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GM Futurliner

FieldValue
nameGM Futurliner
imageGM FuturLiner at Flint 2011.jpg
captionGM Futurliner at Flint, Michigan in 2011
manufacturerGeneral Motors
production1936–1941, 1953–1956
height11 ft
width96 in
length33 ft
weight33000 lb (approx)
wheelbase248 in
engine
transmission

The GM Futurliners were a group of custom vehicles, styled in the 1940s by Harley Earl for General Motors, and integral to the company's Parade of Progress—a North American traveling exhibition promoting future cars and technologies. Having earlier used eight custom Streamliners from 1936 to 1940, GM sponsored the Parade of Progress and the Futurliners from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1953 to 1956.

At 33 feet long, 8 feet wide, more than 11 feet tall, and weighing more than 12 tons, each Futurliner featured heavily stylized Art Deco, streamlined bodywork, deep red side and white roof paint, large articulated chrome side panels, a military-grade 302 cubic inch GMC straight-six gasoline engine and automatic transmission, whitewall tires and a prominent, high-mounted, centrally located driver command position with a panoramic windshield. A rarely seen technical feature was that the front wheels, in addition to rear, were also dual wheels.

Of the twelve original Futurliners, one was destroyed in a 1956 accident, and nine were known to survive as of 2007. The status and location of several are unknown.

In 2014, Futurliner #10 was nominated for inclusion in the National Historic Vehicle Register.

Parade of Progress

Originally manufactured for the 1939 New York World's Fair, the Futurliners were later featured in GM's Parade of Progress, a promotional caravan travelling a 150-stop route across the United States and Canada. The Futurliners, along with 32 support vehicles, were driven by 50 college graduates, who also staffed the exhibitions along the route.

Typically arranged at each stop around a large tent and an information kiosk, each Futurliner featured a self-contained stage as well as a prominent deployable light tower, and each vehicle carried an exhibit featuring a single theme. The mobile exhibition covered such topics as jet engine technology, agriculture, traffic engineering, stereophonic sound, microwave ovens, television and other innovations.

Interrupted by World War II, the vehicles were refurbished by GM and the Parade of Progress resumed in 1953. The 1953 Parade started in April 1953 with rehearsals in Lexington and Frankfort, Kentucky, followed by the premiere in Dayton, Ohio. It included 44 vehicles in total — the 12 Futurliners, 14 trucks, and 18 cars. In 1955 a miniature automobile assembly line display named A Car Is Born was constructed for one of the Futurliners. A display titled Our American Crossroads was also used in 1955. This display was narrated by Parker Fennelly and featured a complicated animated diorama that transformed to show progress in road and infrastructure improvements from 1902 to 1953. The reborn parade was discontinued in 1956 for the last time, displaced by increasing popularity of network television, one of the very technologies the Futurliners had once promoted. File:GM Futureliner 10 Front.jpg|Futurliner number 10 on display with doors open File:Front right of Futurliner number 3.JPG|Front right of Futurliner #3 on display in Salt Lake City, Utah File:Futurliner3.JPG|Futurliner #3 on display in Salt Lake City, Utah File:Cabin of Futurliner number 3.JPG|Cabin of Futurliner #3 on display in Salt Lake City, Utah File:Rear left of Futurliner number 3.JPG|Right rear of Futurliner #3 on display in Salt Lake City, Utah

Mechanical

The original powertrain for the Futurliners was a four-cylinder diesel coupled to a four-speed manual transmission, giving the vehicles a top speed of approximately 40 mph.

When the Parade of Progress resumed in 1953, the Futurliners were refurbished by fitting a six-cylinder, 302 cubic-inch engine, along with a four-speed automatic transmission and gear splitter; a metal roof was added to the glass cabin and air conditioning was fitted to reduce heat.

The driver's seat is centrally mounted at the front of the cab, with the driver's eyes at approximately 10 ft above road level, and the cab has room for two passengers. The 302 cuin six cylinder gasoline engine refitted in 1953 had a rated output of 145 hp and 262 lbft of torque at 1,400 RPM, with a compression ratio of 7.5:1.

List of Futurliners

The following table lists the original displays and the current status of the units. The three vehicles listed as unknown under Fate does not mean that they no longer exist but rather that the identity of some of the existing Futurliners has not been matched to their original display. Changes in some of the displays also makes it difficult to trace the lineage of some of the buses.

There are still two Futurliners unaccounted for.

