Nov 24, 2017 • Uncategorized •

The Shortcut High bus was completed in 1999/2000 as a fun way to keep kids interested in staying in school. Builder Jerry Bowers spent five years constructing this super cool hot rod as a way to connect with kids and keep things fun. Since a chopped and lowered school bus was a fairly novel idea, Bowers decided to do it! Almost anyone who was even peripherally part of the “car scene” in the early 2000s will instantly recognize this bus, either from shows or magazines. It was even a feature car at SEMA, not once, but twice! Now in his 70s, after touring, showing, and just generally enjoying the creator has put the bus up for sale. It is being sold by AutoBarn Classic Cars in Concord, NC and can be found here on eBay with an asking price of $199,995 and the option to make an offer. Daily Mail has a great feature video on Jerry Bowers and the bus that can be found here.

The front seats in this custom bus are from a Toyota Supra, and the creator reports that they are very comfortable! Even with all of the modifications and the chop, this bus looks very spacious inside and looks like it could be a lot of fun with a total of seven passengers. This is a show vehicle that is built for entertainment and promotional purposes only, but is certainly capable of weekend fun! The creator intentionally built a driver’s side door for this bus to make driver entry easy, as we all know buses do not have a driver’s door.

The rear end of this bus is where the chopped roof is most noticeable! Another cool touch is the blue dots in the center of school bus taillights, which signals the combination of a bus and a hot rod. You’ll notice it has fat slicks on the rear, and while these give it a really mean stance unfortunately they are for show only. This bus is sitting on a front-wheel-drive Cadillac ElDorado chassis and according to the ad “is powered by 1977 Oldsmobile 403 big-block and FWD Hydramatic transaxle.” Yep, this thing is FWD!

The blower that sticks out of the hood is also only for show. It spins, but does nothing for performance other than up the wow-factor! The big spoiler on the roof was custom built by the creator to suit this bus and stick with the theme. This cool bus would be a fantastic promotional vehicle for a business or charity, but part of me can’t help but want it to continue on as the Shortcut High bus!