DerBus: Titanic-Sized Articulated Bus Is the World's Biggest and Most Luxurious Motorhome

A giant among giants, DerBus is today a double Guinness World Record holder, and a dinosaur from the old age of humongous buses, when they were believed to be the future of public transport. DerBus is a living legend and most likely the sole survivor from a limited series of similar vehicles.

DerBus is a badass in every sense of the word, so let's take a few minutes to enjoy it properly.

DerBus, which means The Bus in German, is a Neoplan Jumbocruiser, a ginormous articulated double-decker produced by Neoplan GmbH between 1975 and 1992. Don't be deceived by the apparently extended production timeline because only 11 such buses were ever built. DerBus was the first in the series and is believed to be the sole survivor – at least, in such an impeccable condition.

If you count the fact that the Jumbocruiser holds the Guinness record for the world's largest bus thanks to its 170-passenger capacity, DerBus is a two-time record holder. It made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records shortly after its public debut in Frankfurt as N138, and then again in 1997 as DerBus, after a 3-year restoration process that saw it updated and modernized, when it became the world's largest and most luxurious motorhome.

From the outside, DerBus is the same old Jumbocruiser that Neoplan delivered to Globus Travel on commission in 1975, with the notable exception of the blue lettering throughout. But inside, it's a motorhome of the kind you won't find anywhere else, with seating for 35 people and the ability to host parties for over 100 guests, sleeping for six people, and the possibility of using it as a mobile office for a small company.

DerBus in its current form is a hybrid, incredibly fancy, and seemingly random vehicle that was born out of a whim and survived by determination and hard work, and huge expenses – on the part of the owners, of course. To this day, it's still being used extensively for appearances at trade events and various shows, as well as a promotional vehicle on certain occasions. Until a decade ago, it was exclusively a promotional vehicle, being rented out for tours, events, and even parties.

Coming in at 18 meters in length, 2.5 meters in width, and 4 meters in height (59 feet x 8.2 feet x 13 feet), DerBus tips the scales at 28 tons and has a 24-meter (79-foot) turning radius. The entire ground floor offers socializing spaces, starting with the 8 passenger seats behind the driver's seat, several conference rooms and a larger, 10-person meeting room, and a sizable custom bar slash VIP lounge, all of them finished in genuine leather, real marble, steel, chrome, and hardwood.

The ground floor also holds the garage, which is a later addition. Accessible by means of a ramp, it's big enough to fit a small car or a couple of bikes and a workstation. It's a mobile workshop, perfectly self-contained.

The second floor is reserved exclusively for living. You have a main bedroom at the front, with a full kitchen and a sizable living room in the middle, and a secondary bedroom at the other end. The bunks in the second bedroom can sleep four people, preferably kids or preferably not picky about their personal space. There's also a bathroom here, with a shower, a flushing toilet, and a sink with vanity.

DerBus wasn't always known by that name, as it owes it to Manfred Esterbauer, who bought it in 1995 with the goal of turning it into the biggest and fanciest motorhome he'd take on a trip around the world. That second part never came to be.

The restoration ended up requiring over 25,000 hours of work spread over the next 3 years and included everything from an overhauled engine and transmission to a completely new interior and redone aluminum exterior.

DerBus is powered by a 12-cylinder Daimler Benz OM 404 V diesel engine that produces 440 hp and is mated to an Allison HAT 750 CR automatic transmission. A 5.4kW Zeisse Camino 8 generator and a battery system run everything onboard, while a range of heating options, including residual heat from the generator, is available.

The motorhome carries 670 liters (177 gallons) of fresh water in two different tanks, tanks for 240 liters (63.4 gallons) of gray water and 120 liters (31.7 gallons) of black water. A 50-liter (13.2-gallon) hot water boiler is also available since cold showers won't suffice in most real-life situations... and most definitely not when you throw the word "luxury" around.

The 3-year restoration also included the addition of a security and a fire system, several cameras, a rooftop deck with railings, and a huge awning that further extends available space. In between the space on the bus, the terrace, and the awning, you could probably hold a small wedding there.

Under Esterbauer's ownership, DerBus led a very active life, including appearances at the Ferrari Challenge, the Lamborghini Grand Prix at Silverstone, the GP Masters, and the Truck Grand Prix. Advertised as many tons of "pure luxury," it was offered as a rental for a variety of purposes, including as a rolling billboard or mobile party and event venue.

Omnibushandel Mario Roettgen (OMR for short) bought the bus in 2004, spruced it up some more, and turned it into a fixture on their fleet. It emerged briefly for sale in 2013, but it didn't change hands for whatever reason. We reckon the asking price was on par with its size and amenities.

Its most recent appearance was at the 2023 edition of Busworld Europe in Brussels, where members of the public were allowed to step inside it to check it out. The video available at the bottom of the page was filmed on this occasion and offers a better appreciation of just how bonkers this vehicle is in a way in which words might never be able to.

Though OMR says that they "spared no expense in turning [DerBus] into the most luxurious and comfortable vehicle to date," it doesn't seem like they changed Esterbauer's interior all that much. The combination of yellow leather, solid wood in blue, white-gray marble, and cherry veneer is still in use, and the areas remain unchanged from when he first designed the reimagined layout.

Not that this last aspect matters all that much. DerBus is a living legend, a sort of Bigfoot of the double-decker bus industry, and it's nice to see it's being taken care of.