Kids are generally not fans of school, and Torsus just made it less likely that bad weather will keep them away from it. Meet the new Praetorian School Bus, the latest iteration of the brand’s four-wheel-drive bus that offers the off-road chops necessary to tackle just about any obstacle that crosses its path. No longer will snow, sleet, fallen trees, or most other natural disasters prevent children from getting to school (given this thing’s slab sides, though, we’d probably refrain from taking it out during a hurricane). Sorry kids.
Credit the vehicle’s more than 13 inches of ground clearance, ability to wade through more than 35 inches of water, knobby Michelin tires, and standard four-wheel-drive system. With up to 290 hp and nearly 850 lb-ft of torque produced from its diesel-drinking 6.9-liter engine, the hefty Praetorian makes up for its limited top speed of 62 mph with its plentiful low-end grunt, which ought to help the bus claw its way through the toughest environments.
At 165.4 inches long, the Praetorian School Bus rides on a much shorter wheelbase than typical school buses, such as the Thomas Saf-T-Liner HDX, which sports a variety of wheelbases that vary in size from as short as 181 inches to as long as 277 inches. No surprise, the Thomas offers the ability to ferry up to 90 passengers, or more than double that of the Praetorian School Bus, which offers seating for just 35 rugrats.
Accompanying the requisite yellow paint of the Praetorian School Bus are custom seats that sport a pattern seemingly inspired by the math overlays used in the now meme-famous card counting scene from The Hangover. It’s the perfect tie-in, really, because, with the Praetorian’s ability to make its way to school through just about all weather and environmental conditions, the kids onboard will be so hungover from learning that they might just discover counting cards is no harder than drawing stick figures.
