Really cool GM bus from yesteryear!!

**Whitehouse** · September-20-10, 05:12 PM

Design was never better than in the 50's!

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Interesting thing happened over here in the Netherlands. The very well known schoolbusses driving the American road are a ever more frequent sight over here. I've seen 10's of them.

Here's one. And yes, that one bears a Dutch licence plate. A lot of them still have the original lettering on the side.

They even use them for weddings!

Last week I saw the first authentic Greyhound bus on a Dutch road. [[In fact, the first time I've seen one ever.)

This type.

**FlyingJ** · September-20-10, 05:56 PM

Whitehouse, that'sw a GM Futurliner designed for their Parade Of Progress, as beautiful as Hqarley Earl & Kettering could make 'em they were terrible mechanically, & plenty of blindspots-well worth a Googling

**jtf1972** · September-20-10, 06:35 PM

FlyingJ... I did so & found this!

http://www.awesomediecast.com/index....id/0/id/260092

**Mikeg** · September-20-10, 07:36 PM

Here's a link to the web site of a group in Western Michigan that thoroughly restored one of the 1953 "Futurliners". The web site includes plenty of photos of the vehicle restoration project plus the history of the First and Second GM Parade of Progress.

**econ expat** · September-20-10, 09:02 PM

Late 60's early 70's maybe even for several years after, there was a decaying Futurliner sitting in the back lot behind Klett [[Dreisbach) Cadillac on Grand River. Back in the weeds, with the junk cars, etc.

I did not realize at the time that beast had any historical significance. But the interior/ cockpit area was quite futuristic. Most of the doors did not work, probably needed engine running for the hydraulics) It looked as if the bus was planned to be used as as a car hauler.

**Russix** · September-20-10, 09:02 PM

Question: Does it run on Uranium or Plutonium? And how do you change the fuel rods or cool the reactor?

**Hamtragedy** · September-20-10, 09:58 PM

Whitehouse, those yellow school-buses around these parts are known as "the cheese." City buses are referred to as "the freight."

As in, "Man, how come I gotta wait for the freight to get to school, and you get to catch the cheese?"

**kathy2trips** · September-20-10, 11:14 PM

I'm in love with that red and chrome beauty. I can't take my eyes off it. Oh, please, Detroit, make stuff like that!

**Whitehouse** · September-21-10, 05:00 AM

If there's another classic car parade, someone should ring them up to come and attend. November 22nd is the birthdate of Harley Earl. I read that there were only three survivors but Wiki speaks of an astonishing nine survivors! Nine out of twelve is a great average! There were also 32 support cars.

Here's a Wiki.

Interesting to me personally is that I see a lot of Dutch sounding names were involved in this restoration. Not surprising since this project is based in Zeeland.... Michigan. There's a large Dutch community in the west of the state.

Futureliner n#8 just arrived in Europe last month! Look at the state of disrepair of that one! It still has it's orinal color scheme but that really has to be a labour of love!\ Here's an older collection of pictures but this one puzzles me. It's a year older that the first clip but this clip als speaks of a Futureliner in Sweden. But this clearly is different one. Are there two Futureliners in Sweden?

**GMan** · September-21-10, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by econ expat

Late 60's early 70's maybe even for several years after, there was a decaying Futurliner sitting in the back lot behind Klett [[Dreisbach) Cadillac on Grand River. Back in the weeds, with the junk cars, etc.

I remember passing it along Grandriver at the back of Driesbach in the early 70's while on the way to visit relatives in Farmington. Always thought it was a cool looking. This particular one was restored by the group in New Zeeland. Saw it at the motor muster in Greenfield Village 2 years ago. They did an awesome job on it as it was in pretty bad shape.

**Whitehouse** · September-21-10, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by GMan

I remember passing it along Grandriver at the back of Driesbach in the early 70's while on the way to visit relatives in Farmington. Always thought it was a cool looking. This particular one was restored by the group in New Zeeland. Saw it at the motor muster in Greenfield Village 2 years ago. They did an awesome job on it as it was in pretty bad shape.

Duh....
That's the very bus that started this thread.

Quite amazing that one was recently sold for $4.100.000!!!\

And I guess we can fill up some gaps in their information. Look at this page.

NOTE: We did not receive any information as to where these photos were taken.

Isn't that....

...the recently destroyed Lafayette Building??

