Where are they now?
What do we know of the other Futurliners
#1, #2, and #12 - Unknown. To our knowledge, no one has claimed to have them.
#3 - Restored by Dave Kindig of Kindigit Designs.(1) Now part of the Albaugh Collection. Nobody seems to know what happened to No. 3 in the years immediately following GM’s decommissioning of the Futurliners, but by the 1980s it ended up in the hands of concept car collector Joe Bortz, and a decade later, it made its way to California-based truck collector Brad Boyajian. Boyajian, who had advertised No. 3 in its unrestored condition for more than $450,000, sold it at auction in 2011 – reportedly for $247,500 – to an unidentified buyer, who then took it to Kindig’s Utah-based shop for a full restoration, including it’s cutaway jet engine display.(2)(3)(17)
#4 - Uncertain. One source reports it to be currently under restoration in Maine.(4) I think this one could have been the Peter Pan parts rig or the one sold at Barret Jackson (twice).
Of note, it is our opinion that the actual number of each Futurliner, of the 12, is not what is important. What matters is that these vehicles are remembered, loved, and seen.
#5 - Converted to a Car Hauler by Brad Boyajian, after having donated its front axle to #10, and its rear axle and rear body section to #8. Sold\shipped to Chrome Cars in Germany. (5)(6) Personal opinion, but I think this is a very cool and clever use of the parts he had left.
#6 - Possibly one of the two that Peter Pan Bus Lines owns.(7)
#7 - Uncertain. Possibly owned by Peter Pan?(8) But I think it is probably the Learned Build based on Don Mayton’s research.(9). Imported to Germany by Chrome Cars, subsequently sold to a private buyer.
#8 - Currently being restored by Nicklas Jonsson in Sweden. In 1956 this Futurliner was rear ended by another one that had lost its brakes on a mountain road (as told to us by one of our Paraders). This accident so damaged the vehicle that GM chose not to repair it and it was taken out of service. In 1959, when GM gave a Futurliner to the Michigan State Police, GM also gave them the damaged Futurliner as a source for spare parts -- GM even loaded up the inside with spare parts. After the State Police retired their "good" Futurliner, the "parts" Futurliner was sold to Jack and Bill Braun of Spring Lake, Michigan, to promote their junkyard. In the mid-1980s sold to Brent Knight of Roselle, Illinois; in the late 1990s, found in a junkyard in Yuma, Arizona. Sold to Pozzi; later sold to Boyajian with #3. Boyajian sold #8 to Nicklas Jonsson of Sweden in 2007 with the good rear end and body section from #5.(10)
#9 - Bob Valdez bought the one-time Makita Tools display van in 1984 and gave it a stars-and-stripes theme as he outfitted it with an Art Deco-style bar. Aside from perhaps No. 10 now, Valdez’s No. 9 had been one of the most visible Futurliners, thanks in part to the paint scheme and to Valdez’s habit of parking it on city streets in and around his home in Sherman Oaks, California. It was this Futurliner Don Mayton spotted while in California on a business trip that gave him the "resto-bug" to do one himself, which turned out to be our very own #10.(11) Imported to Germany by Chrome Cars and as of 2017, being restored.(12) Unsure on current status. Side Note, was once in a ditch travelling from place to place.
#10 - Initially sold to musician Vic Hyde, then later toured the Midwest promoting Goebel beer, also promoted Dreisbach and Sons Cadillac-Chevrolet-Oldsmobile in Detroit. Passed through the Joe Bortz collection in the 1980s, donated to the National Automotive and Truck Museum in 1993. Restored by Don Mayton and his team in Michigan, 2000 - 2007. Returned to us in 2017, and currently on display here. Occasionally taken to Auto Shows around the country. Contact our office for details.(13)(14)(15) You can read all about out #10 here on our site, or the old restoration site.
#11 - Uncertain. GM sold it to evangelist Oral Roberts, who in turn sold it to preacher David Wilkerson. Later ended up in a field in East Meredith, New York. According to Picknally, it is currently a parts shell owned by Peter Pan Bus Lines in Springfield, Massachusetts. However, at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction for Ron Pratte’s Futurliner, it was listed as No. 11(16)
In summary… Peter Pan owned two, one being only for parts (and has since been sold). The parts bus was likely the Oral Roberts Cathedral Cruiser. The restored one was liveried in their own green and white scheme for a while, but has since been restored to the ‘53 red and white scheme.
Chrome Cars in Germany had 3 as of the late 20-teens, two of which are #9 (RV) and #5 (Car-Hauler). The 3rd’s number is uncertain but probably #7 (has also been sold to a private buyer in Germany).
#8 is in Sweden being restored, #10 is on display here at NATMUS, and #3 is part of the Albaugh Collection. And finally, the Ron Pratte Futurliner could be in North Carolina now, this is unverified.
Lastly, we’d like to say again, that what matters most is that these vehicles are remembered, loved, and seen.
Further, it is our understanding that they were not numbered like VINs or serial numbers, but rather in an arbitrary way. Just as a way to refer to the different ones.
Sources
1 - https://www.kindigit.com/gallery/39-gm-futurliner/
3 - https://www.kruzinusa.com/gm-futurliner-3-a-colossal-blast-from-the-past-2/
4 - https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/02/27/gm-futurliner/
7 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Futurliner#List_of_Futurliners
9 - http://www.futurliner.com/learned.htm
10 -https://www.facebook.com/futurliner8/ (< original page no longer exists) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082823037765
12 - https://www.facebook.com/chromecars.de/posts/1640250479321943
13 - http://www.futurliner.com
14 - https://www.hemmings.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/07/futurliner-before/
17 - https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2016/08/06/meet-star-auction-block-1939-futurliner/88338992/