Futurliner
Encyclopedia
| GM Futurliner | |
 Restored Futurliner #10 in 2007 |
|
| Built By: | GMC Truck and Fisher Coach & Body. |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 12 |
| Built: | 1940 |
| Overhauled: | 1953 |
| Retired: | 1956 |
| Height: | 3.5 metres (11 feet 7 inches) |
| Width: | 2.4 metres (8 feet) |
| Length: | 10 metres (33 feet) |
| Wheelbase: | 6.3 metres (20 feet 8 inches) |
| Weight: | 13 tons (30,000 pounds) (approx) |
| Fuel Capacity: | 340 litres (90 gallons) (2 45 gallon tanks) |
| Powertrain(1940-1946): | 4 cylinder diesel/manual transmission |
| Power Train (1953-1956): | GMC 302ci 6 cylinder /4 speed hydramatic plus 2 speed manual gearbox |
| Top Speed: | 65 km/h (40 mph) |
The GM Futurliners were a group of stylized buses designed in the 1940s by Harley Earl
Harley Earl
Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques...
for General Motors. They were used in GM's Parade of Progress, which traveled the United States exhibiting new cars and technology. The Futurliners were used from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1953 to 1956. A total of 12 were built, and 9 were still known to exist as of 2007.
Parade of Progress
Each Futurliner displayed modern advances in science and technology such as jet engines, stereophonic soundStereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
, microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
s, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and many other modern innovations of the time.
The Parade of Progress was halted by WWII. The vehicles were refurbished by GM and the Parade resumed in 1953, and were discontinued in 1956, a victim of the technologies the Futurliners had featured: television.
In addition to the Futurliners, the Parade of Progress included 32 support vehicles.
After the Parade
Following the Parade of Progress, the twelve Futurliners were disposed of by General Motors.Two Futurliners were donated by GM to the Michigan State Police
Michigan State Police
The Michigan State Police is the state police agency for the state of Michigan. The MSP is a full service law enforcement agency with its sworn members having full police powers statewide....
. Rechristened as "Safetyliners", they were used to promote safety on the roads.
At least one Futurliner was purchased by Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
and used as a portable stage during evangelical crusades of the 1960s. This vehicle may have been taken to Central or South America.
Today
Futurliner #11 sold for a record US$4,000,000 (plus premium) on Jan 21, 2006 at a Barrett-JacksonBarrett-Jackson
Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction provides products and services to classic and collector car owners, collectors and automotive enthusiasts...
auction in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Too large to ship, it was driven to its new home in Chandler
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
.
Futurliner #10 is believed to be the most accurately restored
Automotive Restoration
Automobile restoration is the process of repairing the degraded aspect of a car to return it to an overall "authentic" condition. To renovate a car without updating or upgrading it by keeping in line with how it would have appeared when first offered for sale...
of the Futurliners.
As of summer 2008 Futurliner #8 was delivered to its new Swedish owner Nicklas Jonsson who plans to restore it over a 10-year period. It's the first and only Futurliner in Europe.
Of the other six known surviving Futurliners, one is used as a motorhome
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
and two in advertising. One is in Maine and is currently being restored. It is owned by Tom Learned and is powered by a GM V-8 with an Allison automatic transmission. The other four are generally beyond restorable condition.
In popular culture
The Futurliner was seen as an animated S.W.A.T. van in Batman: The Animated SeriesBatman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
.