Tuesday, November 18, 2014
1959 Goggomobil TL-400 Transporter Pickup “Coca-Cola”
Source: pinterest.com
- See more at:
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/06/06/futurliner-restorers-take-on-bill-mitchells-unique-1956x-buick-century/#sthash.46Aw2goB.dpuf
- See more at:
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/06/06/futurliner-restorers-take-on-bill-mitchells-unique-1956x-buick-century/#sthash.46Aw2goB.dpuf
Futurliners For Sale At Auction
Check out this web site for more information.
Check out this youtube video.
Source: blog.heemings.com
Check out this youtube video.
Source: blog.heemings.com
GM Futurliner Pictures And History
As
a byproduct of General Motors' hugely successful industrial exhibits at
the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, GM decided to build a fleet of
behemoth "Streamliner" trucks, packed with amazing exhibits and
demonstrations showcasing GM's latest inventions and technology. Named
the "Parade of Progress", this fleet of 8 "moving van sized" buses and
attendant support vehicles lumbered across America during the depression
era and dazzled rural Americans with appliances, technology and science
that they had only read about in dime store comic books or si-fi
novels. The Parade of Progress was a huge hit for General Motors and
exposed over 10 million consumers in 220 cities, to the technological
wonders of the day. After touring GM's displays at the 1939 World's Fair
in New York, Charles Kettering (Vice President of GM's Research and
Development) decided it was time to "modernize" the Parade of Progress,
so he authorized construction of 12 new "Futurliner" buses (dimensions:
33' x 96' x 11'7"; weight: 33,000 lbs.; wheelbase: 284") at GM's
Pontiac, Michigan plant, to replace the out-dated and road-weary fleet
of "Streamliners" (the Streamliners were retired and their fate is
unknown). Each new Futurliner was fitted with 19 display and access
doors as well as an impressive lighted roof panel that could be raised
16 feet in the air, to illuminate exhibits at night. Packed with
wondrous exhibits and displays (including demonstrations of early forms
of television and microwave ovens!), this new Parade of Progress and its
fleet of 12 "bubble-topped" 2-story Futurliner buses and support
vehicles, hit the road in February 1941 and began introducing more
Americans to the wonders of technology. After only 9 months, more than
2.5 million consumers in over 30 cities had experienced the wonders of
this travelling Parade of Progress, but the WW-II attack on Pearl Harbor
in December 1941 brought an end to the tour and GM mothballed the
entire fleet of Futurliners. Probably coinciding with the introduction
of Chevrolet's new Corvette fiberglass sports car in 1953, General
Motors pulled the Futurliners out of storage, installed new larger
motors and comfort features like air conditioning, and launched a new
Parade of Progress tour. This 3rd tour was not as successful as the
first 2 had been, so after 3 years, GM brought the tour to an end in
1956. It's interesting to note that during this final tour, two
Futurliners collided, inflicting major rear end damage to one of the
Futurliners. However, the other 11 rigs successfully finished the tour.
At the end of this tour, the Futurliners were sold or given away - some
were repurposed by other companies but others ended up rotting in a
field or junkyard. At this time, most of the Futurliners have been
restored or are currently being restored. Our featured Futurliner was
acquired by the current owner in an extreme state of deterioration, so a
full restoration was not possible. The cab was transferred to a
Peterbilt truck chassis with a 230hp motor and the owner has restored
this "survivor" Futurliner as a flat bed with a "roll-back" carrier for
vehicle transportation, while retaining much of the original
Futurliner's unique trim, style and dignity.
