The Kindig Futurliner was a concept car created by the Kindig Coach Company of Chicago, Illinois. It was first shown at the 1933-1934 Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois.
The car was designed by Alex Tremulis and built by Kindig as an example of how cars could be designed in the future. The Futurliner was not intended to be a production vehicle; instead, it was meant to demonstrate how streamlined, futuristic vehicles could be designed.
The Futurliner had a streamlined design with an aerodynamic shape that resembled a bullet train, which was still being built in Germany at the time. It featured large tail fins and an interior that was designed to be comfortable for passengers who would spend long periods of time inside.
The vehicle featured six-wheel-drive powertrains with four-wheel steering capability. The engine compartment had room for two engines (one at each end), which allowed all six wheels to be powered at once if necessary. The bodywork also had room for two spare tires underneath each end, so if one tire was damaged during travel, another one could easily be swapped out without having to stop or pull over along the road.
The Futurliner is a one-of-a-kind vehicle that was created by General Motors in the 1950s. It has a history of being used as a rolling display for the corporation’s Parade of Progress exhibits throughout the United States and Canada from 1953 to 1956. There are only 12 Futurliners left, out of 39 produced. Of those 12, only four are still operational today.
Kindig Futurliner
You’re probably wondering what the cost of a Futurliner is. There are three types of models available:
- The “Sleeping Beauty” – This model has been converted into a hotel room and includes all the amenities you would need for an extended stay. It can be rented out via Airbnb for around $500 per night, which is more than enough to cover the costs that go into retrofitting it into a livable space.
- The “Workhorse” – This model has been transformed into a mobile workshop, where artists and craftsmen can work on their projects without having to worry about distractions (or repairs). It’s ideal for traveling carpenters who don’t want their tools getting damaged while they’re in transit; it also comes with extra storage space underneath.
- The “Cabana Car” – Even though this one isn’t available yet (they haven’t finished building it), we’ve already ordered ours. We plan on using ours as an extra guest room at our family summer home so people can enjoy relaxing by the pool in style without feeling cramped up inside one of those cheap cabanas sold at Walmart every year because they always fall apart after four uses anyways…
History of Kindig Futurliner
The Futurliners were built by GM for the Parade of Progress. They were used to promote new technology, like the electric starter and power steering. The Futurliners were designed by Harley Earl in 1939, who would later become one of America’s most prominent auto designers.
The Parade of Progress was an annual show that toured around the country from 1933-1958, promoting new technology and demonstrating it to people across America. Each year, GM would build 7 new Futurliners based on popular trends predicted for the future at that time. They also featured a different theme every year: 1937 was “Fashion,” 1938 was “Communication,” 1939 was “Agricultural Advancement,” 1940 was “Famous Americans,” 1941 was “Sports” (with an emphasis on baseball), 1942 had no theme (they skipped this one because of World War II), 1943 focused on war industries and defense workers; 1944 showcased transportation; 1945 focused on home improvement; 1946 brought back Fashion as its theme again but with more emphasis placed on women’s clothing than men’s clothes; 1947 had no special focus; 1948 featured homes that could be built without any help from professionals (by then they had already stopped building Futurliners); 1949 showcased leisure activities like swimming pools and camping equipment while 1950 finally returned back home life with its “Home Furnishings.”
Kindig-It Design.
The Kindig-It Design shop, located in Flint, Michigan, specializes in restoring and rebuilding classic cars. They have worked on several Futurliners over the years, including one that was used by GM for test drives. Currently, they are restoring a Futurliner for the GM Heritage Center and hope to have it running again by 2020.
A Logical Restoration.
Futurliners were used as rolling displays for General Motors Parade of Progress exhibits throughout the U.S. and Canada from 1953 to 1956. The Futurliners were designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959, and the first one was built in 1951.
In 2003, five Futurliner cars were found in a warehouse in St. Louis; a sixth car had been sold at auction earlier that year for $4 million. In 2004, a group called “The Children of The American Revolution” (or CART) purchased all six cars from GM to restore them and display them at various events around the country, a sort of traveling museum exhibit dedicated to telling America’s story through these historical vehicles.
The original plan for this restoration project was straightforward enough: strip down each vehicle as far as possible so it could be disassembled into its component parts; reassemble using new materials where necessary; then repaint each vehicle using digital images provided by GM archives along with historical materials (including photos) found during research trips taken by crew members during their travels across North America in 2003–2004 while filming footage used later during restoration efforts at their headquarters located near Detroit Michigan USA.”
Kindig’s Futurliner is a one-of-a-kind build, but just how much does it cost?
If you’re a fan of classic cars and have always dreamed of owning one, then you might be surprised to learn that your dream could become reality by purchasing this unique vehicle. The Kindig Futurliner Cost To Build is a restoration project that has been in progress since 2015. Before its restoration began, the car was completely disassembled and restored back to its original condition from when it was first built. The restoration process alone took over 2 years and cost $1 million USD ($1,000/foot). This doesn’t even include all the parts or labor involved with building it.
With only nine cars ever produced by General Motors during World War II for promotional purposes (and only six still remaining), the Kindig Futurliner stands out as one of the most expensive cars in existence today due entirely to its rarity factor alone rather than what kind of materials were used during production or how many features make up each individual automobile design element; something truly remarkable when considering how many people own luxury brand automobiles worth millions upon millions dollars.
A restoration of this magnitude can’t come cheap.
For any restoration of this magnitude, you can expect to pay at least $1 million. The restoration process takes years and is extremely labor-intensive.
