Solaris Vacanza is a tourist

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

that was produced between 2001 and 2010 by

Solaris Bus & Coach Solaris Bus & Coach is a Polish producer of public transport vehicles ( buses, trolleybuses and trams), with its headquarters in Bolechowo-Osiedle near Poznań. It is a subsidiary of Spanish CAF. Solaris owns four production sites: its main fac ...

. Two models were offered - the two-axle Solaris Vacanza 12 and the three-axle Solaris Vacanza 13. The Vacanza was replaced in 2010 by the Solaris InterUrbino.

History

The Solaris Vacanza 12 debuted at the Busworld Kortrijk Trade Fair in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in October 2001, and at the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

premiere during the Fair Tour Salon in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

(2001). Technical research prototypes were carried out on the DAF track in the Netherlands, the Wabco track and at the Tatra track in Bednary. It entered series production in spring 2002. The Vacanza 13 had its world premiere at the Busworld Kortrijk Trade Fair in 2003. The first presentation took place in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

in Służewiec in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

in autumn of 2003. Production began in 2004. It coincided with the introduction of the second generation of the Vacanza 12. The whole family was styled by the IFS Designatelier Studio in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. The brand symbol of the series of the bus is a

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

. The bus uses the DAF XE 315C engine ( Euro III) and ZF 8S180. Since 2006, the coach uses the DAF MX 300 engine which meets the standard of the Euro 4. The body is made of stainless steel and laminate panels which are reinforced with

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

Bloodmobiles

On the basis of first-generation Solaris Vacanza 12 in 2002 there was built a

bloodmobile A bloodmobile is a mobile blood donation center. It is a vehicle (usually a bus or a large van) equipped with everything necessary for a blood donation procedure. Blood drives involving bloodmobiles usually happen in public places such as coll ...

(known as a ''Vampirebus'') for the Regional Blood Centre in Katowice. A coach from the second generation of this model in 2004 was built for the Regional Blood Centre in Bydgoszcz, and in 2007 for RCKiK in

. The coach is equipped with a small doctor's office with workplace for the doctor, laboratory, a part to register the donors and 4 or 5 positions for the collection of blood and a small

kitchenette A kitchenette is a small cooking area, which usually has a refrigerator and a microwave, but may have other appliances. In some motel and hotel rooms, small apartments, college dormitories, or office buildings, a kitchenette consists of a small ref ...

. To ensure a steady supply of electricity there has been an additional generator installed for the electricity supply. A pair of Vacanza 13 bloodmobiles were built for the Regional Blood Centre in

. In 2007 the company sold one Vacanza 13 for RCKiK in Katowice, and in 2008 for RCKiK in Gdańsk and Katowice. In 2009, another Vacanza 13 bloodmobile was purchased by RCKiK in Raciborz.

References

{{Reflist Solaris Bus & Coach Coaches (bus)