How a Prevost bus becomes a motorhome

Prevost is a bus builder

Prevost started in 1924, when cabinetmaker Eugène Prévost built a wooden coach body on a REO truck chassis in Sainte-Claire, Quebec. A century later the company belongs to the Volvo Group and still builds in Sainte-Claire.

Prevost builds passenger coaches. The 2023 H3-45 seats 56 people and the 2023 X3-45 seats 55. Their specification sheets list parcel racks, a lavatory, a public-address system and a tour guide's microphone. Volvo describes them as premium intercity touring coaches. Prevost added a commuter version of the X3-45 in 2011.

Prevost also sells versions of the same two models with the cabin left nearly empty. It calls them the H3-45 VIP and the X3-45 VIP. In a 2004 filing, Volvo described Prevost as a maker of coaches and of bus shells for luxury mobile homes. Prevost dates its first Champion conversion shell to 1970. Some shells become motorhomes. Others become entertainer coaches for touring performers.

What a conversion shell is

A shell is a working bus with a nearly empty cabin. Prevost's VIP sheets list what the factory supplies:

• The integral body structure and outer skin
• A 500-horsepower Volvo D13 engine and an Allison six-speed automatic transmission
• Brakes, steering and independent suspension
• A 24-volt electrical system with four batteries
• Air conditioning for the driver's area, with full air conditioning as an option
• Factory slide-out rooms as an option, from one to four
• Extra alternator setups for the conversion, and exterior paint, also optional

What is missing is everything that makes it a home. The VIP sheets do not list passenger seats, parcel racks or a lavatory, all standard on the passenger coaches. They also list no kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, generator or water tanks.

A shell is more than a bus with the seats pulled out. On Prevost's 2023 sheets, the H3-45 VIP has 83 inches from floor to ceiling; the passenger H3-45 has 77. The X3-45 VIP has 91.5 inches; the passenger X3-45 has 79.5. The shells are rated at 500 horsepower against 435 for the passenger coaches, and at 55,500 pounds gross weight against 53,000.

What the converter adds

Prevost does not finish motorhomes. Its motorhome website says it relies on converter partners and names five: Marathon Coach, Liberty Coach, Emerald Luxury Coaches, Millennium Luxury Coaches and Featherlite Coaches.

The converter builds the home. Featherlite describes fitting a 20-kilowatt generator, house batteries, marine-grade wiring, cabinetry with maple drawers, tile floors, a custom paint scheme and its own front and rear fairings. Liberty Coach lists cabinetry, kitchen appliances, lithium batteries, control electronics and a custom exterior finish.

How long does the work take? A 2023 profile of Marathon Coach on the RV travel blog Getaway Couple said shells are driven from Quebec to Marathon's plant in Coburg, Oregon, and that each coach takes about six to nine months to build. Liberty's entry on Prevost's site says it builds 14 to 16 new coaches per model year.

Two names, a coach number and a model year

Used listings name both companies, such as a 2006 Prevost Marathon XLII, coach 0979, or a 2014 Prevost Liberty H3-45, coach 2955.

The number is the converter's coach number. Liberty says its coach number 1 was completed in 1971. Prevost's own pre-owned page lists coaches such as Marathon Coach 1288. Millennium uses stock numbers instead.

Each listing also gives the coach one model year. Featherlite has listed a 2027 Prevost H3 that was still being painted, with interior choices open until July 2026. Millennium has listed a 2027 Millennium H3-45 by stock number. None of the listings reviewed for this guide gives a separate year for the Prevost shell, so it is worth asking.

Service is split the same way. Prevost says its team supports the engine and chassis, and it sends owners to their converter for conversion questions.

H3-45 VIP and X3-45 VIP compared

Prevost's 2023 sheets show both shells at 45 feet long and 102 inches wide, with the same engine and transmission. They differ here:

• Headroom: 83 inches in the H3-45 VIP, 91.5 inches in the X3-45 VIP
• Height before conversion: 149 inches for the H3-45 VIP, 143.625 for the X3-45 VIP
• Wheelbase: 313.4 inches for the H3-45 VIP, 334.5 for the X3-45 VIP
• Underfloor storage: 505 cubic feet for the H3-45 VIP, 433 for the X3-45 VIP
• Fuel tank: 222 gallons for the H3-45 VIP on the first 2023 sheet and 200 on the October 2023 sheet; 203 for the X3-45 VIP
• Body sides: fiber composite below the windows on the H3-45 VIP, ribbed stainless steel on the X3-45 VIP
• Slide-outs: the H3-45 VIP sheet gives sizes for six slide-outs on both sides; the X3-45 VIP sheet gives sizes for three, all on the driver's side

What to ask for

• The converter's name and the coach number
• The converter's build sheet for that coach: floor plan, how many slide-outs were ordered, generator, house batteries and tank sizes. Prevost's shell sheet does not say.
• The model year on the title, and when the Prevost shell itself was built
• Service records from both sides: Prevost for the engine and chassis, the converter for the living quarters
• The finished height. Prevost's figure is the height before conversion.