Goshen Coach

Goshen Coach was an American bus manufacturer based in Salina, Kansas, specializing in cutaway buses. Its products were built on commercial van and truck chassis supplied by major vehicle manufacturers, then configured as passenger buses for applications requiring compact or medium-capacity transportation. The brand’s model range included small non-CDL buses, wider mid-size buses, and larger cutaway buses designed for different passenger capacities and chassis requirements. The company was established in 1985. Unlike a fully integrated bus producer that manufactures its own complete chassis, Goshen Coach operated in the cutaway-bus segment, where a bus body is installed behind the cab and front structure of a supplied chassis. This format allowed manufacturers to offer buses for uses such as shuttle transportation, paratransit, community mobility, institutional transport, and other fleet applications. Goshen Coach’s documented models included the Pacer II, a narrow-body bus for up to 15 passengers on a Ford E-350 chassis; the Impulse, a wider bus accommodating up to 28 passengers on Ford E-Series or Chevrolet Express chassis; and the G-Force, a larger model carrying up to 33 passengers on a Ford F-Series Super Duty chassis. Thor Industries owned Goshen Coach from 2005 until August 2013. Thor then sold the company to Allied Specialty Vehicles, a specialty-vehicle group that was later renamed REV Group. REV closed the Goshen Coach factory in Salina on October 31, 2016. The closure ended production at the original Goshen Coach factory, but it did not immediately end use of the brand. REV continued to market some buses under the Goshen Coach name, with production associated with the ElDorado facility in Salina and the Champion Bus facility in Imlay City, Michigan. In May 2020, REV Group sold its cutaway-bus businesses to Forest River. The transaction included the Goshen Coach brand name. Publicly available reference material establishes the ownership transfer but does not provide sufficient information to confirm the brand’s current production status, product lineup, headquarters, or operating scale after the sale. Goshen Coach is therefore best understood as a historically significant American cutaway-bus brand whose manufacturing history passed through independent ownership, Thor Industries, Allied Specialty Vehicles/REV Group, and ultimately Forest River.

Goshen Coach was founded in 1985 in the United States and developed as a specialist builder of cutaway buses. Cutaway buses use a supplied commercial chassis, retaining the front cab and powertrain while adding a purpose-built passenger body behind it. This approach supports a broad range of vehicle sizes and uses while relying on chassis platforms from major manufacturers such as Ford and Chevrolet. The company’s known lineup covered several capacity segments. The Pacer II was a compact, narrow-body bus with seating for up to 15 passengers and was offered on the Ford E-350 chassis. Its passenger capacity placed it within the non-CDL category described in the available reference material. The Impulse occupied a larger segment, using Ford E-Series or Chevrolet Express chassis and accommodating as many as 28 passengers. The G-Force was the largest documented model, built on the Ford F-Series Super Duty chassis and designed for up to 33 passengers. Together, these models represented Goshen Coach’s focus on practical passenger transportation rather than conventional full-size transit-bus production. Ownership changed in 2005, when Thor Industries acquired Goshen Coach. Thor retained the company until August 2013, when it sold the business to Allied Specialty Vehicles. Allied subsequently changed its name to REV Group, placing Goshen Coach within a broader specialty-vehicle portfolio. The change of ownership connected the brand to a larger manufacturing group while preserving its identity in the cutaway-bus market. REV Group closed the Goshen Coach factory in Salina, Kansas, on October 31, 2016. The factory closure marked the end of the brand’s original manufacturing operation at that site. Nevertheless, REV continued to use the Goshen Coach name for certain buses made at other facilities. The documented facilities included the ElDorado operation in Salina, Kansas, and the Champion Bus facility in Imlay City, Michigan. This arrangement separated the brand name from its original factory and allowed some product activity to continue within other REV manufacturing locations. In May 2020, REV sold its cutaway-bus businesses to Forest River. The sale included the Goshen Coach brand name, transferring the brand to another major private-sector vehicle manufacturer. The available reference material does not establish whether all listed Goshen Coach models remained in production after the transaction, nor does it provide a confirmed current website, executive roster, production volume, or complete post-2020 product catalog. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest for the company’s founding, ownership transitions, factory closure, continued use of the name within REV, and subsequent transfer of the brand to Forest River.

• 2020

  Forest River acquires the brand

  [1]Goshen Coachen.wikipedia.org

  Forest River purchases REV’s cutaway-bus businesses, including the Goshen Coach name, in May.

• 2016

  Original Salina factory closes

  [1]Goshen Coachen.wikipedia.org

  REV Group closes the Goshen Coach factory in Salina, Kansas, on October 31.

• 2013

  Ownership passes to Allied Specialty Vehicles

  [1]Goshen Coachen.wikipedia.org

  Thor Industries sells Goshen Coach to Allied Specialty Vehicles in August. Allied later adopts the REV Group name.

• 2005

  Thor Industries acquires Goshen Coach

  [1]Goshen Coachen.wikipedia.org

  Thor Industries becomes the owner of Goshen Coach.

• 1985

  Goshen Coach is founded

  [1]Goshen Coachen.wikipedia.org

  Goshen Coach is established as an American builder of cutaway buses.

A specialist American cutaway-bus brand offering passenger bodies mounted on Ford and Chevrolet commercial vehicle chassis, with models spanning small non-CDL vehicles to larger buses for up to 33 passengers.

• Small narrow-body cutaway bus

  Pacer II

  The Pacer II was Goshen Coach’s compact narrow-body cutaway bus. The documented configuration accommodated up to 15 passengers and was described as non-CDL. It was available on the Ford E-350 chassis, combining a commercial van-derived front end and chassis with a dedicated passenger body. The model served the smaller end of the brand’s bus range.

• Small to mid-size wide-body cutaway bus

  Impulse

  The Impulse was a wider cutaway bus positioned above the Pacer II in passenger capacity. It could carry up to 28 passengers and was offered on Ford E-Series or Chevrolet Express chassis. Its wide-body format provided a larger passenger compartment while retaining the cutaway-bus architecture used throughout Goshen Coach’s range.

• Large cutaway bus

  G-Force

  The G-Force was the largest documented Goshen Coach model. It was designed for up to 33 passengers and used the Ford F-Series Super Duty chassis. The model extended the brand into higher-capacity cutaway-bus applications while maintaining the chassis-based manufacturing approach associated with Goshen Coach.

• 2020

  Sale of the cutaway-bus business to Forest RiverM&A

  Background

  REV Group sold its cutaway-bus businesses in May 2020.

  Action taken

  Forest River acquired the businesses and the Goshen Coach brand name.

  Aftermath

  Forest River became the documented owner of the Goshen Coach name. The available material does not confirm the subsequent production status of each model.

  Source

• 2016

  Closure of the original Goshen Coach factoryStrategy

  Background

  REV Group closed the Goshen Coach factory in Salina, Kansas, on October 31, 2016.

  Action taken

  Manufacturing at the original Goshen Coach facility ended.

  Aftermath

  REV continued using the Goshen Coach name for some buses built at its ElDorado and Champion Bus facilities.

  Source

• 2013

  Thor Industries sells Goshen CoachM&A

  Background

  Thor Industries had owned Goshen Coach since 2005 and sold it in August 2013.

  Action taken

  The business was transferred to Allied Specialty Vehicles, later known as REV Group.

  Aftermath

  Goshen Coach continued within the acquiring specialty-vehicle group, and the brand was later associated with production at other facilities after its original factory closed.

  Source

1. 1Goshen Coachen.wikipedia.org