The Futurliner was the brainchild of Charles Kettering, GM’s head of research. Kettering established the Parade of Progress after visiting the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. The Parade began in 1936, with eight streamlined buses bringing exhibitions of new inventions to eager viewers all over the country. In 1939, Kettering asked Harley Earl to come up with a new vehicular ambassador for the Parade. Twelve Futurliners were built to replace the buses, with design traits adopted from the Art Deco movement. While three people could traipse up its steep staircase to fit in its cabin – broiling under all that glass – its primary feature was a huge exhibition area behind the aluminum-decked slab sides. This example is owned by Peter Pan Bus Company (thus the script installed on its flanks, proclaiming such). It was restored in the 1990s and it runs well. Tony Primo found this mega-bus for us in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Parade of Progress ran – with interruptions due to the war – into the 1950s, with improvements to the vehicles occurring along the way. Futurliners were originally equipped with four-cylinder diesel engines (installed in a cavity under the cab) but in the second round of their tour, many of the motors were upgraded to a GM six-cylinder. This engine is a Detroit-Diesel 4-71 and the gearbox has been switched out from the original manual to an Allison automatic. The factory engine and transmission are included in the sale. The Futurliner was produced with eight wheels – two on each side of the front and rear axles. Each set of front wheels had its own drum brakes, about enough to slow down its 12-ton mass from its roughly 50 mph top speed.
Behind the driver’s seat are two jump seats for your passengers, nicely upholstered to match the cockpit trim. The original transmission was a complicated affair offering 24 speeds; the Futurliner’s primitive power steering often failed, overwhelmed by mastering the weight of the vehicle. Not only does this example have that auto gearbox, it’s also been upgraded with modern power-assisted steering. See that fan? Necessary! Hopefully, the fire extinguisher never becomes necessary, but if it’s an engine fire, well, diving down that staircase to the engine will be dicey.
While twelve Futurliners were made, the whereabouts of only nine are known today, making this one of the rarest vehicles ever produced. If you can come up with a bit more than spare change, this Futurliner is listed here on facebook Marketplace for a hair shy of $1 million. It’s gone “pending” at this writing, so you’d have to shoulder aside another interested party, but anything’s possible! Complaints about the price are understandable, but I think the potential owner here is capturing a bargain, compared with the sale of this outstanding example for $4 million at Barrett-Jackson two years ago. Granted, the B-J sale was for charity, which can seriously boost results. If you owned a Futurliner, what would you do with it?
This would be “WAY COOL” if you had a use for it.
You took the words right out of my mouth angliagt, “WAY COOL.” I would like to see one in person some day.
Facebook Marketplace?
Had one come to town when I was a kid.
Thought it was really neat. The sides folded down and exhibits of the future including towns with little cars and trains running around the streets to show us all the neat stuff could expect to see in the future.
I’d get but I don’t have the garage space.
Saw one of these at BTTF here in St. Paul a few years ago. Pretty cool, but didn’t want to wait in line to see it up closer. Ahh regrets…
Incredible. And originally with a24 speed manual transmission? That’s some big time hand and foot action going all the time, especially with that motor in this big Beautiful beast.
To arrive somewhere and open up the display would be a show all in of itself, regardless of whatever you’re selling.
So we’ll be looking in some tall barns for the other three!
A “Futurliner” on tube tires? I kid, it was all they had save for solid tires. Much fanfare has been done on these, I met a chap in Sherman Oaks, Cal. that had 3, I think. One was so poorly damaged, he cut the back off and made a car hauler. I think he had 2 more unrestored. I believe the “24” speeds in incorrect. Originally, I read, these had a gas GMC in line 6 or 4 cylinder Detroits with a 4 speed automatic and a 2 speed manual auxiliary. Basically an over and under, like a 2 speed rear axle, so an 8 speed, unless I’m missing something. These were never meant for any type of transportation, just mobile attractions from town to town and to think today, we get that kind of attention at the push of a button. A “Future” they never dreamed of, but the 30s were a time of huge innovation, and these units packed them in wherever they went. Although relatively unscathed, I read, 1 was destroyed in 1956 when one Futurliner rear ended another when the brakes failed, or so the story went. 2 remain unknown.
Howard A, I remember walking past one of the Sherman Oaks guy’s Futurliners parked — and apparently immovable — when I lived there in the early 1980s. It looked almost beyond repair then, and disappeared before I moved away. I always wondered what happened to it, and guessed the only thing keeping the city from towing it away was its incredible size.
A million bucks or so is a little high for me, especially since I can’t imagine any practical use for it, much less driving it. That’s why I’m grateful there are Big-Time Collectors, who save the vehicles the rest of us can’t.
But $4 million, as the B-J Futurliner fetched? Not even if I opened one of the doors and found the Buick Y-Job stashed inside….
Hi Ray, his name is Brad Boyajian, and how I found out about him was he has a bunch of classic Peterbilts that run around S.Cal. I was interested in. The car hauler was the worst of them, and I believe he used a conventional frame and steer axle, and donated the original parts to other collectors.
Food truck (?)
It would be a heck of a food truck, but it would also be a shame to cut up such a historic tig to make the conversion.
Out of the 12, how many are restored? , How many are there that could be restored? How many are MIA? I am just curious I was at B/J when the one sold, it was crazy and a little confusing as I remember.
Here’s a good write-up on the known examples.
https://natmus.org/other-futurliners#:~:text=%238%20is%20in%20Sweden%20being,part%20of%20the%20Albaugh%20Collection.
