Welcome Aboard the GM New Look Bus

The General Motors Corporation will be remembered as one of the most important industrial organizations of the Twentieth Century. Although primarily known for its automotive products, it was best known in the surface passenger transportation industry for its intercity highway and urban transit buses. After the end of World War II, it improved its products and gained a virtual monopoly in the bus building business. The Truck & Coach Division of General Motors developed many designs that became industry standards. Arguably, the most notable design was the series known as the "New Look" bus for transit and suburban service. It first appeared in 1959, and the design was quite a radical departure from the models GM had produced since 1940. The New Look design continued in production basically unchanged for over 27 years, and didn't receive a face-lift until 1995 (that being the Classic produced in Canada). In many ways, it truly was the first "ADB," Advanced Design Bus. This is the story of how the New Look bus came to be, a discussion of its construction, and the many variations that comprised the New Look series.