Clocking at 12 metres long, this was an absolute T-rex of a bus that dominated Hong Kong back in the 80s and 90s -- chances are, if you are taking a trip across the harbour, you'd be taking a ride and breathing in the exhaust fumes through the open windows of this bus along with 160 of your fellow passengers (did you know? The white-on-red signage on the front of the bus is a visual indication that it is a cross-harbour route).
As weird as it is to talk about styling for public transportation like this, the asymmetrical fascia looks unique and still has quite the road presence today, especially in the classic #CMB beige-and-blue livery.
The best part about this bus though was its sound. The 10.45 litre (!), turbocharged (!!) inline 6 (!!!) Gardner engine produces a deep, smooth howl that is not like any other bus in its era. Combined with the turbo whistle, the noises it makes put some modern-day sports cars in shame.
This particular example has been fully restored and cared for by the museum, and I was lucky enough to see it in person last year during my trip to Australia. Everything in the interior was true to original form, from the blue bench seats, to the red coin box, to the CMB service line advert. The only regret I had was that the bus wasn't running on the day when I visited last year.
I know I am pretty nerdy in saying all this, but this bus represents a collective memory for many Hongkongers who reminisce back to a time when things were still... weren't quite shit.
And, just like the T-rex, the MCW Metrobus suffered the same fate as the iconic company that once dominated the HK public transport landscape.
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