Click Image to Enlarge it
| |||
1941 GM Futurliner
with driver's door open | 
1941 GM Futurliner
showing large GM trim | 
1941 GM Futurliner
impressive front view | 
1941 GM Futurliner
open driver and access doors |
1941 GM Futurliner
driver's seat up top | 
1941 GM Futurliner
mechanic's access door open | 
1941 GM Futurliner
beautiful art-deco style | 
1941 GM Futurliner
side view shows flat bed |
1941 GM Futurliner, unique
molded GM front bumper | 
1941 GM Futurliner
stylish vehicle transport | 
1941 GM Futurliner
stairs to driver's cockpit
Source: oldtrailer.com
|
Other GM Futurliners
Of
the 12 vehicles built in 1939-1940, 9 have been located. Two are beyond
restoration and are being used to restore another Futurliners. Listed
below are the Futurliners we know of.
| ||
| BOB VALDEZ | ||
Bob Valdez converted this Futurliner into a customized motor home. It
has been featured in a number of different publications. According to
published literature, Bob did most of the restoration work himself. It
took a lot of patience, perseverance and dedication. Hats off to Bob.This was the Futurliner Don Mayton spotted while in California on a business trip that gave him the "resto-bug" to do one himself. We believe this was up for sale in 2007 on e-Bay. | ||
| PETER PAN BUS COMPANY of Springfield, Massachusetts | ||
The Peter Pan Bus Co. of Springfield, Massachusetts has two
Futurliners. One was parted out and the other one restored. We kept in
contact to help each other during their the restoration process. Don
Mayton visited their shop in September of 1999. Their restoration is not
original condition. It was modernized for use as a display vehicle.
They completed it in the summer of 2000 and have repainted to the
original GM colors in 2007.Word has it that Peter Pan is using 4 cylinder GMC 471 diesel coupled to a HT740 Allison transmission to power their Futurliner. Follow this link for an account of Don Mayton's visit to see the Futurliner. | ||
| FIDO the CANADIAN FUTURLINER | ||
This Futurliner was owned by Canadians Richard and Mario Petit. It was
used by FIDO as an exhibit vehicle to sell cell phones. We were able to
buy their spare parts and get excellent technical information from them.
They donated their 3rd gearbox, which they did not use in their restoration.History: After leaving the hands of GM the Futurliner made it's way in 1959 to the Michigan State Police. They used it as a "Safetyliner" display, educating the public of traffic safety and State Police Department activities. When the Michigan State Police were finished with it, it was driven to a junkyard in Spring Lake, Michigan where it resided for a few years. Next it went to Chicago, Illinois, again, under its own power. The group in Canada ultimately acquired it and restored it. In 2005 they decided to sell it and re-restored it to look like an original Futurliner. They sold it in January of 2006 through the Barrett-Jackson auction for four million dollars to Ron Pratte of Chandler, AZ. More pictures of Fido from the Busfan website. | ||
| MIKE KADLETZ, California | ||
More Pictures |  Like
the other Futurliners Mike's has extensive rust. They have started the
"forever job" of replacing rusted metal -- the only way to restore these
mammoths. Again we have established excellent communications and will
continue to share information as we discover it. Mike has a collection
of many antique Fire Trucks ranging from 1940s up through the 1970s. | |
| BRAD BOYAJIAN, California | ||
Brad Boyajian has acquired two Futurliners -- one for restoration and
one for spare parts. He allowed Charlie Glick to make patterns of the
aluminum letters for castings for our Futurliner. Bill Putman is doing
the restoration work for Brad.History: In 1956 a Futurliner was rear ended by another one that had lost its brakes on a mountain road (as told to us by one of our Paraders). This accident so damaged the vehicle that GM chose not to repair it and it was taken out of service. In 1959, when GM gave a Futurliner to the State Police (see Canadian Futurliner above), GM also gave to the Michigan State Police the damaged Futurliner as a source for spare parts -- GM even loaded up the inside with spare parts. After the State Police retired their "good" Futurliner, the "parts" Futurliner was towed to the same junkyard in Spring Lake, Michigan as was the Canadian one. Later it found its way Chicago and then to a junkyard in Yuma, Arizona. In 1999 it was purchased and moved to Brad Boyajian’s place in California, containing some of those spare parts. Follow this link for more pictures. In late 2007 we got word that Brad had sold the Futurliner to Nicklas Jonsson and would be shipped to Sweden. | ||
| TOM LEARNED, Poland Springs, Maine (Formerly owned by KENDRICK ROBBINS, New Hampshire) | ||
 Kendrick
Robbins sold what is believe to be Futurliner #7 to Tom Learned of
Poland Springs, Maine. The vehicle has "Square D" on a plastic lens
suggesting that it was once used it as a display. Tom has plans to
restore it. Click here to read his story about retrieving it from New Hampshire. | ||
The GM Futurliner
1940-1952 FIRST GENERATION FUTURLINERS
In 1940, 12 first-generation Futurliners were built to replace the original eight Streamliners. The Futurliner caravan consisted of 24 trucks, 11 passenger cars and three station wagons. The old Streamliner caravan consisted of 25 trucks and 19 different passenger car-units. The early show had five major exhibits, while the latter had 15, plus two Army trucks which formed part of the Defense Exhibit. The most spectacular of the new pieces of equipment was the Aer-O-Dome tent. It seated 1,500 people and was built like an inverted umbrella with ribs exposed. In 1946, after a WWII hiatus, several of the Futurliners were in a Detroit parade to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the automobile.
