The Luxury Family Minibus
Last summer Stanford Coachworks were approached by a family who were in need of our help to create their dream luxury minibus.
The luxury silver minibus for the G family.
The G family are a large family from Cambridgeshire; therefore travelling in a single vehicle has never been an option for them. Long car journeys for touring holidays and adventures to neighbouring countries, can be boring, even with the help of friends. We’ve made sure that their new luxury minibus makes these journeys easier, exciting and perfect for everyone – even mum with her newly appointed executive travel business!
Following the family’s visit to our factory, we began designing a personalised specification that would meet all of their requirements. As mum would be the main driver, we wanted to make sure that the vehicle would be as comfortable as possible to make sitting in the front cab just as enjoyable as being in the rear saloon. The vehicle was ordered with an automatic gearbox and all of the latest safety technology including blind spot assist, lane keeping assist, electric and heated wing mirrors, LED headlights and a 360-degree parking camera with front and rear sensors.
The Pre-build Meeting
A few weeks later the Iridium metallic silver Mercedes Sprinter arrived at our blue gates. It was now time for Mr and Mrs G to see the chassis before we worked our bespoke conversion magic.
Mr & Mrs G come to visit us to see the Mercedes Sprinter chassis before the conversion begins.
Later that week, we took the 416 Sprinter into one of our workshops for the conversion to begin. We sent the side body mouldings, grille, front bonnet vents and eyebrows to the paint shop. The paint shop would repaint these parts to match the rest of the vehicle. After 4 weeks, a team of just 2 highly experienced coach builders had completed the luxury minibus. It was now time for the G family to finally see it!
The Rear Saloon
We have made sure that every part of their vehicle is luxury. This even includes the entrance! To enter and exit the vehicle, an electric folding side step deploys when the electric side load door is opened. An LED light also illuminates this.
The luxury entrance includes an electric folding side step!
The long wheelbase luxury minibus can carry up to 12 passengers plus the driver.
In the rear saloon we have fitted 11 passenger seats to our M2 tested tracked floor. We have then overlaid this floor with a black hardwearing carpet and a set of deep pile over mats. Our on-site seating department upholstered each of the 11 manually reclining seats in black leather with silver inlays.8 of the seats include fold down tables and magazine nets. For additional storage space, we have installed luggage compartments on either side of the vehicle above the seats.
Our 2 coach builders finished the interior of the G family’s minibus in a soft feel carpet material with a black suede roof to add to the luxury feel. Additionally to this we have installed matching leather recessed panels along along the centre of the roof with a sunroof / emergency escape hatch.
The rear saloon features black and silver leather passenger seats.
Entertainment
To keep the family entertained, we have installed a 22-inch smart television above the front cab with an Apple TV and Xbox. If they want to watch a movie, they can pull closed the black curtains and connect a laptop using the HDMI socket. Whatever is playing on the laptop will then be mirrored onto the television screen. A Bluetooth sound bar, 2 high-quality speakers and a subwoofer will really turn the luxury minibus into a cinema on wheels!
The 22″ smart television includes Apple TV, automatic HDMI switch over and an Xbox!
Ensuring that the family stay connected to the world during their travels was important to us, so on-board Wi-Fi and USB charging sockets for each row of seats have been installed. Being comfortable whilst travelling is an essential therefore Eberspacher heating and air conditioning has also been fitted.
Lighting
The lights are even an entertaining feature in this vehicle as we have installed LED colour changing roof lights that can be set to any colour and speed. Each row of seats has its own LED touch light that sits below the luggage racks; this includes a bright white or comfort blue mode. Throughout the centre of the vehicle, we have installed LED down lights.
The vehicle features a whole range of LED lights.
Front Cab
You may not want to sit in the front cab after seeing all of this in the rear saloon but don’t worry, we’ve ensured that it’s just as good! Both the driver and front passengers’ seats are heated and have been reupholstered by our on-site seating department to match the theme in the rear saloon. The MBUK multimedia system includes all on-board computer that tells you everything that you need to know about your vehicle. You can also connect your phone via the Bluetooth or use Apple CarPlay to listen to your own music.
Want easy access to refreshments and snacks? Sitting inside the front cab is the best place! We have fitted a fridge in-between both front cab seats.
We wanted to make sure that the vehicle is as comfortable is for Mrs. G!
We have utilised the space in the rear to create a boot area as storage was a necessity for the family. We installed a shelf with LED down lighting for stowage of small baggage. Below the shelf we have fitted 9 coat hooks.
Safety
Safety is our priority and we would never jeopardise this no matter how bespoke our vehicles may be. All of our vehicles, including the luxury family minibus, have passed and IVA test or meet the NSSTA regulations. At SCW we supply every vehicle with a certificate to prove this.
We have thoroughly enjoyed creating the luxury minibus for the G family and we really hope that it makes journeys more exciting for them all.
Take a look at some similar vehicles here. Or to view our luxury conversions head over to our Monaco by Stanford website.