck company superior is best known for constructing bodies for professional cars hearses and yellow school buses . following major downturns in both segments in the late 1970s superior was liquidated by its parent company in 1980 . from 1925 to 1980 the company was based in lima ohio . after its 1980 closure the superior name would live on through several other companies . the manufacturing of school buses would play a part of the formation of mid bus acquired by collins industries in 2008 and the professional car operations would remain in lima as part of accubuilt inc. contents 1 history 1.1 garford motor truck company 1.2 superior body company 1.3 superior coach company 2 sheller globe corporation 3 carrollton bus disaster 4 post liquidation new small businesses 4.1 school buses 4.2 professional cars 5 bus products 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit garford motor truck company logo 1912 russian wwi garford putilov armored car based on a garford truck garford motor truck company edit in 1909 the garford motor truck company was established in elyria ohio a small town 30 miles outside cleveland . by june 1912 the company was awarded a lucrative contract with the united states post office . the first order called for 11 trucks the following for 20 trucks for a total of 31 trucks . this is very significant of the practical efficiency of this most advanced commercial car . the post office had experimented for two years with practically every truck made . they tried not only all the leading american trucks but the foreign trucks as well . the test resulted in the garford being awarded first honors . the garford proved to be the most practical truck under all conditions . 1 truck of the garford motor truck company garford motor truck company 1912 superior body company edit in 1925 the company changed its name to the superior body company and moved its operations to lima ohio where it occupied a new plant housing a large manufacturing facility and administrative offices . the company diversified introducing a line of hearse and ambulance bodies known as professional cars and becoming a major producer of school bus bodies for the u.s. and canada as well as export markets . for its professional car platforms superior signed an agreement with studebaker thus gaining instant access to some 3000 dealers and studebaker s chassis engineering . the company had continuing success for several years and on the strength of this arrangement rose to a prominent position in the professional car business . by 1930 superior and studebaker had the only complete line of professional cars in the north american market . in 1938 having achieved success and having established a dealer network of its own superior left the partnership with studebaker and began building bodies on general motors platforms . superior coach company edit in 1940 the company changed its name again to superior coach company . in the years that followed hearses were styled on cadillac lasalle and pontiac chassis . by 1949 the company had added chrysler desoto and dodge chassis to its funeral coach line offering customers a smaller investment and lower overhead . school bus bodies were built primarily on chevrolet gm dodge ford and international harvester truck chassis . in 1951 the lima facility was expanded and a new facility in kosciusko mississippi was opened . sheller globe corporation edit in 1969 superior coach company was acquired by the sheller globe corporation an industrial conglomerate and auto parts maker based in toledo ohio . the 1977 model year saw a major downsizing in the cadillac automobile chassis used for the professional car business . in addition to being smaller cadillac s commercial chassis was significantly more expensive and superior as well as other ambulance and funeral car manufacturers had to design new bodies and retool their factories resulting in much higher consumer costs . the ambulance sector switched to larger vehicles based upon van cutaway van chassis and truck chassis . the watershed year of 1977 also brought new federal motor vehicle safety standards for school buses built after april 1 which increased both costs and engineering challenges . 2 in addition to higher costs at the same time a downturn in north american school bus purchase volumes began as the children of the baby boom generation completed their elementary and secondary educations . by 1980 superior was one of the big six school bus body manufacturing companies in the united states competing with blue bird body company carpenter body company thomas built buses inc. ward body company and wayne corporation as well as gillig corporation and crown coach corporation manufacturers which traded primarily on the west coast . bidding competition for reduced volumes became devastating to profits and even liquidity . in 1979 ward declared bankruptcy reorganizing as amtran the following year which later became ic bus . faced with these challenges industry over capacity among school bus manufacturers the loss of ambulance business in the professional car sector and decreased sales of funeral coaches due to higher production and sales costs sheller globe corporation liquidated its superior coach company related investments in late 1980 and portions of its assets were sold . carrollton bus disaster edit main article carrollton bus disaster in 1988 nearly a decade after sheller globe exited the school bus manufacturing business a disastrous accident occurred with one of the superior bus bodies it had built . as of 2010 the carrollton bus disaster remained one of the two worst bus accidents in u.s. history . the bus had been built only 9 