GM Heritage Collection

[Ringo64]

55 minutes ago, Frosty said:

I have a ton more photos. Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, GMCs, concept cars. I even have something for Fitzy and Kiwi.

I will be posting more here later this week in the evening as I get time to sort and organize the over 400 photos I took in two hours!

 

[64 kiwi boni]

great stuff mate 👍

[Frosty]

Next up Oldsmobile

A 1911 707 cubic inch beast!

A Super 88 convertible

A Jetfire

The legendary 442

I've never seen an Olds pie wagone before.

Here are some wild Olds motors from the past.

[Frosty]

Cadillac

The Cadillac Sixteen Concept Car - gorgeous

A Cadillac as the pace car for the 24 Hour of LeMans ?!?

An Allante

2008 CTS Coupe Concept

1999 Evoq Concept

2009 Converj Concept

2013 Elmiraj Concept

A Cadillac Pan American racer

The first GM car called Lemans was not a Pontiac. It was actually this Cadillac concept car!

1937 Fleetwood Series 75

1933 355C V8

1931 V16

1915 Type 51

1912 Touring Car

1908 Model A Runabout

Here are some interesting Cadillac engines

The V16 from the Cadillac Sixteen. Compare this V16 to the older the V16s from the 1930s. I worked at GM Powertrain when this concept motor was developed. I think the guys did a great job designing the grandeur into it while modernizing it.

1930 V16

1938 V16 Flathead

1931 V12

Northstar V8

From the '60s, Cadillac's concept "V" motor - that never was.

A twin turbo 4.0L

[Frosty]

Corvettes anyone?

The original 1953

.....powered by the Blue Flame straight six

'63 split window

'70 Stingray

C7R race car

1984 C4

The LT-5 engine was made by Mercury Marine for GM in the mid-90s. I think it is one of the sexiest engines GM has ever produced. Looks like a hemi even though it's a DOHC.

[Frosty]

Buick 

1959 Electra 225

I think this is one of my favorite Buick Riveria's ever. The Riveria pace car convertible.

1905 Model C

1908 Model 10

2016 Avista concept car

1999 Riveria Silver Arrow

Buick's original Silver Arrow concept car became the '63 Riveria. As a nod to it's past, the final 200 Riverias ever produced were painted silver and given special "Silver Arrow" trim. This is the last Buick Riveria ever built. The end of an era in Buick personal luxury.

1987 Grand National GNX #001

1987 was the swan song for the RWD G-body platform including the turbocharged V6 Buick Grand National. Buick developed a special GNX package that included a better turbo, an intercooler, and a beefer rear end to handle the torque. It was the fastest production car in the U.S. in 1987, faster than mighty Corvette (which got Buick in some hot water with the GM execs but that is a different story for a different day). Buick announced they were going to only build 500 of them, but they actually received orders for 547 of them, so that's how many were built. This is GNX #001.

 

1985 Buick WIldcat concept cat

Buick has had several concept cars named Wildcat over the years. In the 1960s it was even a model for a few years.

1976 Estate Wagon - basically an Electra wagon with a 455!

1973 Silver Arrow III Concept car - a highly modified boat tail Riveria

An Apollo white GSX 

1965 Skylark Grand Sport

1963 Riveria

1962 Special convertible

1953 Skylark

1949 Super "Woody" wagon

1939 Roadmaster

1936 Century

1925 Standard Six

 

Buick Engines

Buick straight 8

215 V8 from the 60s - put in early 60 Skylarks and Tempests

Infamous turbo V6

No description on this motor - clearly a V12 of some sort with dual distributors. It's not a Cadillac nor a GMC TwinSix 710.

[Frosty]

GMC Trucks

The legendary GMC motorhome - this has an Olds Tornado drivetrain in it! My late friend and former Pontiac and GM designer Paul Deseen had a hand in designing this vehicle.

1915 Model 40

1938 Stake Truck

1945 Cab-Over-Engine (COE) AFR-522 Fuel Truck

1951 Canopy Express

1955 Suburban Pickup - GMC's answer to the Chevy Apache

1982 S-15 Sierra pickup - first ever built

1993 Typhoon SUV

1991 Syclone pickup

2022 Hummer EV - the return of the Hummer name - not as it's own name plate but a model of GMC now.

The GMC 305 V6 engine - yes I said V6! This was popular in early 60s light duty pickups.

GMC also made the TwinSix V12 that looked like two 305s welded together. They didn't have one on display though.

Movie/TV Camera Yukon XL

There was no placard on this vehicle but several of us deduced with the drive cage on the roof, the front passenger set turned around 180 degrees facing backwards, we figured this had to be some sort of Hollywood / movie studio film vehicle.

[Ringo64]

Interesting stuff! Would love to have a Typhoon or Syclone!

[Frosty]

Me too!

[Fitzy]

On 5/23/2022 at 10:01 PM, Frosty said:

I have a ton more photos. Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, GMCs, concept cars. I even have something for Fitzy and Kiwi.

 

Well Frostarelli, the Kiwi and I are waiting for our surprise. Jeez, I hope you haven't already posted it in amongst that myriad of pics you put up.

