Marking the return to transit-style production (after an absence of over a decade), the Lifestar adopted the single-piece body stampings of the Wayne Lifeguard in its construction.
As the 1970s became the 1980s, the school bus industry was in a period of relative turmoil: along with the struggling economy, fewer Americans were school-age than in years past.
To do so, Wayne Corporation was necessitated to develop a transit-style school bus that could be sold at a lower purchase price; for larger fleets, their higher capacity theoretically allowed for fewer buses per students transported.
Named Lifestar, the new vehicle would feature the continuous longitudinal interior and exterior panels of the Lifeguard for the sides and roof, both for safety and for parts commonality.
Identification of an appropriate chassis design from an outside supplier to meet engineering, volume, and cost considerations was essential to the project and the future of Lifestar.
In the prototype stage, Wayne developed both front- and rear-engine versions of the Lifestar, as the majority of manufacturers (with the exception of Ward, Crown Coach, and Gillig) offered both configurations.
Branded as "Asia-Smith" chassis, the venture was ultimately not well-received in U.S. markets and many sat at the Wayne Indiana plant for an extended time awaiting body orders.
The most visible changes included a 4-piece wrap-around windshield (created by the relocation of the entry door), the introduction of quad headlights, and an all-new grille.
In contrast to the previous model revision, the CCC chassis used nearly an identical body as the 1991-1992 Lifestar with the 3900FC, distinguished primarily by the change of powertrain and the replacement of Navistar-sourced components.
In line with the Lifestar, the TC/2000 was developed to lower production costs over the long-running All American, initially offered in a front-engine configuration and with minimal exterior chrome.
In early 1991, Navistar International announced that it had purchased a one third of AmTran, the manufacturer of Ward school bus bodies, and one of Wayne's long-time competitors.