1953-1956 SECOND GENERATION FUTURLINERS
In 1953, the Futurliners were rebuilt into their second-generation form. In 1956, just three years after their rebuild, the popularity of the show waned and the Futurliners were either sold or donated. Approximately 13 million people in nearly 300 cities nation-wide saw the 12 vehicles roll into their town and enjoyed a free show that provided them with a glimpse into the future.
Twelve Futurliners were built and used by GM to transport the GM Parade of Progress show throughout the United States from 1941 to 1956. The Futurliners
transported dioramas and exhibits, featuring futuristic things such as:
a microwave that fried an egg without burning a newspaper; a Ping-Pong
game in stereophonic sound and; sound traveling over a beam of light
produced by a flashlight.
The Futurliner is a massive bus like vehicle, 33’ long, 8’ wide, 11’-7" tall vehicle with a whopping 248" wheelbase. An unusual feature of the Futurliner is its dual (side by side) front wheels. Each wheel has its own set of brakes, brake drums and bearings. Nearly all of the Futurliners had problems with their power steering pumps failing, presumably because of the tremendous force required to turn the wheels. The pre-1953 Futurliners were powered by 4-cylinder diesel engines and 4x4 mechanical transmissions. The 1953 version, however, is powered by a 302 inline 6 cylinder OHV GMC engine. The engine is coupled to a Korean War vintage four speed Hydramatic automatic transmission that is bolted to the backside of another two speed gearbox. This gives the driver the option of selecting from 8 forward speeds. Complicating this a bit more is another 3-speed PTO gearbox. To shift this gearbox, the driver must leave the cockpit (presumably with the vehicle stopped) and travel to the rear quarter of the vehicle and manually select one of the three gears. With this combination, the driver now has 24 selections to choose from. The restoration crew reports that the rear-end has yet another gear reduction, but they haven’t figured out quite how that works yet. In spite of the gearing ratios, some of the original "Paraders," as they referred to themselves, recall attainable speeds of not much more than 40 mph! The Futurliners packed two 45-gallon gasoline tanks! The original Futurliners, prior to their 1953 refurbishing, had bubble canopies over the cockpit (driver’s compartment), similar to a fighter plane of the era. This arrangement was brutally hot for the drivers and the vehicles were not air-conditioned! The cockpit is reached by climbing a stairway to the top of the 11’-7" vehicle. This positions the driver’s head at about the 11’ level and makes for a terrifying first time experience when going under an overpass! The vehicle has an incredible 19 access and display doors on it. Two massive 16x5’ doors open to expose the display housed within the vehicle. A 16’ lighting panel is attached to the top of the overhead doors and a large light bar rises from the roof another 7’ up above the Futurliner for additional illumination. To provide electricity for all this lighting, a massive twin 6-71 200KW Detroit Diesel generator was used. Because the brakes were so poor, one Futurliner rear-ended another and consequently they were instructed to stay 300 feet apart. They all had radio receivers but only the lead and tail vehicle had transmitters. The Futurliners were nicknamed the "Red Elephants." The name "FUTURLINER" was spelled without the "E" in FUTURE so GM could copyright or trademark the name.
