Chassis Design
The design of the Super Olympian chassis is based on the Volvo Olympian. The front radiator was moved behind the front axle on the 12m version, or in front of the second axle for the 10.6m version (due to its shorter wheelbase). In order to lower the chassis further, the auxiliary passive steering function of the middle axle was cancelled. The suspension system has also been largely modified so that it is electronically controlled instead of moving passively. One special feature is that after turning, the suspension unit does not return to normal, remaining tilted to either the left or right, until the bus becomes stationary.
An option for 11.3m version of Super Olympian was also available, but no orders were received.
The engine used on these buses is the Volvo D10A285 (Euro II or Euro III), with a maximum power of 285 hp (213 kW), lower than 305 hp (227 kW) of the Cummins M11-305E used on Neoplan Centroliner and Dennis Trident 3, or the 335 hp (250 kW) of the later Cummins ISMe Euro III used on Dennis Trident 3/Enviro500s.
Its somewhat insufficient engine power has earned some mildly derisive nicknames in Hong Kong. The most common are "豬" (pig), "扒" (meat cutlet) and "豬扒" (pork chop, derived from the pronunciation of the word "Super").
Initially, the Super Olympian chassis were built in Volvo's factory in Irvine, Scotland. After the closure of the factory in mid-2000, production was moved to Wrocław, Poland.
Read more about this topic: Volvo Super Olympian
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“To nourish children and raise them against odds is in any time, any place, more valuable than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear weapons.”
—Marilyn French (20th century)