days before the 1977 fmvss standards would have required additional collision protection of the fuel tank . although no legal determination of product liability was ever made sheller globe and ford motor company each contributed substantially to the settlement funds for those injured and the families of those who were killed . the accident and the legal battle afterward were recounted in a 1994 book by james s. kuen . reckless disregard corporate greed government indifference and the kentucky school bus crash was published by simon & schuster of new york city . isbn 0 671 70533 4 post liquidation new small businesses edit after sheller globe announced the closure of its lima bus and professional car manufacturing operations in 1980 several small businesses purchased portions of the assets and carried on successfully with several product lines . school buses edit main article mid bus although large school bus manufacturing was discontinued with the 1980 model year mid bus a new small business based in lima organized by three former employees resumed production of the smallest superior school buses beginning with a workforce of seven persons . the small business of mid bus grew successfully and after a move to a much larger facility at bluffton ohio was acquired by collins industries in 1998 . professional cars edit in 1981 the hearse business of superior was sold to tom earnhart . later that year it was merged with the largest competitor the s & s coach company . 3 this formed a new company s & s superior of ohio to oversee the further development of the two businesses . manufacturing operations were consolidated at superior s plant in lima which had been expanded 30 years earlier . as of 2007 s & s superior now operates as a division of accubuilt inc. using the superior coach trade name for its line of funeral cars and specialty vehicles . accubuilt s 200 000 square foot 19 000 m2 flagship facility was also the exclusive production plant for the w.p. chrysler executive series 300 a longer wheelbase version of the chrysler 300 . 3 accubuilt s limousine division also operates a facility in springfield missouri that manufactures limousines with wheelbase extensions up to 130 inches 330 cm . 3 bus products edit van based ; ford econoline chevrolet gmc g30 dodge type a partner ; ford econoline chassis the partner only lasted for one year . type b pacemaker ; chevrolet p30 chassis type c pioneer ; chevrolet gmc b series chassis ford b series chassis international harvester loadstar chassis 1962 1978 international harvester s series schoolmaster chassis 1979 1985 type d supercruiser international harvester chassis front and rear engine models see also edit media related to garford vehicles at wikimedia commons arthur garford garford putilov armoured car studebaker garford references edit power wagon issues 92 97 . the power wagon chicago illinois june 1912 . retrieved september 10 2010 . federal motor vehicle safety standards a b c accubuilt history undated retrieved on 18 february 2009 . fundinguniverse.com united technologies automotive inc company history external links edit superior coach company website history . schoolbuscentral.com superior body buses answers.com accubuilt inc. v t e school bus manufacturers north america active manufacturers full size and small buses blue bird corporation small buses made by girardin minibus ic bus lion bus full size buses only thomas built buses inc small buses only collins industries collins mid bus corbeil girardin minibus renamed micro bird by girardin starcraft bus trans tech van con defunct manufacturers including date of closure or last school bus manufacture 2000s carpenter industries inc 2001 american transportation corporation amtran 2002 ; became ic bus les enterprises michel corbeil 2008 ; acquired by collins liberty bus 2005 u.s. bus corporation 1990s coach and equipment manufacturing 1999 ; still in business crown coach corporation 1991 gillig corporation 1993 ; still in business mid bus 1998 ; acquired by collins tam usa 1991 wayne corporation 1992 ; became wayne wheeled vehicles wayne wheeled vehicles 1995 1980s ward body works 1980 ; became amtran new bus company 1989 superior coach company 1985 1970s northern coach perley a. thomas car works 1972 ; became thomas built buses 1960s hackney brothers body company 1966 1950s kenworth pacific 1957 ; still in business list of school bus manufacturers v t e north american bus builders active blue bird corporation dina s.a. environmental performance vehicles ford motor company gillig corporation girardin minibus glaval bus ic bus lion bus millennium transit services new flyer industries motor coach industries new flyer north american bus industries nova bus optima bus corporation proterra inc. prevost car rev group champion bus incorporated collins bus corporation eldorado national goshen coach setra stallion bus and transit corp. starcraft bus thomas built buses trans tech van con defunct acf brill aerocoach am general amtran beck canadian car and foundry carpenter body company crown coach corporation dupont industries eagle bus fageol fifth avenue bus company fitzjohn flxible general motors diesel division gm coach gm truck and coach division kenworth lag motorcoach les enterprises michel corbeil mack trucks marmon herrington masa neoplan usa orion international pullman standard st. louis car company superior coach company transportation manufacturing corporation twin coach u.s. bus corporation ward body works wayne corporation wayne wheeled vehicles white motor company yellow coach manufacturing company retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title superior coach company & oldid