Lucketts Travel has bought a £400,000 Irizar i8, “its most glamorous purchase to date.”
The luxury Irizar i8 Integral, powered by an MX13 engine with ZF AS Tronic gearbox, seats 36 in a full-size coach on leather reclining seats with tables. It will include a fully-fitted Neff kitchen and seven flatscreen HD TVs with Sky, and Lucketts will also offer an on-board host.
The kitchen will have two top-of-the-range ovens, a coffee machine, microwave and instant hot water tap, while the coach is also fitted with wi-fi, USB ports, power sockets, DAB radio and Chromecast, for guests to stream entertainment from their phones to the screens.
Built in Spain, the coach is currently undergoing interior conversion at AD Coach Systems in Staffordshire. It’s expected to arrive at Lucketts’ Fareham depot in late July, bringing the number of vehicles in its fleet to more than 110.
Lucketts is expecting it to be popular among companies looking to impress their clients or treat their staff.
Paul Barringer, Group Sales and Marketing Director, says: “Several businesses have approached us asking what we can do to really wow their clients, and the new Lucketts VIP coach will do just that.
“Between the blacked-out windows, luxury leather seats and option of an on-board host, it will be like travelling in celebrity style.”
The VIP coach is part of Lucketts’ £7.5m investment in vehicles this year. The company is currently undertaking an ambitious growth strategy, in which it aims to be recognised as the number one operator in the region.
Mr Barringer adds: “Our quality and customer service is what sets us apart from the rest. It’s therefore fitting that we should have a luxury vehicle that provides just that – quality on a whole new level.”
