On September 1, 2001, Evelyn and Nelson Figueroa opened the doors of Millennium Luxury Coach in Sanford Florida.. Since that day, and 23 coaches later, the original vision of building the finest, lightest and  most technologically advanced coach available in the Prevost conversion marketplace has remained, solidified, and is central in the firm’s vision for the future.

"When our customers leave with their new coach, they may as well have our names on it," said Evelyn,

"We want it to be that way; we are not an ‘entity,’ to our customers,"  we are a group of people who care about customers and their coaches. 

Despite the 40+ employees of Millennum Luxury Coach, the final step before delivering a new coach is when the Figueroas spend their own time in the coach, often on weekends, testing, probing, trying every function of the coach, and then finally cleaning it themselves before delivery to the customer.  " You will be amazed what you find when you clean a motor coach" said Nelson. 

Nelson adds, "We aren’t counting the number of  coaches  produced at Millennium; we may build fewer or more  coaches  in a given year. We take the time to aggressively  and with confidence pursue Research and Development and new technologies which will help  keep our place as the finest coach available in the marketplace."

The Millennium is not a coach which has many ‘add-ons.’ Standard features include full curbside and pilot power awning packages, stainless trim packages, engine appearance detailing, the finest in fixtures and fabrics.

Because contemporary coaches require much more power than those in the past and many coaches now utilize four air conditioners, Millennium fits each coach it manufactures with a  8.5 kw  belt-driven generator,  also used by the military  which runs off the Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine. The generator is mounted to the frame by a custom bracket with an inflatable air bag to insure long, reliable service.

Also standard equipment on Millennium are air conditioning booster systems insure smooth, even distribution of air throughout the coach, eliminating, "hot spots’ and drafts. With longer coaches now standard in the industry, air control and delivery systems in custom coaches must keep pace with the demand for systems to support greater volumes of air which are evenly distributed.

Millennium coaches also use the Garnett tank monitoring system, a state-of-the-art digital system for providing accurate tank levels which can be calibrated either by Millennium or the owner with the Lutron central control system, the ‘brain’ of the Millennium coach on the road. Lighting levels, control system levels and functions can all be user-programmed with the system. The intensity levels of each set of lights in the coach can be attenuated or boosted through the use of the system.

"We aren’t stuck in the past with this coach or that coach; we are looking forward with each new coach to be better, more efficient, more comfortable, lighter," Nelson noted, "And with the happiest customer," Evelyn added.

Even the most casual observer in the Millennium production areas can see the ‘custom’ nature of workmanship, design and manufacture to the smallest components.

No standard cabling or bundling systems are used at Millennium. Each coach is custom-wired to the specifications of that particular coach. Every wire is individually pulled and placed according to the requirements of the new owner. One feature which Millennium does prewire on all coaches is its exterior neon package. "It’s a popular feature. Many owners decide they want it after the coach is under way, so we wire each coach for the package in the eventuality they may decide to choose it," Nelson noted.

As in any truly custom coach production, the first steps in the process ‘on top’ of the systems is the selection of materials, the style, ambience and utility of the Prevost shell, which is on its way to becoming an individual statement for a new owner.

Here, Millennium’s Research and Development efforts pay off. Just as an example, special granite materials are used which have great strength, but drastically reduce the coach’s overall weight. Every effort is made to reduce the coach weight, while maintaining the structural and aesthetic integrity of each coach produced. Nelson Figueroa personally weighs each and every coach produced; the average 45-foot coach weighs about 47,000 lbs.
 

The payoff for the intensive research work, attention to detail and fundamental design features come together only after each coach is personally overseen by both Evelyn and Nelson. The selection and combination of materials, systems and precise installation result in uncompromising quality and coaches which are singularly unique.

Millennium workmanship.

 The Figueroa’s plan comes together with coaches which differentiate themselves from other visions based on the Prevost shell, those which reflect the individual personality of the new owner.

Evelyn tells the story very succinctly; "We’re really bus nuts."

And, it shows!