Mercedes Benz Tourismo

March 2010

*Ten Mercedes-Benz Tourismos added for 2010 Season
*High Specification for corporate sector hire
*Automatic gearbox important factor in vehicle choice

Prestigious capital city coach company Clarkes of London have chosen the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo for their 2010 vehicle replacement programme. Ten vehicles, the company’s first Tourismos, entered service in March carrying the ‘10’ registration plate.

Managing Director, Deborah Newman stated ‘These vehicles will complement our existing London fleet and form an integral part of our continual replacement programme and is a measure of our commitment to investment in line with our future planning strategy and the fact that our show vehicle stole the ‘Coach of the Year’ award at this years Peterborough coach rally again, confirms our sentements that we have made the best decision in the Medcedes Tourismo.

General Manager, Terry Newman sees the Tourismo as the right choice for the company. ‘The availability of a fully automatic gearbox was a key factor in our choice of new vehicles and so far we are extremely pleased with the quality of the body and running gear which certainly cements what everybody seems to associate with the ‘three point star’ Mercedes Benz quality. The vehicles have all been utilised within the first few days of delivery on the Barcelona Vs Arsenal Championship league game and also the VFL Wolfsburg Vs Fulham Europa Cup match, transporting team, supporters, delegation and press and we are obviously now travelling all over Europe repatriating stranded british holiday makers back to the UK.

Formally handing the vehicles over to Clarkes, Area Manager Mercedes-Benz Coach Sales Andy Nixon commented, ’we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to supply a premier company such as Clarkes stature with 10 Mercedes-Benz Tourismos. It is a significant milestone to have won the business over some very strong competition and we look forward to continuing a long and established relationship with this high profile operator.‘

The 12m Tourismos feature the 12litre Mercedes-Benz OM 457LA 260kw Euro 5 turbo-charged inter-cooled engine and ZF Ecolife six speed fully automatic gearbox with built in intarder. Euro 5 is achieved through Mercedes-Benz’s Blue-Tec SCR technology using Ad-Blue. Drivers will benefit from the specification of cruise control and are supported by a range of safety features including ESP, Brake Assist and EBS.

The fully itegral double glazed vehicles to European Bus and Coach Directive 20001/85 feature 49 luxline reclining seats with footrests, magazine nets and aircraft style drop down tables. Trimmed in charcoal grey fabrics with light grey/silver leather headrest inserts and coporate green piping. Customers will benefit from a servery, Webasto heating and roof-mounted air conditioning. The vehicles are also equipped with Coach 2000 professional multi-media system with DVD/CD/public address as well as two 15inch flat screen monitors and a centre sunken toilet.

Clarkes have additionally specified Alcoa Dura-Bright® alloy wheels, which is synomonus to Clarkes, as well as reversing cameras which have been extended to full CCTV systems post delivery as a safety feature. The new Tourismos carry Clarkes of London’s traditional iconic turquoise green livery with simple but effective Clarkes sign writing in white together with discreet silver stripes, clearly identifying the vehicles as part of Clarkes corporate identitiy.

Clarkes of London operate a fleet of 50+ vehicles and this succesful coach operator has for many years provided a wide range of transport solutions. In addition to the Tourismos, the fleet features several EvoBus products from the Setra range including several executive vehicles used as team vehicles in particular by premiership football teams. The new Tourismos will be used on a variety of duties including corporate work, private hire and servicing the incoming tourist business. The team at Clakes offer a wealth of experience and knowlege of the industry and this ensures that they are able to adapt to rapidly changing markets and who can also exploit any new oportunities that may come their way.

Clarkes of London’s new Mercedes-Benz Tourismos were supplied by Mercedes-Benz Coach Sales at EvoBus UK.      

Caption
Clarkes of London Managing Director Deborah Newman and General Manager Terry Newman receive the ten new Mercedes-Benz Tourismos from EvoBus’ Jonathan Prime, General Manager Mercedes-Benz Coach Sales, and Andy Nixon, Area Manager Mercedes-Benz Coach Sales.