Back to the Futurliner: Historic GMC Truck Hits Auction Block

Got a few million dollars handy? One of only seven remaining, rare 1941 Futurliner could nab big bucks.

Imagine that you’re sitting around your smalltown U.S.A. when all of a sudden, a parade of magnificent, futuristic beasts rolls into town. Sounds cool, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened when GMC began its “Parade of Progress” tour in 1936 to showcase its most innovative and futuristic autos. The star of the show was their Futurliner, a concept truck billed as “a matchless symbol of the American auto industry at the height of its power and influence.”

For those unfamiliar with this rockin’ relic, the Futurliner is a silver-topped streamliner with a GMC truck chassis and a Fisher body, and when it debuted, it was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.  GMC took eight of these out on the road in 1936, but most of the fleet was destroyed, so another 12 were manufactured for the 1939 tour.

The “Parade of Progress” drew curious crowds but, in 1941, when Pearl Harbor was hit and America went to war, the Parade was halted and the remaining Futurliners were put in storage until 1953 when a relaunched fleet went out again on a final tour.

Of the original 12, only 11 survived, with seven remaining to this day. Recently, one was sold at a Barret-Jackson event for a staggering $4.1 million.

Now, Hemmings is giving diehard auto enthusiasts a chance to own a piece of American automotive history by auctioning one of the last seven Futurliners! Known as “Old Number Four,” the 1941 GMC Futurliner with a 21-inch Extreme car carrier body has automatic transmission, is powered with 235 Cummins a/c and includes a 12.5k watt generator, which powers 240 volts of flood lighting and an up-lighted bed so everyone can see you coming! The red and white exterior includes replicated “Parade of Progress” tires; and most of the original equipment, trim and instrument panel remain. The unique vehicle also includes new rubber molding and aluminum siding. Diehard auto enthusiasts looking for a one-of-a-kind classic with its own footprint in American automotive history, will definitely want to check out “Old Number Four.”