Mercedes-Benz Bus History - Daimler

designed 11.5 meter long body with generous glazing and the big
destination indicator box over the windshield, plus a striking U-shaped
bumper which enclosed the rectangular headlamps. Headroom and
the lines of sight were considerably enlarged; inside, the O 405
seemed much more spacious than its predecessor. An improved
heating and ventilation system gave the interior the right temperature.
Initially, engine output started at 150 kW (204 hp) delivered by a
horizontally installed in-line six-cylinder at the rear of the bus.
NAW contributes a special midi version
One year later the compact midibus Mercedes-Benz O 402, optically a
shortened O 405, rounded off the urban bus range at its lower end
with 50 seats for passengers. The chassis came from the Swiss
affiliate NAW Nutzfahrzeuggesellschaft Arbon & Wetzikon, successor
to the tradition-steeped Swiss commercial vehicle makers Saurer and
FBW. Also in 1985, an Italian bodybuilder produced the compact
Mercedes-Benz O 301 touring coach for Daimler-Benz on the basis of
the NAW chassis. It closed the gap between the O 309 and the O 303.
However, neither midibus was destined to have a long life.
1985 was a vintage year for innovations in the regular-service buses
with the star. The O 405 got a big brother, the articulated pusher bus
O 405 G. As it did with the previous bus series, Daimler-Benz
presented a standard rural-service bus, just under 12 meters in length,
designating it the O 407. Visually and technically a derivative of the
urban bus O 405, it differed from the O 405 among others things in
having a one-piece windshield and a higher floor with a luggage
compartment underneath as well as a single-wing door at the front.
One hundred years after the invention of the automobile by Gottlieb
Daimler and Carl Benz, the company’s buses, with the O 303 and
O 405 as mainstay, presented themselves in the very best shape.
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart/Germany
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