Cool Tow Vehicle

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Prototype GM coach. 1939 General Motors Futurliner. Only eight of these were built. Some with various engine and transmission combinations. One reportedly sold via Barrett-Jackson in premo condition in 2006 for 4.3 million.

Pics attached. Note the rustic interior and dual front wheels!

Cool eh?

[Marvelous]

Prototype GM coach. 1939 General Motors Futurliner. Only eight of these were built. Some with various engine and transmission combinations. One reportedly sold via Barrett-Jackson in premo condition in 2006 for 4.3 million.

Pics attached. Note the rustic interior and dual front wheels!

Cool eh?

Now that was cool! Mine was a few million $$ cheaper but will still be fun. Now towing the Marvelous it will be like Christmas with the color scheme. I just could not change the stock color. Oh Well!

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Tow Vehicle

John,
That's a serious looking vehicle! Nice restoration. I presume you did the work yourself... Look forward to seeing you at one of the club events.

Tim

[Marvelous]

John,
That's a serious looking vehicle! Nice restoration. I presume you did the work yourself... Look forward to seeing you at one of the club events.

Tim

I became the 3rd owner of the 1967 Powerwagon. The guy i bought it from had it 22 yeaqrs and went through all the running gear. 440ci 4sp 4x4. I did (okay had it done) the paint tires yadayadayada! She will be a towing machine. Got tired of the newer Dodge diesel this is cooler and lots funner!

Will be out South Sound for sure and most likely Laconner and beyond in the Glasply or Bellboy or both?

The older i get i seem to go backwards in years on what i buy. Memories i guess!

[skagit 25]

Something tells me the driver might get pretty warm in the futurliner.

Billy Graham used to have one of those in the 50's, not sure if it is the one pictured or not.

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

GM Coaches.....

The 1939 GM Futureliner is pretty cool and there are some features that would show up later on GM coaches.

When I was a kid we traveled a great deal. Often by car and also often by bus.
The Greyhound buses were the norm then and mostly they were stuffy, especially considering that everyone smoked.

Then in 1954, GM introduced the 4501 coach, better know by the Greyhound name of Scenicruiser. This was the first double decker bus. It featured big windows, a powerful air conditioning system, air suspension and even a head (toilet). Since the biggest diesel engine that GM built in 1954 was the 6-71, the 4501 was powered by twin 4-71 Jimmys.

These engines were mechanically tied together. One drove all the accessories, such as the generator, air conditioning compressor and air brake compressor and the other just drove the drive train. Each was rated at about 150 HP.

The 4-71 engine is a two cycle diesel with a mechanical supercharger to push air into the engine. Twin 4-71's with two mechanical superchargers mechanically synchronized made music to this future motor-head's ears. The sound these engines made was out of this world! The 4501 had a four speed manual transmission with electric overdrive. Top speed was about 85 mph.

As a kid I though this was the coolest bus ever made. It was the 747 of buses at the time. Nothing will ever beat the GM 4501 Scenicruiser for cool! 1001 (including the prototype) were built between 1954 and 1956. Many have been converted to motor homes and all have been repowered with single 8V-71s.

Another 1950's kid's memory. It's hard to believe that nowdays a kid could get excited about a bus. Part of it I guess is that we were moving to California and I was getting out of Catholic school! Greyhound Scenicruiser was freedom-bird!

I would love to have a GM 4501 today!

Tim aka McSkagit