Kindig Futurliner Cost To Build
The cost of restoring a Futurliner is estimated at $2,000,000. The original cost of building the three Futurliners (two prototypes and a production model) is unknown. It’s possible that it cost more than $2 million during its time as a production vehicle, but Kindig’s estimate may be based on the value of vintage cars or other commercial vehicles today.
The price also includes restoration work on two additional Futurliners that were built as backups for one of the main models.
Futurliner- One of the Most Expensive Cars in the World
- Futurliner- One of the Most Expensive Cars in the World
- Estimated Value: $4 million to $10 million
- Number Available: 12 (in museums across the country)
- Number Still Operational: 4
The Futurliner was one of GM’s most successful promotional vehicles. It was designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959, who had previously created such classics as the 1934 LaSalle Convertible Sedan and 1953 Pontiac Star Chief convertible coupe. The Futurliners were originally produced for use by GIs on troop ships during World War II to promote General Motors’ brands and showcase its latest technology. Only 39 were built between 1940 and 1942, but only 12 are still around today.
This is GM’s Futurliner No.3, and it is one of the most expensive cars in the world, with a value that ranges from $4 million to $10 million.
The Futurliners were designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959. The idea behind these vehicles was to show what General Motors had in store for the future of automobiles; it also gave them a way to promote their own brand while at the same time promoting their vision for the future.
The Futurliners were used as rolling displays for General Motors Parade of Progress exhibits throughout the U.S. and Canada from 1953 to 1956. Today, they are highly sought after by collectors because they represent an important part of automotive history and because they are just so darn cool looking.
There are 12 Futurliners left, out of 39 produced. Of those 12, only four are still operational. The others have been restored with new engines and other mechanical parts. These restored buses will be able to be operated in parades and exhibitions.
The Futurliners were designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959.
The Futurliners were designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959. Earl was a famous American automotive designer who had previously designed the first Cadillacs and many other memorable cars.
In his book “Style,” Bill Cummings writes that Earl was born in 1892 and raised in Los Angeles. His father worked as an engineer for a streetcar company, where he also learned to build and repair vehicles. At age 13, Earl began working part-time at his father’s shop so he could learn more about how cars were made; two years later, he got his first job as an apprentice automobile mechanic at a local garage (a gas station).
In 1916, at age 24, Earl was hired by Cadillac Motor Car Company as its first full-time design assistant; this meant he had new responsibilities beyond working on just one model at a time like before. Instead, he now had to oversee all aspects of creating each vehicle from start to finish, including brainstorming ideas with other designers using clay models or sketches of what they thought would look good together before moving onto actual prototypes built by handwork shops with their standard equipment available during World War I when most machines were being used elsewhere.”
The Futurliners were used as rolling displays for General Motors Parade of Progress exhibits throughout the U.S. and Canada from 1953 to 1956.
The Futurliners were used as rolling displays for General Motors Parade of Progress exhibits throughout the U.S. and Canada from 1953 to 1956. The Futurliners were designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959, who also created the first concept car known as Le Sabre in 1949.
Earl had a vision of the future where people would travel in streamlined vehicles as airplanes did, which is why he coined the term “aerotropolis” to describe his ideal cityscape. In order not to lose sight of this vision while designing cars that could drive on roads instead of flying through space, Earl wrote down his thoughts on what he called “aerodynamic engineering.”
one was used as a mobile kitchen for astronauts in Project Mercury.
One of these cars was used as a mobile kitchen for astronauts in Project Mercury, and it’s one of the most expensive cars in the world. But just how much does it cost?
As you’ve probably guessed, this build is not cheap. The last Futurliner that went up for auction sold for $1 million. That being said, if you’re looking to drop over a million dollars on a vehicle and if you want something even more unique than what we’ve already covered here you could always go with the custom-built vehicles above…
Nowadays, there’s just one company restoring them- Kindig-It Design, owned by Dave Kindig and his wife Charity.
Nowadays, there’s just one company restoring them- Kindig-It Design, owned by Dave Kindig and his wife Charity. Based in Los Angeles, the company was founded in 2004 and is currently restoring several of the Futurliners.
The charity has a long history with the Futurliner’s creator, Ed Roth. She met Roth when she was 15 years old and worked for him until he died in 2001 at age 75. While working for Roth’s Hot Rod Art & Design shop on Hollywood Boulevard (which still exists), she learned how to build cars from scratch something that would come in handy later on when she started Kindig-It Design with her husband after his death.
they’re restoring these classic vehicles
The restoration process has been in the works for many years but is only recently beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. Since these cars are considered classics, they have to be painstakingly restored, not simply put back into good condition, but made as close to their original state as possible. That means that custom parts must be created from scratch and fitted precisely. The Futurliners will also be modified with modern safety equipment such as airbags and seatbelts, a necessity if they’re going to be driven on modern roads and highways instead of being shown off in museums or vintage car shows.
The restoration project began very slowly in earnest when a group called Friends Of The Futurliner was formed in 2008 specifically for this purpose. They’ve already restored one of six cars so far (the 1939 model), which took about five years from start to finish thanks only partly due to funding issues, there simply aren’t enough people out there who know how these cars work anymore.
From $2,000,000
- The Futurliners are one of the most expensive cars in the world, selling for more than $1.5 million each. Only 12 remain out of 39 produced; their rarity and value make them highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts alike.
- They were designed by Harley Earl, GM’s head of design from 1927 through 1959, a period during which GM was at its peak as an American industrial giant.
The Kindig Futurliner is an iconic vehicle that has stood the test of time. The cost to build a Kindig futurliner is more than just the price of buying all the parts in a kit. It’s a labor of love and can take years to complete even when you don’t have any experience working on cars. If you’re looking for something with cheaper, easier maintenance then check out our article on classic cars before 1970 that are still very much usable today.
