GM Futurliner

The GM Futurliner was a purpose-built exhibition vehicle that General Motors used to carry its Parade of Progress road show to towns and cities. Twelve were built on the bus assembly line in Pontiac, Michigan, and although they never carried commercial passengers and are technically not buses, they shared much with the GM coaches of the day. Each was 33 feet long and 96 inches wide, stood up to 11 feet 7 inches tall because of an upper-level driver cockpit, and rode on a 248-inch wheelbase with an unusual pair of steering front wheels, each with its own brakes, which called for power steering. When built they were powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine, presumably a Detroit Diesel 4-71, with a four-speed manual transmission. Clamshell side doors opened to show the exhibits, and a roof panel carrying lights could be raised seven feet for night shows. The new Parade of Progress left Detroit in February 1941, was cut short by the attack on Pearl Harbor, and returned in 1953 with reworked drivetrains. Several of the twelve survive today, among them one restored and operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines.