Remembering the 1956 Viberti Golden Dolphin: The Fanciest, Fastest Gas-Turbine Coach

The niche of public transport vehicles isn't even half as fascinating from a design perspective as that of personal cars, we can probably all agree on that. That's mostly due to the fact that practicality reigns supreme here, with aesthetics and even innovation coming in second.

Concept vehicles and prototypes in either field were used to push forward innovative features, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and explore venues that conventional methods of mass production often ignore. They still are used to that same end today.

The Golden Dolphin is perhaps one of those concepts that you've never heard of, which is too big a shame not to try and make right. It's a concept for a coach that was meant to go into mass production but never did, and both these things probably account for why you've never heard of it.

Also known as the Viberti Golden Dolphin, this bus had been designed specifically for international travel and fast city connections. It was the work of Turin-based company Viberti, which started out as Officine Viberti in 1922 and continued under the Viberti name until 2014 when it went into liquidation.

It was, for many years, one of the biggest companies in Italy, which explains for their impressive portfolio. Viberti started out as a coachbuilder but also dabbed into two-wheelers, trailers and semi-trailers, and buses with one or more decks. The Golden Dolphin represents their attempt at breaking onto the luxury market, with a coach that was equal parts luxurious and efficient. It was also damned fast, if you'll allow the phrasing.

The Golden Dolphin sat on a non-standard dual-axle Fiat chassis and used a Fiat gas turbine engine. Viberti had already enjoyed a successful partnership with Fiat until this concept, and continued to do so long after it was dropped. The coach featured hydro-mechanical rear wheel drive and, with help from the 400 hp engine, was capable of maxing out at an impressive 200 kph (125 mph).

Sure, that doesn't sound like much even for a bus today, but we're talking about the year 1956. The Golden Dolphin bus was completed just in time to go on display at the Geneva Motor Show that year.

The body was made of aviation-grade materials and, according to most accounts, an unprecedented amount of plastic and composites. This helped keep the weight very low, which, in conjunction with the very aerodynamic silhouette and the powerful engine, turned the Dolphin into quite a beast on the highway.

The name came from the golden paintjob. It was an on-the-nose choice, but one that was meant to underline the luxurious side to traveling onboard. Make no mistake about it, this coach was unlike any other at the time, and not just because it looked like it had traveled back from the future.

For starters, it offered seating for 18 people in revolving seats, with seat belts and individual vents. The cabin was wrapped in expansive glazing, including the roof, the 6-meter (20-foot) long side windows, and a windshield that offered maximum visibility to the centrally-seated driver.

In keeping with the idea of luxury travel, the layout of the Golden Dolphin included a toilet, a bar slash galley where refreshments could be had, and plenty of legroom for the passengers. For distraction on the road, it had adjustable radio sets on each seat – for those times when passengers might get bored of sightseeing.

Viberti planned two layouts for the concept, with different passenger capacity, an 18- and a 32-seater. From surviving photos and literature, it's clear that only a prototype for the 18-seater was built and that it was then shown around at trade events, including the Geneva Motor Show.

The combination of luxury features and finishes with outstanding performance earned the concept international media attention, being featured in prestigious publications at the time, like Popular Mechanics. In the following years, the Golden Dolphin received the scale model treatment, which is but small confirmation of its legacy.

Despite plans from Viberti to take the concept into mass production, they never did. It could be that the Golden Bus was simply too innovative for its own good, which was met with a lack of confidence in the product from the public. Or it could be that production costs would have been too high for such a vehicle, and Viberti themselves decided against pursuing the project further.

Not that it matters all that much, since all this is like the proverbial water under the bridge. Today, we have the Golden Dolphin as an example of excellent, space-inspired automotive design, with features not used back then for public transport, and a luxury touch that made it truly one-of-a-kind.