NumberImageOriginal DisplayRemarksCurrent location
1Miracles of Heat and ColdDisplayed the "Miracles of Heat and Cold" exhibit, featuring Frigidaire products.Unknown
2Our American Crossroadstitle=G.M.'s Futurliner to Take Its Place Among Historically Important Vehiclesurl=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/27/automobiles/gms-futurliner-to-take-its-place-among-historically-important-vehicles.htmlaccessdate=May 5, 2019work=New York Timesdate=November 27, 2014}}Unknown
3[[File:Futurliner 3 Front.JPG100px]]Power for the Air AgeDisplayed the “Power for the Air Age” exhibit, featuring a cutaway Allison J-35 jet engine and passed through the Joe Bortz collection in the 1980s. It later sat in storage in a warehouse in Dana, Indiana, before Phoenix, Arizona, resident William Pozzi bought it and in turn sold it sometime in the late 1990s to Brad Boyajian of American Movie Trucks in Chatsworth, California.Dennis Albaugh Collection
4Diesel Power ParadeDisplayed the “Diesel Power Parade” exhibit; also displayed the “Power for the Nation’s Lifelines” exhibit, which also focused on diesels.Unknown
5World of ScienceNo. 5 displayed the “World of Science” and “Versatile Metal Powder” exhibits.ChromeCars (Germany)
6Energy & ManDisplayed the "Energy & Man" exhibit; also displayed the "High Compression Power & Energy" exhibit. This bus is believed to be one of two owned by Peter Pan Bus Lines of Springfield, Massachusetts; one has been restored and another, in poor condition and used for parts, is in storage. Which buses they are, is still largely in question.Peter Pan Bus Lines
7Out of the City MuddleDisplayed the “Out of the City Muddle” exhibit, focusing on urban and highway congestion. It was purchased by Square D, however, the company only owned it until 1960, when an unnamed New Hampshire-based motorsport team bought it to use the Futurliner as a service vehicle. That team then ran No. 7 until 1964 when it ran out of gas and the team members pushed it under a tree at a nearby scrap yard and left it there. It remained in that scrapyard for 20 years until New Hampshire-based restaurant operator Kendrick Robbins bought No. 7 intending to transform the Futurliner into a salad bar. Robbins partially dismantled No. 7 – then powered by a GMC V-6 gas engine rather than by the GMC 302-cu.in. inline-six cylinder gas engine – but for the most part, let it sit for another 20 years until he sold it to Maine-based heavy equipment operator Tom Learned. As of 2017 Learned has sold No. 7 to ChromeCars in Germany, the same owner of No. 9, who shipped it to Ilmenau, Germany.ChromeCars (Germany)
8Around the Farm House ClockDisplayed the “Around the Farm House Clock” exhibit, focusing on the use of modern appliances on the farm. This bus was rear-ended while on the Parade of Progress, and removed from use. One of two (#11) given to the Michigan State Police, then later sold to Jack and Bill Braun of Spring Lake, Michigan, to promote their junkyard.Nicklas Jonsson (Sweden)
9Reception CenterHosted the exhibit reception center.ChromeCars (Germany)
10[[File:GM FuturLiner front at Flint.jpg100px]]Opportunity for YouthDisplayed the “Opportunity for Youth” exhibit, which included winning model cars from the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild contest; also displayed the Three Dimensional Sound exhibit.NATMUS
11March of ToolsDisplayed the “March of Tools” exhibit; also displayed the “A Car is Born” exhibit. According to Berghoff and Ferris, GM sold it to evangelist Oral Roberts, who in turn sold it to preacher David Wilkerson. Later ended up in a field in East Meredith, New York. Futurliner Bus No. 11 sold for a record US$4,000,000 (plus premium) to Arizona-based real estate developer Ron Pratte on January 21, 2006 at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona and was driven to its new home in Chandler. Mr. Pratte sold the same bus on January 17, 2015 at Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona to an anonymous donor. The selling price was again US$4,000,000 (plus premium), the proceeds from the sale benefiting the Armed Forces Foundation, a charity that assists military members and their families.Private owner
12Precision and DurabilityDisplayed the “Precision and Durability” exhibit. Current whereabouts unknown.Unknown

References

References

  1. "1936, The Parade of Progress". GM Heritage Center.
  2. "The GM Futurliner GM Futurliner Restoration Project National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States". GM Futurliner Restoration Project National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States.
  3. "1936-'40 GM Streamliner".
  4. (November 19, 2014). "Futurliner No. 10 to go on National Historic Vehicle Register, finds permanent home". Hemmings Motor News.
  5. (2014-11-26). "G.M.'s Futurliner to Take Its Place Among Historically Important Vehicles There is one on display in Auburn Indiana at the Auburn Chird Dusceburg museum.". The New York Times.
  6. "1936, The Parade of Progress".
  7. Johanson, Robert S.. (March 1954). "Public relations ... on wheels!".
  8. (16 Sep 1955). "City Welcomes Big GM Parade of Progress". Janesville Daily Gazette.
  9. (8 February 1955). "Complicated Exhibit Is Feature of Show". Galveston Daily News.
  10. (July 6, 1953). "G.M. Air Conditions 'Futurliner' Cabs For National Tour". Air Conditioning & Refrigeration News.
  11. Johanson, Robert S.. (July 1953). "The Parade of Progress".
  12. (2007). "General Motors Parade of Progress & A Futureliner Returns". Futureliner Restoration Team.
  13. [http://www.wyrick-co.com/partners GM Futurliner Restoration] {{webarchive. link. (2013-09-21)
  14. (November 27, 2014). "G.M.'s Futurliner to Take Its Place Among Historically Important Vehicles". New York Times.
  15. (June 21, 2013). "'Most original unrestored' Futurliner goes under the knife for full restoration".
  16. "Rick C White, Primary Data: Profile and Biography".
  17. (March 2022)
  18. (August 9, 2016). "A tale of two Futurliners: One fails to sell at auction while another goes overseas".
  19. Holderith, Peter. (November 16, 2021). "Driving a Legendary 1939 GM Futurliner Is Like Nothing Else". The Drive.
  20. Plachno, Larry. (February 2001). "Back to the Futurliners".
  21. Holderith, Peter. (24 September 2021). "How an Ultra-Rare 1930s GM Futurliner Got Street Parked in a Small New England Town". The Drive.
  22. "Seltener Futurliner von GM nun in Ilmenau beheimatet".
  23. (2006-01-24). "4 million dollar bus". Azcentral.com.
  24. (2015-01-19). "Giant GM bus from the '50s sells for $4 million". CNN.com.
  25. (July 3, 2013). "So which Futurliner is which? An initial effort toward a Futurliner registry".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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