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The first Volvo bus chassis launched in Brazil, the most revolutionary, produced for the longest time, and versatile among urban, intercity, and articulated buses, was the Volvo B58 and its successor B10M, which also became well-known for their engine position mounted lying down between the axles. Check out its history and curiosities now, and don't forget to like the video. The B58 had appeared in Europe much earlier, in 1966, intended for various bus models, this concept of an engine lying under the floor. Before the first one was assembled in Brazil, an imported one from Sweden was experimentally assembled on the CAIO Gabriela Expresso Articulated model, a model that was used in the Curitiba public transportation system. In 1979, the new chassis inaugurated Volvo's activities in Brazil. The engine was the THD101 model and its variations, a 6-cylinder 9.6-liter engine, the same one that would also equip Volvo's first trucks in Brazil, the N10 model. The engine was turbocharged and reached up to 286 hp of power, mounted right after the front axle, with main access on the right side, where the 6 cylinder heads stood out. With that, it had some other peculiarities, such as an air intake for intake and radiator at the front, the radiator was driven by a cardan shaft. In 1986, a renewal of the Volvo chassis would come, the B10M, with the arrival of the Intercooler, which was located right below the engine heads and was water-cooled. With it, the engine power increased to 310 hp, the suspension, previously mixed between springs and air bags, became fully pneumatic on all axles. The B10M arrived as the successor to the B58, however, Volvo maintained at the same time the production of the B58, which lasted until 1998, keeping it as a lower-priced alternative in relation to the more modern B10M. In 1997, Volvo launched its first rear-engine chassis in Brazil, the B12B, equipped with a larger engine, the 12-liter electronic engine, similar to those found in the NL12 trucks, with 360 or 400 hp. The B58 was finally discontinued, but the B10 continued as an option for some time, receiving a version of the “electronic” EDC engine. The following year, the B7R joined the new options, also with a rear engine, intended for urban vehicles. The B10M was manufactured in Brazil until 2003, the same year that the B12B was replaced by the B12R, thus ending Volvo's long legacy of reclining engines. #steering wheel #bus #volvo