[oletrucks] Futurliner GM Press Release

[Kevin and deana Brown <MGTRAutoXr@sprintmail.com>]

  Given all the discussion recently about the GM Futurliners I thought 
that some of you might be interested in this press release that GM put 
out today

Kevin  '49 Chevy wrecker  '51 Chevy 3100

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: old trucks list email
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:01:38 -0500
From: kevin.s.brown@gm.com
To: MGTRAutoXr@sprintmail.com

                                                             
                                                                       
   June 12, 2003                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
           Restored Futurliner Bus Comes To Eyes On Design                
                                                                          
                                                                          
       Bus Part Of GM's Original "Parade Of Progress" Fleet A             
                          Half-Century Ago                                
                                                                          
                                                                          
   WARREN, Mich. - A cultural artifact of the famed General Motors        
   "Parade of Progress" tours will make a grand re-appearance when        
   a newly restored Futurliner makes its first public showing at          
   the 16th Annual Eyes on Design Auto Exhibition at the GM               
   Technical Center.                                                      
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The Futurliner, one of 12 purpose-built buses used in GM's             
   nationwide "Parade of Progress" tours in the 1940s and 50s, was        
   an integral component of the traveling exhibit. The vehicles           
   doubled as an exhibit transport and convertible stage as GM            
   sought to bring the story of science and technology directly to        
   cities and small towns throughout the United States. The               
   Futurliners first began touring in 1941.                               
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The red-and-white motor coach - one of only nine remaining             
   Futurliners known to exist - was restored by a group of some 30        
   volunteers with support from GM divisions and about two dozen          
   other businesses that donated parts and services. It is owned          
   by the National Automotive And Truck Museum in Auburn, Ind.,           
   and Don Mayton, a retired GM plant manager and an experienced          
   restorer of vintage automobiles, directed the five-year                
   restoration project.                                                   
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The massive vehicle - 33-feet long, 11-feet-7-inches tall, and         
   weighing 27,000 pounds - contains a mixture of refurbished             
   original equipment and new parts. A local shop recast all of           
   the letters, including the block "GM" on the front and the             
   "General Motors Parade of Progress" insignia on the side.              
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The grille is original equipment, along with the upper trim,           
   which was straightened, sanded and buffed by a local craftsman,        
   Mayton said.                                                           
                                                                          
                                                                          
   "The mirrors are original," Mayton said. "Of course, we had to         
   remove some 50 years of oxidation."                                    
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Duplicate original parts came from existing Futurliners that           
   were scrapped long ago.                                                
                                                                          
                                                                          
   "The bus arrived without any bumpers," Mayton said. "We found          
   bumpers on an old Futurliner in California. We scoured the             
   country for parts."                                                    
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Mayton, a Zeeland, Mich., resident whose personal collection of        
   six vintage Buicks include a 1936 Roadmaster and 1953 Buick            
   Skylark, also drew upon his auto-restorer network for various          
   parts and components for the Futurliner project.                       
                                                                          
                                                                          
   An Ohio mechanic fixed the 145-horsepower engine, while the            
   carburetor was rebuilt in North Carolina. The Futurliner's             
   Autronic-Eye controls, which dims the headlights automatically         
   when another vehicle approaches and raises them when oncoming          
   traffic has passed, were repaired by a technician in Galena,           
   Ill., who found out about the project after seeing the website         
   - www.futurliner.com. GM Powertrain restored the transmission          
   while GM Pre-Production Operations (PPO) supplied a new roof           
   designed by GM Design.                                                 
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The old motor coach arrived without any specifications or              
   drawings, and the project has been a real exercise in "learning        
   as you go," Mayton said. The Futurliners all were hand-built,          
   and included one-of-a-kind components. For example, the vehicle        
   has dual front wheels that rotate independently.                       
                                                                          
                                                                          
   "We have not found another vehicle in the world that has this          
   kind of front end," Mayton said.                                       
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The old Parade of Progress coaches excited Mayton when he              
   caught a glimpse of a restored Futurliner while on a 1998              
   business trip in Palm Springs, Calif.                                  
                                                                          
