Thursday, July 22, 2010

GM Futurliner











In 1939 & 1940, General Motors built 12 futuristic buses for use in their Parade of Progress. The Parade of Progress was a travelling exhibition of GM's latest cars & technology & of their visions of the future. The buses were designed by GM's legendary automotive designer, Harley Earl & were named Futurliners. GM intentionally omitted the "e" in Futurliner, so they could trademark the name. One of the 9 remaining Futurliners sold at auction, in 2006 for $4.1 million.




We are lucky enough to have one of the restored Futurliners here in Massachusetts. The Peter Pan Bus Company of Springfield are the proud owners of a well-restored Futurliner. On July 10, they were gracious enough to loan this beauty out, for what I understand was a truly nominal fee, to the Hot Rod Riot for use as the stage for the bands. It is truly an amazing piece of Mid-Century Americana. I hope you enjoy the few photos I took. Oh, and, by the way, that is The Gamma Rays on stage.




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