General Motors will soon be able to celebrate the fact that each brand sold in America will be 100 years old or even older when Grabowski Motor Company (GMC) reaches its centennial year in 2012. That’s a huge accomplishment for Big Red. But that’s not the only thing that gives the brand a sense of heritage.
For instance, unless you’re a major history buff, chances are you didn’t know that a Rapid F-406-B – a predecessor to GMC – was the first truck to reach the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak on August 1, 1909. GMC also sold electric vehicles from 1912-1917, and built 584,000 military vehicles during World War II. Once upon a time GMC also offered 23 and 26-foot motor homes from 1973-1978. Anybody out there around long enough to remember those? Sound off in the comments below!
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The motorhomes, the city and long distance buses (including the Greyhound Scenicruisers), the heavy trucks like the Astro 95’s, Generals, Brigadiers. The military trucks and amphibians. Some heritage. I wonder how much longer GMC will use the ‘Professional Grade’ tagline since they really don’t make much in the way of professional/commercial trucks anymore.
Syclone and Typhoon.
The rest are…..just trucks.
for G.M.C. 100th birthday let’s have trucks that aren’t just rebadged chevys
You bet I do…………….My dad bought a GMC pickup new in 1950 and still had it 51 yrs. later when he passed. He drove a GMC line truck while working for Kansas Power and Light. I grew up riding GMC Coaches and watching the freight being moved by GMC tractors. There is a reason so many truck drivtng songs referred to the “Jimmy”/
I Remember those RTS Buses that GMC Used to make from 1977-87
I Rode on those on the BCT aka Broward County Transit.
My least favourite GM brand.
The GMC SUV’s that share Chevy platforms do look a little better. The most distinct being the Terrain which looks wayyyy better than the Equinox IMHO of course.