                                                                          
   "A guy out there had converted a Futurliner into a motor home,"        
   Mayton said. "My wife and I were having lunch when I spotted           
   it. So I quickly snapped off three pictures of the vehicle             
   before it drove it away."                                              
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Mayton began researching Futurliners when he returned to               
   Michigan and eventually found one at the National Automotive           
   and Truck Museum in Auburn, Ind.                                       
                                                                          
                                                                          
   "It was just a piece of nothing but rusted metal," he said.            
   "Any other vehicle this badly deteriorated would have been just        
   scrapped."                                                             
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The museum did not want to part with the Futurliner, but lacked        
   the resources to restore it, Mayton said. So Mayton took on the        
   project at his Zeeland home, even building a heated pole barn          
   in 1999 to house the huge vehicle. The Maytons' home became a          
   gathering spot where volunteers showed up each week to work on         
   the Futurliner.                                                        
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Meanwhile, the museum maintains ownership of the vehicle and           
   has helped raise about $200,000 to complete the job.                   
                                                                          
                                                                          
   The Futurliner will be available for public viewing June 22 at         
   the Eyes on Design Automotive Exhibit on the Tech Center               
   campus. The event will feature more than 300 of the world's            
   finest automobiles and the largest collection of concept               
   vehicles ever assembled in one place.                                  
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Some of the original Parade of Progress crew, called                   
   "Paraders," also will be present to discuss their connection           
   with the tour. About 70 of the 300 original Paraders are still         
   alive, and many of them call the Detroit area home.                    
                                                                          
                                                                          
   There were two-dozen exhibits in the Parade of Progress, which         
   covered the research and engineering achievements of the day           
   and offered a glance at some of tomorrow's possibilities. Among        
   the major exhibits included:                                           
                                                                          
                                                                          
   * "Our American Crossroads" - An animated diorama showing the          
   transformation of a rural crossroads community 50 years earlier        
   into a thriving suburban community of today, and the                   
   automobile's role in bringing the country and city together.           
   * "Pioneer of Progress" - One of the tour's most popular               
   exhibits, showing how the application of scientific and                
   engineering advancements improved our comfort, convenience and         
   welfare.                                                               
   * "Power for the Air Age" - The fundamentals of jet propulsion         
   were demonstrated, using a cutaway of a jet engine.                    
   * "Miracles of Heat and Cold" - A two-part lecture                     
   demonstrating how heat and cold serve us in our homes and daily        
   lives.                                                                 
   * "The World of Science" - Two 10-minute talks dealing with the        
   phenomena of friction and the atmospheric ocean.                       
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Between 1936 and the outbreak of World War II in 1941, the             
   Parade visited 251 cities and was seen by 12.5 million people.         
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Tickets are $15 at the gate, or $12 in advance. Children 12 and        
   under are admitted free. Auto exhibit attendees also may               
   purchase rides in notable GM concept cars. Proceeds benefit the        
   Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. Tickets may be obtained by         
   calling Eyes on Design at (313) 824-EYES (3937), or purchase           
   tickets online at: www.acteva.com/go/eyeson.                           
                                                                          
                                                                          
   General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle           
   manufacturer, employs 342,000 people globally in its core              
   automotive business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has          
   been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today           
   has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles          
   are sold in more than 190 countries. In 2002, GM sold more than        
   8.6 million cars and trucks, nearly 15 percent of the global           
   vehicle market. GM's global headquarters is at the GM                  
   Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its          
   products can be found on the company's consumer website at             
   www.gm.com.                                                            
                                                                          
                                                                          
   # # #                                                                  
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Contact:                                                               
   Joe Jacuzzi                                                            
   (586) 986-5143                                                         
   joe.jacuzzi@gm.com                                                     
                                                                          
                                                                          
   Jeffrey Holland                                                        
   (586) 986-5606                                                         
   jeffrey.holland@gm.com                                                 
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