SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — It was a display of America’s industrial might. It brought the message of hope in a country coping with a decade long depression, and later a symbol of progress after World War II.
There are only seven running examples left in the world and one that was housed in Springfield, Massachusetts has been sold for an undisclosed price to a collector in California. Peter Pan Bus Lines had the vehicle listed for sale for just under $1 million.
The GM Futurliner is thirty-three feet of red, silver and white, steel and rubber, that captures an era when one of the country’s largest corporations set out to conquer the hearts and minds of small-town America and beyond.
To begin the story of the Futurliner, you have to go back more than 90 years.
In 1933, the United States, along with the rest of the world, was in the fourth year of the Great Depression.
General Motors Vice President of Research, Charles Kettering, was at the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. As he took in the company’s displays, he had an idea. What if the story of manufacturing and technical innovation at the event could be shared with all the small towns and cities that couldn’t make it to Chicago?
Kettering, who led the team that build the first practical electric starter, brought the idea to Alfred P. Sloan, chairman of General Motors. He said the people if were hungry for entertainment, why not bring GM’s story of industrial might to the people where they lived.
Sold! Rare piece of automotive history sold in Springfield, Mass.
A 1977 article for the National Automatic and Truck Museum said, “GM reasoned that a well done, non-commercial, entertaining, educational, free road show would do wonders to help put General Motors’s message across. It would bring GM, in person, to every small city and rural community in the nation.”
Thus, was born the Parade of Progress.
A group of young men, fresh from college, were given the assignment of planning and executing the exhibitions. An advance team scouted the towns, found open space, and talked with local leaders to obtain permission to set up their exhibition. They would promote the event to local papers and radio stations, civic groups and local car dealers. There was even a short film that could be played in the local theaters.
Eight custom vans in Art Deco style were built at the plant that made Cadillac limousines. The caravan also included the latest models of GM cars. Chevrolet and GMC tractor-trailers were also assigned to the project.
Sometime later, the crew of men arrived in their shiny caravan and set up the custom-built trucks which carried some of the displays along with circus style tents that held the larger exhibits and welcomed people to see the future.
See pictures of the Parade of Progress here
See Parade of Progress memorabilia here
The first Parade of Progress kicked off in Florida in 1936. More than 12 million people saw the events, eclipsing attendance for Major League Baseball. The covered the US, and parts of Mexico and Cuba. At the end of the first tour, some of the equipment and displays were brought to the GM exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
The venture was so successful, larger vehicles were commissioned for the 1940 Parade of Progress. In total, GM built 12 Futurliners. The one for sale in Springfield is among seven running known to still exist. Peter Pan Bus Lines, had another Futurliner in bad shape that it used for parts to restore the existing one.
Designed by the one and only Harley Earl, head of design for General Motors, the massive vehicle’s Art Deco, futuristic look was painted red and white. Measuring 33 feet long, 8 feet wide and 11 feet high, the dozen vehicles featured a driver’s cockpit with a single seat high above the road. A bubble top on the original Furturliners was later replaced by a more traditional roofline with air-conditioning supplied by GM’s Frigidaire division.
The massive vehicles had dual tires on each front wheel which required an early version of power steering. The brakes were sometimes not up to the task of stopping the nearly 17-ton vehicle.
The updated caravan started touring the country in 1940 but was quickly halted after Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, and the young men who were part of the tour went to war.
It wasn’t until 1953 that GM mounted a full-scale Parade of Progress tour again. The Futurliners hit the road, but in an era with more entertainment in people’s homes, the crowds were thinner, and by 1956, the parade came to an end.
GM decommissioned the remaining Futurliners (one had been damaged in a crash and not repaired.) According to Barrett-Jackson , their fate was varied. Two went to the Michigan State Police. Others were donated to private collectors or museums.
Over the years some were consigned to fields and junkyards and left to weather in the elements. Some went to Sweden and Germany.
In the mid-2000s, restoration was started on the Futurliner that would break records. Now referred to as the Barrett-Jackson Futurliner, it crossed the auction block and sold for $4.4 million. Nearly 10 years later the owner, collector and philanthropist Ron Pratte, sold it again after a concours quality restoration and donated the proceeds to the Armed Forces Foundation. It is considered the gold standard by which other restorations are measured.
The truck in Springfield had been owned by Peter Pan Bus Lines since 1997. They had restored it using parts from another Futurliner that was in rough shape after being rescued from New York State. It was on display over the years at events in Western Massachusetts.
"You know, finishing something like this to bring it from what it was, a rust bucket, to something that looks like this is just incredible., said John Cieplik, General Manager, Peter Pan Bus Lines.
The company has had a for sale sign on the truck for some time, but a recent flurry of articles that dropped following a listing on Facebook Marketplace drove more interest in buyers.
A representative from auto historians, The Caretakers Collection, purchased the truck on Monday. They plan to take it to California, where after further restoration, it will be displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum and eventually make it's way to the GM Heritage Collection in Michigan.
"Its got curb appeal, "said Cieplik. "A unique piece of history to be sure."
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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