And indeed, one of these is in restoration in Sweden:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Jonsson-Power-Futurliner-8-Restoration-project-100082823037765/
That Barret-Jackson sale was 9 years ago. And the same truck was sold in 2006. I remember watching both of those sales. That was crazy, for sure. Dave Kendig restored one a couple years back, too.
Yep, first thing that came to mind when I saw Michelle’s write-up.
Anyone who wants to see one in person can probably stop by Kindigit Customs in Salt Lake City.
https://www.kindigit.com/gallery/39-gm-futurliner/
Looks like #3 that Kindigit Designs restored is currently part of the Albaugh Collection in Ankeny, IA.
https://albaughclassic.com/albaugh-collection/
Dave Kindig seems like a great guy. I like how his shop runs. Nobody levelling threats or throwing hammers.
@Howard A is correct about the gas 6 cylinder. The one restored by Kindig in Utah had the 6. Here it is https://www.kindigit.com/gallery/39-gm-futurliner/
This is also featured on the Hagerty site. There is a link to what looks like Futureliner encyclopedia of information. The Hagerty piece also has 45+ images.
I remember walking by several of these parked right by the LA wash. My grandmother lived in Studio City and I had gone for a walk and decided to follow the path of the LA wash for a ways. I must have oogled at these for a half hour or so, I had read about them but never seen one, let alone several. At the time (late 1980s?) they did not look restored, but did not look bad either.
Neat art deco rig and a piece of history that should be preserved. The engine shown is not a GM 471 diesel but an auxiliary engine of relatively recent make. Looks like a generator.
Sooooo cool Had to go and see pictures on Facebook and lo and behold someone had the extra $ to buy her.
Hope it goes to a good home
Vehicles like that need to be around forever!!
Saw one at the Pontiac show in Norwalk OH in 2011. The guy was collecting a dollar a head to climb up in it, so that’s my fan club and I did. She’s barely 5′ and I asked her what it looked like from the driver seat. I think the response was, big. Pretty cool truck and piece of history from when GM could do anything.
These originally had wide whitewalls on them. Now that would be expensive to reproduce!
GM owned US Royal Tire & Rubber at the time that the Futureliners were on the road, so anything — including wide whitewall truck tires — was possible.
I was at BJ in 2006 covering the auction for Hemmings Motor News. That year, Ron Pratt bought it for more than $4 million. A man was seated in the driver seat dressed in period correct garb. With each bid, he blew the horn. Being part of the media there, we were allowed to climb inside the bus for a tour.
One of these was in a junkyard near me (Fruitport, Mi.) in the late 60’s into the 70’s. I believe that it was restored, and is in the Bus/truck museum in Indiana.
It was on display with a small entry fee, raising funds to complete the project.
I paid of course and climbed up to the master seat.
Also sat in the Michigan one.
Before that tranny was switched out to an auto, in those days I don’t believe they had gyms, you got your workout behind the wheel of these workout wagons. While working in so cal a guy brought one in for repairs, hah, just getting it into my stall I was ready for lunch and a beer.
One of these was restored on one of the “car restoration shows ” on television a few years ago although I don’t recall which one.
They had one of these on display at the Iola Old Car Show in Wisconsin seven or eight years ago. They are very impressive in person and has been said already very cool. Sounds like it has been sold to a lucky new owner.
I remember going thru 5 or 6 of them in the 80’s, they were sitting in a farm field in Elburn Illinois. They were all in need of restoration. I remember the whitewall duals on the front of these.
terrific,,wow AND I T HAS AN ALISON AUTOMATIC TRANNY
Sharp eye. It’s probably been re-engined and definitely re-trannied. The Allison came out after the war. The original engine was probably a 707 gasoline six, or if Diesel a 471 or maybe a 671 GM, which is what the contemporary Yello mw Coach buses used.
GM had one at the Washington DC New Auto show several years ago. Pretty cool to see one up close.
I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to have such nice things as in the Arbaugh collection where the Kindigit one is displayed.
Don’t feel bad, Laddie, we’re all in the same boat as you. For some, the cookie crumbled differently.
The name “FUTURLINER” was spelled without the “E” in FUTURE so GM could copyright or trademark the name.
https://futurliner.org/fh.htm
I saw one at the Big E fair in MASS. about 10 years ago. It had been restored, but was painted green and white which matched the new owners truck line. IT WAS HUGE !
I like the “a/c” – pictured above.
Imagine if it came along later & had a turbine engine.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn Indiana has a truck museum right beside it. Either the acd museum or the truck museum owns a restored one on display that I believe the museum and it’s volunteers restored if I’m not mistaken. If anyone wants to see one up close you can see it there, sometimes they even bring it out for display at the annual acd festival on Labor Day weekend.
I’m w/DON.
A local guy owns/restored a hand full of them. They all come out once a yr here in Springfield, MA (PeterP owner of the east coast-wide Peter Pan bus co). Amazing. I see them so often I thought they were a regular passenger carrier in the day. Nope, not enuff made.
What ever parade they’re in (may B just them) standing @ curbside they look 5 stories hi (and 1/2 block long). Dont miss all the pages on these and the similar on the net. I just lookit da pic’n have some good fun~
I wonder what happened to the just-one-made transparent! sided display trailer that used to haul around the 1956 Mercury XM Turnpike Cruiser concept car – the big Van-O-Rama.