The roots of GMC date back to 1909 when two vehicle builders were combined to form General Motors Truck Company. Fast forward 114 years and GMC still thrives in the truck business, although their products are seen as rebadged Chevrolets. This heavy-duty truck from 1938 is a COE design (Cab Over Engine) and is said to have been in storage for 65 years. But even more interesting is that it may have once been in the service of Barnum & Bailey Circus. Located in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, this former workhorse is available here on eBay where the reserve is unmet at $11,111 but you can cut to the chase by committing to $28,800.
Other than a story from the previous owner, there’s no hard evidence this was a circus truck. And those kinds of associations seldom add any significant resale value anyway. The vehicle has only recently come out of hibernation which could date as far back as 1958. The truck hasn’t run in ages and a new fuel tank will be needed for making any serious efforts to get it running again.
When you do get it going, you’ll be reviving a 1950s Hemi V8 engine which implies that there’s a GM product here powered by a Chrysler powerplant. The electrical system may have been upgraded from six volts to 12. The truck has what were once new tires that have seen little or no use, but they’re likely quite ancient at this stage of the game. The status of the brakes is unknown.
The seller’s attempt to find rust on the old box truck has been unsuccessful. In other words, a magnet seems to stick anywhere it strives to test. So, restoring this truck to some sort of drivable condition may be more mechanical than cosmetic, although the paint and interior pieces likely go back from decades past. If you revived this interesting transport, what would you do with it?
An interesting find. Odd placement for the radio, i guess ergonomics were not a priority back then just like the rear mounted shifter. I dig the crank handle to open up the windshield. Not something i would buy but would totally respect to see one
Re shifter: Ever drive an original 427 Cobra?
The shifter was there because the operator’s feet sat almost in front of the engine.
Might look cooler to have the shifter up beside you, but these things were utilitarian back then.
Neither the radio nor the gauges are original. Whoever installed the Hemi likely also installed those items.
$28,800. What did P.T. Barnum famously say about a sucker?
Even the current bid … Yikes.
Circus truck ? At that price you’d have to be a clown to buy that !
The last time I checked….. they don’t build these anymore. Say what you want (and I’m not a big COE fan), but scarcity + demand = high prices. It might not sell on eBay, but there are online outlets where this would go quickly. A lot of people would want an original motor, but of all of the motors they could have swapped, a baby hemi is a pretty good choice.
I have to meet the people who ran the current bid that high. I’ll charge them that much to .. “this way to see the great egress” … Where I will gladly sell them some prime swampland.
I always suspect unreasonably high bids that don’t meet reserve – seller may have friends.
Nice old rig. It would be more interesting to me if it still had the original power plant. But probably some time in the late 50s or early 60s when it was still in service with the circus folks the original plant bit the dust and they decided to upgrade the power situation. So in that light I could see it as legit, in keeping with its original history.
Put yourself back in the late 50’s or early 60’s…. You have this vehicle with a cashed-in motor. There were a lot of choices, but I can’t think of a cooler choice than a baby hemi.
It is a cool old truck. $28,800 worth of cool? I don’t think so. But, that’s just my own opinion. I can see it ending up as a toy hauler though. A bit more modified, and it even comes with a storage box, that can double as a motorcycle shed after the flat bed is added. To each their own.
Jeepers Creepers!!!!
Yes! I was racking my brain trying to think of that movie when I saw this thing. Good One Dave.
Jeeper creeper?
OMG, that’s the first thing that came to mind. Those COEs were scary as hell!
I’d take the box off and build a cool roll back.
But it would all start with a Chevy engine and the bidding is already reached insane.
HEY I HAVE AN ORIGINAL 1938 GMC TON AND A HALF WITH 12,000 MILES ,WAS GOING TO MAKE A CAR HAULER BUT l WENT A DIFFERENT WAY. NICE TRUCK, $12,000 BEST OFFER. ILLINOIS
I’ll have to see if I have sufficient CAPITAL to purchase it…
hey jerry! contrary to popular belief, capitalizing everything won’t make it easier to hear.
That’s the same thing I would do!
I’m trying to wrap my head around this: A flipper who knows nothing about cars buys a highly modified truck from an old lady who told him it was in a circus and was sitting for 65 years. The flipper doesn’t know that radios, side view mirrors, or big-rig exhaust pipes from the 1970’s didn’t exist in 1938. He also negates the newer box, engine and paint job from the 1950’s-70’s, and states that this truck is as original as a car will ever be….. It just doesn’t make sense…
This truck is from Indianapolis Ind .An old man known as John a would drive it out west a few times as I remember. They owned a small gas station on us 52 .Really good people.His sons always had cool cars. Always wondered what happened to that truck it was always stored inside . Now this was 50 years ago but that was his truck.Great to see it wasn’t junked 👍👍
I like the old trucks, but I am not a COE guy. I gravitate towards the old pickups. Despite the comments that the bidding is too high, these trucks sell for what the current bid is, in much worse shape. The “buy it now” seems high to some, but to get that COE look without a ton of bodywork is no doubt tempting to some who really like these things.
If not for the price, would be a great project. It wouldn’t get those $$$ if it was original and running.
“If you revived this interesting transport, what would you do with it?”
The first thing I’d do is get rid of the 1960s kitchen carpet.
I agree, that CB Radio is from the mid 70s.
I would not even know where I would start to look for a gas tank. Parts must be so hard to find.
Some things say it’s been sitting 60 years, others say more like 40. The CB is an 80’s item, west coast mirrors could be too. That steering tire is a Sears Allstate, how long since they sold those, 1960’s maybe? And just because they still have nubs on them doesn’t mean anything more than they weren’t driven on much, they’re still 40-50 years and hard as a rock and could blow just looking at them wrong, although old bias ply’s like that seem to hold up better than radials. The exhaust is configured for dual stacks, they must have ran out of money before they finished, or maybe the roar of the Hemi was too much right behind the drivers ears!
It will take a truck load of money to get this one ready for any long road use. Even with the two speed rear axle it would be slow, maybe 50 mph top speed, but it should pull like a bulldozer, and ride like one as well with those heavy spring packs!
I see these old COE’s for sale in rough & rugged condition or unfinished projects for $5000-$15,000 fairly often. But do they sell? And who buys them? It seems the main interest for them is to become a rollback for someone’s show car. I’ve seen a few highly modified COE’s turned into rollbacks for sale in the $40,000 + range and then linger for sale for a long time and with price drops into the range of “cost more to build than the asking price”. Cool rigs but with a narrow market.
These trucks are not worth much anymore, except for a builder to create a custom flatbed with or some sort of other custom.
–Maybe they want to contact the Barnum & Baily Circus Museum down here in Florida to verify it’s authenticity ?
The hemi appears to have a 2-barrel carb manifold, so that suggests it was an early 331 from a car or possibly a later Dodge truck hemi. By 1954 all the cars with hemi engines [New Yorkers, 300 letter series, and Imperials] all had 1 or 2 4-barrel setups.
I’m assuming the pedals aren’t original? Surely the originals were through the floor?
Chris, my memory on these is kinda spotty at times, but I think the pedals are correct for a COE, and the brake [& clutch?] master cylinders were accessed thru a door on the left side of the grill shell, as seen in the photos.
I’m sure if I’m wrong someone will correct me!