In 1940, 12 first-generation Futurliners were built to replace the original eight Streamliners. The Futurliner caravan consisted of 24 trucks, 11 passenger cars and three station wagons. The old Streamliner caravan consisted of 25 trucks and 19 different passenger car-units. The early show had five major exhibits, while the latter had 15, plus two Army trucks which formed part of the Defense Exhibit. The most spectacular of the new pieces of equipment was the Aer-O-Dome tent. It seated 1,500 people and was built like an inverted umbrella with ribs exposed. In 1946, after a WWII hiatus, several of the Futurliners were in a Detroit parade to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the automobile.
1953-1956 SECOND GENERATION FUTURLINERS
In 1953, the Futurliners were rebuilt into their second-generation form. In 1956, just three years after their rebuild, the popularity of the show waned and the Futurliners were either sold or donated. Approximately 13 million people in nearly 300 cities nation-wide saw the 12 vehicles roll into their town and enjoyed a free show that provided them with a glimpse into the future.
Twelve Futurliners were built and used by GM to transport the GM Parade of Progress show throughout the United States from 1941 to 1956. The Futurliners
transported dioramas and exhibits, featuring futuristic things such as:
a microwave that fried an egg without burning a newspaper; a Ping-Pong
game in stereophonic sound and; sound traveling over a beam of light
produced by a flashlight.The Futurliner is a massive bus like vehicle, 33’ long, 8’ wide, 11’-7" tall vehicle with a whopping 248" wheelbase. An unusual feature of the Futurliner is its dual (side by side) front wheels. Each wheel has its own set of brakes, brake drums and bearings. Nearly all of the Futurliners had problems with their power steering pumps failing, presumably because of the tremendous force required to turn the wheels. The pre-1953 Futurliners were powered by 4-cylinder diesel engines and 4x4 mechanical transmissions. The 1953 version, however, is powered by a 302 inline 6 cylinder OHV GMC engine. The engine is coupled to a Korean War vintage four speed Hydramatic automatic transmission that is bolted to the backside of another two speed gearbox. This gives the driver the option of selecting from 8 forward speeds. Complicating this a bit more is another 3-speed PTO gearbox. To shift this gearbox, the driver must leave the cockpit (presumably with the vehicle stopped) and travel to the rear quarter of the vehicle and manually select one of the three gears. With this combination, the driver now has 24 selections to choose from. The restoration crew reports that the rear-end has yet another gear reduction, but they haven’t figured out quite how that works yet. In spite of the gearing ratios, some of the original "Paraders," as they referred to themselves, recall attainable speeds of not much more than 40 mph! The Futurliners packed two 45-gallon gasoline tanks! The original Futurliners, prior to their 1953 refurbishing, had bubble canopies over the cockpit (driver’s compartment), similar to a fighter plane of the era. This arrangement was brutally hot for the drivers and the vehicles were not air-conditioned! The cockpit is reached by climbing a stairway to the top of the 11’-7" vehicle. This positions the driver’s head at about the 11’ level and makes for a terrifying first time experience when going under an overpass! The vehicle has an incredible 19 access and display doors on it. Two massive 16x5’ doors open to expose the display housed within the vehicle. A 16’ lighting panel is attached to the top of the overhead doors and a large light bar rises from the roof another 7’ up above the Futurliner for additional illumination. To provide electricity for all this lighting, a massive twin 6-71 200KW Detroit Diesel generator was used. Because the brakes were so poor, one Futurliner rear-ended another and consequently they were instructed to stay 300 feet apart. They all had radio receivers but only the lead and tail vehicle had transmitters. The Futurliners were nicknamed the "Red Elephants." The name "FUTURLINER" was spelled without the "E" in FUTURE so GM could copyright or trademark the name.
Source: futurliner
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