Past Is Progress in GM’s Futurliner

A silvery 1940 GM Futurliner, right, overshadows a pair of General Motors Corp.’s EV1 electric cars at a recent gathering of electric-vehicle supporters in Diamond Bar. GM built 12 of the Art Deco-styled buses to carry its message of progress through innovation to the masses. One display in GM’s “Parade of Progress,” which could be seen when the entire side of the bus opened up to form a 16-foot-wide canopy, touted the coming of microwave cooking. Another promised electric cars that could be powered by the sun. While singing the glories of solar energy, the Futurliner used a four-cylinder diesel truck engine to propel its 10-ton bulk. Owner Bob Valdez of Sherman Oaks says his has been replaced with a 366-cubic-inch GMC gasoline engine. Only eight of the massive vehicles have survived, and only two are in operating condition--one in Canada and this one, owned by classic-auto enthusiast Valdez. Valdez said he has been restoring and customizing the big bus--nearly 12 feet tall and 33 feet long--since he acquired it as a “hulk” in 1984. It was stripped of its GM displays when he bought it, Valdez said, so he has since outfitted the interior to serve as his residence when he takes the bus to car and truck shows. Among their distinguishing features, Futurliners sport two pairs of front wheels to help handle the weight and drivers’ seats that were almost 9 feet above the road. A history of the Futurliner and GM’s “Parade of Progress” can be viewed online at https://www .futurliner.com.