Wednesday, March 7, 2012

the Khrushchev bus, Austria


The Chruschtschow (as the name is spelt in German) Bus is a Saurer 5GVFU built in 1951 by the Austrian Saurer factory in Vienna for line service as a Postbus.

On the occasion of the summit meeting between President John F Kennedy and Soviet president Nikita Khrushtchev in Vienna  in 1961 it was rebuilt as a luxury tour bus for Khrushchev and his delegation; carosserie was by "Grantourismo" J. Rohrbacher GmbH in Vienna and it was fitted out with, among other things, a big folding roof,  "Swissair" aircraft seating, a sinkable on-board kitchen for a travelling hostess (the kitchen - traveller areas were separated by a glass wall and glass door) an original "Officine Faema" espresso machine (by Carlo Ernesto Valente in Milan) and various fridges for drinks. Preserved, it is now used for excursions.

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