Vetter‘s Omnibus

In the 1930s, the production of buses did not in any way experienced the boost of innovations like the production of passengers cars did at that time. This was probably due to the fact that the market with more or less only two big official customers was manageable and both the postal services and the railways did not demand excessive innovations. The design of the large and heavy buses was quite similar over many years – a six-cylinder diesel engine was installed above the front axle, produced almost 100 hp and accelerated the two-axle bus to almost 100 km/h, between 32 and 43 passengers, depending on the seating, were able to travel along. As from the mid-1930s the construction of bodies made of steel sheet established, also the prospects of independent body shops increased.

One of those body shops was ‘Walter Vetter Karosserie- & Fahrzeugbau’. Company owner Walter Vetter founded his company as early as 1922 and favored on special designs for Mercedes-Benz chassis at an early stage. Due to that fact, the small company began to specialize in the construction of bus bodies. Walter Vetter liked the then fashionable theme of streamlined vehicle design. How fascinated he was by this trending theme was shown by the fact that he acquired a license from Paul Jaray for the implementation on buses. However, the Swabian plant was not the only company with this idea, as the company ‘Kässbohrer’ also focused on the streamlined design of buses for the future. 

When Mercedes-Benz modified its bus from 1937 and launched the O 3750 with a 100 hp diesel engine, Vetter revolutionarily converted one of these buses according to the guidelines of Paul Jaray in 1939.