Sat. Sep 7th, 2024

Ahead of its time: a futuristic GM van is being sold for a million dollars

Natasha Kumar By Natasha Kumar Aug7,2024

Ahead of its time: a futuristic GM van is being sold for a million dollars

GM produced in 30- X years of the last century

Few vehicles attract attention like the Futurliner from General Motors. Built in the 1930s, the fleet of a dozen liners showcased American industrial might and GM's technological prowess.

They toured all over North America with a break for World War II, and after 1956 were parked permanently. From there, each Futurliner made its way to restoration, decay or oblivion, Motor1 writes.

Two Futurliners were acquired by Peter Pan Bus in Springfield, Mass in the 1990s, and one of them is for sale today on Facebook. Price? About a million dollars.

Its original transmission has been swapped out for a diesel engine that has enough power to pull the Futurliner along at reasonable speeds. It's a strange thing to drive while sitting so high up in the air. A narrow staircase leads to the cockpit, which has a single central seat for the driver and a small bench behind for several passengers.

Ahead of its time: GM's futuristic van sells for a million dollars

The worm-and-screw system that lifts the headlight above the car needed some love a few years ago, but it seems to have been fixed .

In 2021, Peter Pan claimed that anyone who wants to buy a refurbished car will also have to remove the rusted hull of the defunct Futurliner, although this new announcement makes no mention of removing the old hull.

Ahead of its time: a futuristic GM van is being sold for a million dollars

In case you're wondering, the restored Peter Pan bus was likely purchased from a group of several cars collected outside of Chicago in the 1990s by collector Joe Bortz. His history before that is very vague.

The other Futurliner the company has, the Rotten Hulk, is actually much more interesting in terms of its past. Previously, it belonged to the famous TV presenter Oral Roberts, who used it to travel through Central America on a mission to preach Christianity. Over the decades, it somehow made its way to Mount Vernon, New York, then reportedly ended up in a junkyard, before finally landing in a farm field in East Meredith, New York. York. That's where Peter Pan found it, recognizable by the several modifications made to its steel shell over the years.

Anyway, just know that yes, the car for sale actually works and drives just fine. perfectly. Sure, it could use a little love – even the restoration it received is decades in the past – but it's unlikely you'll have another opportunity to buy a Futurliner anytime soon.

Natasha Kumar

By Natasha Kumar

Natasha Kumar has been a reporter on the news desk since 2018. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times Hub, Natasha Kumar worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my natasha@thetimeshub.in 1-800-268-7116

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