This British 1964 Double-Decker Bus With Bar and Restaurant Inside Sold for Nearly $200K

Folks, some vehicles redefine and shape our very societies, and one such machine is and has always been the British Routemaster bus. These bad boys entered service in 1954 and the very last one to ever hit the streets did so in 1968, but the real takeaway here is the fact that these babies saw regular service until 2005. Two "Heritage Routes" were kept active until 2019.

However, today's story is about a different kind of public transport, one where you can have a slice of pizza, down a glass of the local brew, and just kick back and have a chuckle with your gang. That's because the Routemaster before us started a new life today as an awesome restaurant on wheels.

Funny enough, it was, at one point in time, put up for auction and scooped up for no less than a whopping $191K! Sure, that's quite a price to pay for one hell of a custom job, but in my research on this topic, I found few to no other Routemasters that look like this. Sure, there have been countless other double-decker projects over the years, but none quite like this one. While it's no longer up for grabs, I still find it one hell of a machine, so let's dive in, shall we?

First, this particular unit was born in 1964 and operated until 1987. During the 1990s, it was brought over from the UK during what I call the "great double-decker migration," a period in US history when we brought quite a few of these over, and some can still be found in barns around the US to this day.

Up until 2019, this Routemaster served as a tour bus in Ontario, at which point it was handed over to the crew at Apex Specialty Vehicles in Missouri to take its final form. From two slideouts to a pop-top roof, the kitchen, bar, and even seating and dining lounge, all have a place in this one.

Now, to approach the Routemaster, allow me to point out that this beauty can take two shapes: that of an on-road bus that just looks like a traveling market campaign, and the second takes place once it arrives at its destination: it explodes into the restaurant I mentioned. Once popped open, the lower half of the Routemaster belongs to nothing more than a fully equipped pizza kitchen, and at the top, guests can simply enjoy a slice while looking at the plebs below.

Starting with the lower half, try and imagine yourself in an RV; how much power do you need? Now think about how much power a friggin restaurant would require. To ensure guests are not rocking this casbah, ovens, fridges, water pumps, and even dishwashers are operating on full blast, the bus is equipped with a 30 kW Kubota diesel generator. However, that's one hefty piece of machinery, so a trailer had to be built specifically for this hardware and towed along behind the bus. No worries; a Cummins in-line six engine with automatic Allison transmission is in place.

As for the upper level, it's here that guests may feel as though they've been transported back in time to a place when the picturesque diners of America were a thing. Not only does that cherry or Coca-Cola red remind me of such diners, but that tone is complemented with nothing more than good old stainless steel counters and tops. Spill all you want in this one; it's an easy clean.

LCD TVs and speakers also fill this space, and overhead, three pool hall-style light fixtures let guests party through the night or until the walls start closing in on you, literally. Kicking people out by literally closing up the shop is a rather neat way to operate, and if I was drunk, I'd get a laugh out of it for sure.

Now, this puppy was put up for auction earlier this year, where it sold for a whopping $191K, so we missed out. However, in my search for what could be your next mobile home, RV, camper, or business, I found a listing on Barn Finds that shows one hell of a beat-up 1964 Routemaster from back in 2020 selling for $30,000. It's not in the best of conditions, but then again, all you really want is for the exterior shell to be intact. This means some are still out there. Furthermore, according to an Instagram post, bidding started off at no more than $3,500 for the Fort Brewery bus.

The guts are sure to see fresh and modern pieces that are free from rust and actually work. So, if you're looking to end up on our pages in the next few years, scoop this bugger up, and transform it into something like this Fort Brewery's restaurant on wheels, then flip it, hopefully for some profit.

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