Many unique and stunning cars were made in the 1930s. Along with incredible sports vehicles, display cars were also produced. One of these is the General Motors Futurliner or GM Futurliner truck line, created in 1939.
Not so long ago, one of our readers in Ludlow, Massachusetts, saw something strange on his quiet street. One night as he was out on the street, a behemoth that was lighted by a streetlight materialized in front of him. Unbelievably, it was one of the incredibly rare 1939 GM Futurliners from General Motors, one of only twelve produced and costing at least $1 million.
For the General Motors Parade of Progress in 1939, these vehicles were developed. It was a mobile display that showcased advances in technology from the 1940s and 1950s. The convoy, which was made up of 12 Futurliners and 32 support vehicles, traveled across all of the United States and Canada, making 150 stops where special displays were held.
Harley Earl was the designer of these unique automobiles. He created extraordinary, 10-meter-long, 3.5-meter-tall, and 2.4-meter-wide two-axle trucks. They initially had a four-cylinder engine that could propel them at a speed of 64 km/h, and they weighed roughly 14 tons. The engine was changed to a six-cylinder one in the 1950s, which allowed the top speed to rise to 80 km/h.
12 trucks in total were constructed, and they were only utilized at the Parade of Progress. A fold-out stage and a retractable mast for attaching lighting and sound systems are included in each car. Typically, the vehicles formed an exhibition by being arranged around a sizable tent. The cars were kept in storage following the start of the war and the suspension of the show. They didn’t return to the routes until 1953, following a minimal renovation and refreshment of the bodywork.
Their career did not last very long, though. Because television was more successful in its promotion than Parade of Progress, which ironically was one of the inventions touted earlier at the exposition, Parade of Progress was discontinued in 1956.
There are only nine Futurliners left in existence out of the total of 11; one was probably destroyed in an accident at the last show, and the whereabouts of the other two are unknown. 11 trucks were sold by GM; 9 went to private owners, and 2 supposedly ended up with the Michigan police, who utilized them to encourage safe driving for a number of years. Due to their frequent, anonymous ownership changes, it is difficult to pinpoint the precise destiny of certain vehicles.
For those who don’t know, GM’s Futurliners were essentially enormous buses with a distinctive Art Deco design. They were constructed to travel the country as part of the Parade of Progress, a pre-war tour intended to showcase cutting-edge American technology. The last version of the trip, for which the Futurliners were constructed, ran from 1956 to 1958. Following that, the national parade was over, the Futurliners were all sold to the general people, and they all went on to experience various fates.
GM Futurliner trucks are now a fantastic delight for collectors because of their rarity. One of them sold for more than $4 million in 2006! It was once more placed up for sale in January 2015 for this sum, with the proceeds going to charity.
Although the exterior of each of the 12 GMC Futurliner trucks was identical, the interior included a distinctive presentation.
General Motors Futurliner Exhibition
Number and name and the Moose
1 – Heat and Cold Miracles – Unknown
Our American Crossroads is presently located in Michigan’s General Motors Heritage Center.
3 – Power for the Air Age – Several different owners. It has been restored and is presently on exhibit in Ankeny, Iowa.
4 – Diesel Power Parade – Unknown
5 – World of Science – Purchased by the German business Chrome Cars in 2018. It serves as an advertisement and is now located in Germany.
6. Energy & Man Unknown, most likely owned by Peter Pan Bus Lines, is at position six.
7 – Out of the City Muddle This vehicle was a service vehicle in auto racing for a number of years before it was abandoned in a junkyard in 1964. Ultimately discovered and sold to the German business Chrome Cars. It serves as an advertisement and is now located in Germany.
8. Around the Farm House Clock, a restaurant whose owner is Nicklas Jonsson from Sweden, is at number eight. The project was scheduled to be finished in March 2018.
9. Reception Center, owned by Bob Valdez, was rebuilt and then sold to the German business Chrome Cars, which is restoring it to its original state.
10 – Opportunity for Youth It had a number of different owners, underwent a significant renovation from 1999 to 2004, and is now displayed at classic automobile exhibits.
11 – March of Tools – It was sold at auction for $4 million after going through multiple ownership changes.
12. Precision and durability (Category 12) – Unknown
Interior of a 1939 Gm Futurliner
Here are some in-depth images with close-up shots of exterior and interior details to go along with our 1939 GM Futurliner article.
Gm Futurliner Price
The numbers for the 1939 General Motors Futurliner
Rear-wheel drive; supercharged 4-71 Detroit Diesel cylinders; 4-speed automatic transmission
Asking price: $1,000,000
11 feet 6 inches high, 7 feet 10 inches broad, and 32 feet 10 inches long are the dimensions.
3 seats are available.
In my opinion, the Futurliner is the most popular car I’ve ever driven. However, driving one can be a little nerve-wracking.
Abandoned GM Futurliner Is Rotting Away in a Storage Lot
One of the Futurliners was parked on the street in Ludlow, Massachusetts, a few months ago when a reader discovered it. He contacted us to share his amazing photos. After figuring out what was going on, we contacted Peter Pan Bus Lines, the company that owns the buses, and moved the investigation along by getting behind the wheel.
You can read about our experience driving the Futurliner here. In contrast, seeing the remains of another Futurliner up close is also a very uncommon experience; in fact, Peter Pan has a second Futurliner decaying away in its rear lot.
Eight of the twelve Futurliners that were constructed were saved, refurbished, or somehow maintained. The records are incredibly scant; three more were lost or destroyed over the past 70 years. That leaves this one; we were intrigued by this battle-scarred survivor coexisting with its pampered twin, and we set out to unravel as much as we could about their pasts. Additionally, this car—likely Futurliner number 11—has taken a wild voyage in terms of the lives that automobiles lead.
Before we continue, it’s important to note that even though GM only produced 12 of the dreadful things, it’s quite challenging to identify which one is which because, other from the initial license plate, the number was typically not recorded anywhere on the vehicles itself. According to Peter Pan Bus Lines, the number of the restored model is 7, and the number of the parts model is 11.
If this vehicle is actually number 11, it started out by touring the nation’s tech-inclined populace with the “March of Tools” exhibit. It was then modified for the church’s use and transported across the continent once more.
Is it repairable? Well, anything can be restored; the important question is how much of the original would remain. It’s an interesting ruin just as it is.
Source : thedrive | Please dm for the removals
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