Event Features Hand-built Replica of First
Coach
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 19,
2024 /CNW/ -- To mark its 100th year,
Prevost, a premiere motorcoach
manufacturer, hosted a special event on April 18 for employees and customers at its
service center.
The celebration featured a multi-media historical journey that
covered the founding of Prevost
and traced the company's growth and innovation through the decades.
The event also included a special visit by "Clarisse," a replica of
the very first Prevost coach Eugène Prévost ever built.
Eugène was a woodworker in the small Canadian village of
Sainte-Claire, Quebec, who
unexpectedly received a commission to build a wooden coach body for
mounting on an REO truck chassis. From that first order, he grew
his business by producing buses and coaches for cities and
government agencies.
"Eugène established a culture of continuous improvement, pride
in craftsmanship and an unequivocal focus on quality, performance
and safety," said Prevost President François Tremblay. "The tenets he set down in 1924 are
the ones we continue to follow in the 21st century."
Clarisse's Journey
To commemorate the 100th
anniversary, three generations of Eugène's family – children,
grandchildren, grand in-laws and great grandchildren – dedicated
thousands of hours to research, model, build and outfit the
replica.
The family located a period REO chassis in Tampa Bay, Florida, and brought it back to
Sainte-Claire. From there,
painstaking care was taken to craft a historically accurate coach –
the oak wheels were handmade, window, door and step mechanisms were
agonized over, the wooden interior was hand varnished and bench
cushions were hand sewn.
Last but not least a name was chosen. In honor of Eugène's wife
who supported him in all his endeavors – even going so far as to
sew vehicle cushions – the 1924 coach was christened
"Clarisse."
Clarisse Rolls
On
Following her visit to Mississauga, Clarisse is joining an
anniversary celebration at the Prevost Service Center in
South Plainfield, New Jersey. She
previously participated in events in Calgary, Alb., Mira
Loma, Calif., Fort Worth,
Orlando and Nashville.
To learn more about Prevost's
100 years, follow Clarisse on her journey and purchase Prevost 100th anniversary gear,
visit prevostcar.com.
About Prevost
Prevost has provided coach solutions for a
century with an uncompromising commitment to quality, a drive for
constant innovation and improvement, and dedication to safety and
sustainability in every business aspect. Today, Prevost is one of North America's largest producers of premium
intercity touring coaches, and is the world leader in the
production of high-end motorhome and specialty conversion coaches.
Customer support is secured via the largest service network in the
motorcoach industry with strategically located OEM-owned and
operated service centers across North
America, a specialized customer support team with more than
260 years of industry experience, and 50+ mobile service vans.
Prevost manufacturing facilities
are located in Sainte-Claire, Quebec,
Canada. Prevost is part of
the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of buses,
trucks, construction equipment, power solutions for marine and
industrial applications, financing and services that increase
customer uptime and productivity. For more information, please
visit www.volvogroup.com.
SOURCE Prevost