An unrestored Futurliner bus from the GM 1950s ‘Parade of Progress’ will be a star of Auctions America by RM's up-coming Auburn Spring sale.
One of 12 units built originally (with eight or nine still in existence), this vehicle has an auction estimate of US$450,000 to $600,000. In a condition said to be “highly original”, it has recently been equipped with eight new tires, a new Plexiglas windshield and all-new rubber and metal siding.
Futurliners were originaly built in 1940 for GM Vice President Charles "Boss" Kettering’s "Parade of Progress", a touring exhibit launched four years earlier to demonstrate GM’s new cars and technology. These vehicles toured the USA and some Canadian and Mexican cities until 1941, when the Parade was halted by the war efforts. Then in the 50s, the Parade had a second life. Futurliners were refurbished and used again from 1953 to 1956. This time the Parade had become a complement to GM’s "Motoramas".
A rolling giant!
These massive futuristically styled vehicles were 10-meter long, 3.5-meter tall, and weighed close to 13 tons. A 5-liter in-line-6 (the 1953 powertrain) allowed them to reach a top speed of 65 km/h and the driver benefited from a power steering system to facilitate maneuvering the front dual wheels.
Harley Earl and his team of GM designers designed the Futurliners. They doubled as exhibit transport and convertible stage, and featured an opening side, exhibition lighting, a retractable stage, and a distinctive high center cockpit.
“These Futurliners buses represent the largest artifacts remaining from GM’s great Motorama era and hold a significant place in American automotive history,” says automotive ‘archaeologist’ Joe Bortz, who will be on hand at this event for demonstrations with another Futurliner, a restored unit from the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States (NATMUS) collection. Bortz is known for rescuing five Futurliners from destruction in the early 1980s. He is also responsible for donating to NATMUS the vehicle that will be auctioned.
In January 2006, a fully restored Futurliner (number 11) sold for a record US$4,320,000 at a Barrett-Jackson Arizona auction.
The presence of a Futurliner at this event, even if unrestored, will surely draw a lot of attention. So will the large number of vehicles registered – over 1,000 cars and motorcycles organizers say! This sale will take place at the Auctions America by RM 235-acre Auburn Auction Park, on May 12–15 2011.
One of 12 units built originally (with eight or nine still in existence), this vehicle has an auction estimate of US$450,000 to $600,000. In a condition said to be “highly original”, it has recently been equipped with eight new tires, a new Plexiglas windshield and all-new rubber and metal siding.
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| This unrestored GM Futurliner of the 1950s ‘Parade of Progress’ will be auctionned in May at the Auctions America by RM Auburn sale (Photo: Auctions America by RM) |
Futurliners were originaly built in 1940 for GM Vice President Charles "Boss" Kettering’s "Parade of Progress", a touring exhibit launched four years earlier to demonstrate GM’s new cars and technology. These vehicles toured the USA and some Canadian and Mexican cities until 1941, when the Parade was halted by the war efforts. Then in the 50s, the Parade had a second life. Futurliners were refurbished and used again from 1953 to 1956. This time the Parade had become a complement to GM’s "Motoramas".
A rolling giant!
These massive futuristically styled vehicles were 10-meter long, 3.5-meter tall, and weighed close to 13 tons. A 5-liter in-line-6 (the 1953 powertrain) allowed them to reach a top speed of 65 km/h and the driver benefited from a power steering system to facilitate maneuvering the front dual wheels.
Harley Earl and his team of GM designers designed the Futurliners. They doubled as exhibit transport and convertible stage, and featured an opening side, exhibition lighting, a retractable stage, and a distinctive high center cockpit.
“These Futurliners buses represent the largest artifacts remaining from GM’s great Motorama era and hold a significant place in American automotive history,” says automotive ‘archaeologist’ Joe Bortz, who will be on hand at this event for demonstrations with another Futurliner, a restored unit from the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States (NATMUS) collection. Bortz is known for rescuing five Futurliners from destruction in the early 1980s. He is also responsible for donating to NATMUS the vehicle that will be auctioned.
In January 2006, a fully restored Futurliner (number 11) sold for a record US$4,320,000 at a Barrett-Jackson Arizona auction.
The presence of a Futurliner at this event, even if unrestored, will surely draw a lot of attention. So will the large number of vehicles registered – over 1,000 cars and motorcycles organizers say! This sale will take place at the Auctions America by RM 235-acre Auburn Auction Park, on May 12–15 2011.