Parade of Progress: The 1941 GM Futurliner

Imagine a beast like this (and its accompanying caravan) rolling into your small town, setting up, and delighting you with the latest and greatest innovations of the future?  Behold GM's Futurliner, the star in the Parade of Progress, a cross-country tour which began in 1936 and attracted millions of visitors.  In a time before television, this vision made all the news that small town folks had either heard or read about into a reality they could experience for themselves.

Originally, eight of these Silver Topped streamliners were made, featuring a GMC truck chassis and Fisher bodies.  Once the first 1936 tour came to an end, the first set of these vehicles were destroyed, making room for twelve fully redesigned 1939 bus-based models, known as the Futurliners.  When news of the Pearl Harbor bombing hit in 1941, the tour came to an abrupt halt and the Futurliners were left in storage for over a decade.In 1953, they were relaunched with improvements, and took one last tour that lasted for three years.  Eleven of the 12 Futurliners survived - this one is left over from sales of other Futurliners that Brad Boyajian owned.  The cab on this beauty was added onto a Crane Carrier Corporation truck chassis, making it a one-off car carrier.  How in the world does it haul its own weight, let alone the cars it carries?  This Futurliner is powered by a Cummins engine and backed by a 6-speed Allison transmission.We have more automotive oddities coming your way, so stay tuned!