**56packman** · September-21-10, 07:55 AM

Whitehouse, No that is not the Lafayette building in those photos, it is the former General Motors Headquarters building on West Grand Boulevard, now known as "Cadillac place", State offices. The reason there are so many Dutch names associated with the restoration is that the restoration was done in Zeeland Michigan, that whole side of the state has a large Dutch-heritage population. My grandfather come from Rotterdam in 1908, but he did not go to that area, one of the few Dutch settlements in the US. He just assimilated into mainstream America, married my grandmother, whose nationality can best be described as "West Virginia Hillbilly"

**econ expat** · September-21-10, 10:27 AM

So was the restored Futurliner the one that sat behind the Cadillac dealer? If so, that must have been a huge project.

Gman- most of the time, that bus was in a field behind Dreisbach Used Cars and Stark Hickey Ford, looked more like it was abandoned than destined for any restoration. I explored inside it a few times back then, never knew that bus was more or less a prototype.

I have not been back in Detroit lately, but have been told Tom Driesbach now owns Cadillac/Hummer of Novi, he should know what happened to the bus?

**Whitehouse** · September-21-10, 10:50 AM

When they started it looked like this:

the project director is:

Don M. Mayton, Project Director
4521 Majestic Vue, Zeeland, MI 49464

If the trucks you were referring to were at a junkyard in Spring Lake, Michigan than it was a different truck. But that one was also saved. In fact, there were two at that junkyard. Those were the two Futurliners donated to the Michigan State Police.

That one made it's way to Canada and eventually it looked like this.

It has since been re-restored into it's original red colorscheme.

The other one that was donated to the MSP is in a bad shape right now but is also in good hands. That is the one that was shipped to Sweden and is as we speak in the middle of a restoration. The guy who bought it has a tattoo on his arm so really a man with a soft spot for that bus.

Current state of that truck.

Make one yourself!

**douglasm** · September-21-10, 02:45 PM

Didn't one of these....or one similar....sell at Barrett-Jackson a couple of years ago?

**FlyingJ** · September-21-10, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

Didn't one of these....or one similar....sell at Barrett-Jackson a couple of years ago?

Yup, for 4 million simoleons, that one was parked for years on the side street between Sherman Oaks' Casa de Cadillac on Ventura Bl & the LA Public Library branch, it had the black & gold paint scheme before they restord it to red, white & chrome

**Jimaz** · September-21-10, 03:18 PM

It reminds me of the Dymaxion car

Dymaxion photos

**Whitehouse** · September-21-10, 07:15 PM

Someone did the trouble of designing this BAWESOME new design of a futurliner. Mind you, this was never build but this would be my dream RV!

\

....I think I just soiled myself.

**unclefrank** · September-21-10, 07:23 PM

What an RV that would make! Only to win the lotto.

**marcwigle** · September-21-10, 08:20 PM

Why the F can't GM or Ford design something like for RV use???

**GMan** · September-22-10, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by econ expat

So was the restored Futurliner the one that sat behind the Cadillac dealer? If so, that must have been a huge project.

Gman- most of the time, that bus was in a field behind Dreisbach Used Cars and Stark Hickey Ford, looked more like it was abandoned than destined for any restoration. I explored inside it a few times back then, never knew that bus was more or less a prototype.

Thats the one. Here's the link to the project: http://www.futurliner.org/resto/resto_1.htm

**econ expat** · September-22-10, 08:08 AM

Aha- the old bus that was behind Dreisbach is the #10 they restored.
Had to read carefully the history, and follow a few links, until I found mention of Dreisbach's ownership.

http://www.futurliner.org/news22.htm

That bus 'timeline is vague, but:
--?- build date, used by GM
1956- Bought by Goebel Beer. Used until 1964 for mobile displays until Stroh's bought Goebel
1964-? Bought by Pulte to promote a development in Florida. About 1969, was being driven to the site in Fla, caught fire in Fla, was then towed to the development in FLA
?? - Owned by Dreisbach Cadillac. Wow, the things we can remember after 40 years! I can still remember the bus' days stored at Dreisbach.Not sure how many years Dreisbach owned it, or who they sold it to.
??- Owned by Bortz Auto Collection in Illinois. Bortz restores and displays prototype vehicles.
1998- Bortz donated the bus to National Automotive and Truck Museum in Indiana.
[[Technically, they still own the bus)