FORT VALLEY, Ga. There apparently was a successful bidder late last month at the public auction of the former Blue Bird CoachWorks and Wanderlodge plant and equipment here.

However, the name of the last man standing when the gavel came down was not announced, pending various approvals and sales agreements.

An individual who was at the sales site said there appeared to be seven attendees at the auction, but only four individuals who put up the $100,000 needed to qualify to participate in the sale.

Two of those individuals were interviewed as they came out of the sale and they both said the plant inventory, which included shop and garage equipment; parts and supplies; dies and fixtures; drawings, computers and intellectual property; a handful of diesel engines and transmissions; four Wanderlodge RVs, two of them 2009 models, and four late-model service vehicles sold for a total of $750,000.

The pre-auction valuation put out by the auctioneers -- of the material had been between $7 million and $10 million.

In addition, the 250,000-square-foot Blue Bird Express coach/Wanderlodge manufacturing facility and surrounding 32 acres, that included an RV park, known to Wanderlodge owners as the Birds Nest, was sold to the same individual for $2 million.

The sale was ordered by creditors of CoachWorks Holdings, which bought the complex from Cerberus Capital Management about two years ago. The business had been foreclosed on by creditors. (See April 1 Bus & Motorcoach News.)

A spokesman for the auction firm that conducted the sale said it might be 30-45 days, or longer, before the sale is completed.

Meanwhile, Blue Bird Corporation, the school bus manufacturer whose plant is essentially located across the street from the former Blue Bird CoachWorks and Wanderlodge operation, issued a statement from Greg Bennett, president and CEO, regarding the financial strength of the company.

"We have been made aware of market rumors regarding the potential shutdown or liquidation of the companys former coach division. Blue Bird Corporation sold the business unit in 2007 to focus our efforts on growing our school bus unit and catering solely to the needs of the school bus industry.

"As a result, we no longer have a financial connection with this unrelated business entity as it is a completely separate company.

"Blue Bird Corporation is as strong as ever and in excellent financial shape. . . . We continue to be confident in our growth prospects," Bennett said.