This 1925 White 15–45 Used To Be a Yellowstone Tour Bus, Still Runs Like a Champ

Established in 1900 in Cleveland, Ohio, White started out with steam cars and began making gasoline-powered automobiles in the 1910s. After World War I, the company ended car production to focus exclusively on trucks. By 1920, White was selling more than 10% of all trucks made in the U.S.

The company went through another massive shift after World War II, when management decided to stick to focusing on large trucks only. By 1958, White had also purchased Sterling, Autocar, REO, and Diamond T, while also agreeing to sell Freightliner haulers through its own dealers.

White had also become the company of choice for national parts that were operating tour buses, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, and Grand Canyon. The company's most iconic bus chassis, the Model 706, actually emerged when White won a National Park Service competition against Ford, REO, and GMC in 1935.

After a few successful decades, White began losing market share in the 1960s and went bankrupt in 1980. The company's assets were acquired by Volvo in 1981 and the name survived until the 1990s, even after the Swedish company and General Motors merged their heavy truck operations.

Come 2023 and White Motor Company is mainly forgotten, except for a few military rigs, the Road Commander cabover truck, and the Model 706 bus. The latter is perhaps the most iconic, thanks to its long-running service at national parks. And that's also because many buses are still in operation in 2023, almost 90 years after they left the assembly line.

These haulers are also quite sought-after, with a restored example previously used by the Yellowstone National Park auctioned off for a whopping $1.3 million in January 2022. The vehicle you see here is not as famous or valuable, but it was used to haul visitors at the Yellowstone National Park decades before the Model 706 went into production. Meet the 1925 White Model 15-45.

One of 214 busses ordered by the Yellowstone Park Transporation Company between 1920 and 1925, this hauler was built by the Bender Body Company and carries up to 11 passengers. Sure, it's nowhere near as roomy as the Model 706, which carries up to 14 passengers and a lot more luggage, but that's probably because Yellowstone Park got a lot less traffic in the 1920s.

After serving the park for an unspecified number of years, the bus was decommissioned and spent time in Arizona and Montana as a parade vehicle for a civic club. Amazingly enough, the bus soldiered on for more than 80 years without major damage until it was restored sometime in the late 2000s. Repainted in its original Yellowstone Park livery, it also had its engine rebuilt, upgraded, and paired to a four-speed manual gearbox.

The Model 15-45 left the assembly line with White's GN inline-four engine. Rated at 45 horsepower, it was replaced by the GR mill with a 50-horsepower rating in 1923. This bus is equipped with the latter. The engine needs to be hand-cranked to start.

All told, the bus looks absolutely fantastic given that it's 98 years old as of 2023, and I bet it makes for great conversation at local car shows. On the flip side, these trucks aren't as valuable as the more iconic Model 706. The bus you see here was recently auctioned off and found a new owner for only $92,000. Sure, that's still a lot of dough, but it's not all that much for an important piece of history linked to both the White Motor Company ad the Yellowstone Park.