Great, great pics by the way. Once that silly plumber stops buying ferric oxide, we'll come over and shake hands.

[Frosty]

I have not forgotten your surprise. I've been building up to it. I got distracted on Sunday and didn't get back to it. I've been busy working on a steering column for Lucy.

Something tells me Kiwi is not done buying gawdy ferric oxide yard art yet. Keep your tetanus shot up-to-date mate.

[Frosty]

Here is some unique stuff

Neon and Dealer signs

Not sure which building these GM letters adorned. There was no placard.

This is one small portion of a blade that GM uses in it's wind tunnel in Warren Michigan. When I was a summer student, I toured the wind tunnel. These blades are massive. It was the first automotive designed wind tunnel in the industry. Prior to that, automotive companies bought time in aviation wind tunnels. GM's wind tunnel was scaled down to handle cars and trucks.

 

Some Unique Experimental Vehicles

1962 Corvair Monza GT Concept

1972 Reynolds Corevette Experimental

AERV I

1963 Corvair Monza SS Concept

1967 Astro I Concept

2009 Corvette Stingray Concept

2010 EN-V (Electric Networked Vehicle)

1969 XP512 Gas Experimental

1966 Electrovan Experimental

This was the first hyrdogen propelled vehicle GM ever produced. It was driven off hydrogen peroxide. It never left the Warren Tech Center grounds. Two men, in special haz mat suits, were needed to drive it and manage the fuel system.

The Fiero Indy Pace Car

1910 McLaughlin Model 14 Runabout

McLaughlin would be come GM of Canada. This is a Canadian built car.

Tribute to GM's Parade of Progress

In the 1930s GM built several Streamliners and then later replaced them with art deco Futureliners. These custom build "buses" were rolling science and technology shows that would criss cross America in the late 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. Each Futureliner would highlight a different technology or science. There were 12 Futureliners in all. One was restored by Dave Kindig on the "Bitchin' Rides" TV show. One was restored by the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States (NATMUS). A third has been full restored. Seven more in the hands of collectors across the world.

My favorite picture of Lucy is sitting next to Futureliner at the Flint Sloan Museum back in 2008.

The American Crossroads is a display that was in one of the Futureliners. It was restored and then loaned to the Chicago Museum of Industry and Science for many years after the Futureline program was disbanded. GM still owns this working mechanical display and I saw it once here at the Heritage Center many years ago. There is a video on YouTube of it as well.

 

2002 AUTOomy Chassis Experimental (a.k.a. the skateboard)

This was the first combined hydrogen fuel with drive-by-car concept car GM developed. It had a 94 Kw fuel cell. It is called the skateboard since the fuel cell and drivetrain all lie on the bottom and the body is completely removal and (conceptially) interchangable with a truck, SUV, minivan, etc. style body.

Electric bicycles

Edited June 2, 2022 by Frosty

[31pontiac]

I would love to see your latest set of pics Frosty, but they don’t appear on my phone.😬Am I the only one with this problem?

[Frosty]

Here is the surprise I've been saving for last for Kiwi and Fitzy. The lone car from down under (on display anyway)......

1959 Holden FC Special Sedan

Holden produced 191,724 FC models from May 1958 to December 1959. There were seven models to choose from, the Standard sedan, Special sedan, Business sedan, Standard station wagon, Special station wagon, Panel van, and Utility. FCs came with I6 and 3-speed manual transmission on a 105 inch wheelbase.

22 minutes ago, 31pontiac said:

I would love to see your latest set of pics Frosty, but they don’t appear on my phone.😬Am I the only one with this problem?

Not sure 31pontiac. Ringo is the techno geek to that sort of thing. Maybe he can help.

[Ringo64]

11 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Not sure 31pontiac. Ringo is the techno geek to that sort of thing. Maybe he can help.

On my phone now but they aren’t showing here either. I’ll check in the AM if they’re stored and it’s a showing probably or what. 

[64 kiwi boni]

3 hours ago, Frosty said:

Here is the surprise I've been saving for last for Kiwi and Fitzy. The lone car from down under (on display anyway)......

1959 Holden FC Special Sedan

Holden produced 191,724 FC models from May 1958 to December 1959. There were seven models to choose from, the Standard sedan, Special sedan, Business sedan, Standard station wagon, Special station wagon, Panel van, and Utility. FCs came with I6 and 3-speed manual transmission on a 105 inch wheelbase.

Not sure 31pontiac. Ringo is the techno geek to that sort of thing. Maybe he can help.

wow!!! that is cool as mate !!! i had a fe when i was 13 and built it up... when i got my licence when i was 15 i would drive it to plumbing tech classes in wellington !!!

here is  my one in grey , my little brother had the blue one 

Edited June 2, 2022 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

brothers one had the factory 149 grey engine mine had a 161 cubic inch out of a later ek eh holden

[Fitzy]

I had a 59 FC special sedan. Gutless 138 grey motor, no synchro on first three on the tree, crappy drum brakes, soggy marshmallow suspension, vacuum wipers and tiny little 13" wheels. In their day, they were strong & reliable but in hindsight they were a death trap, like every other 59 model car.

Mind you, good to see an Australian car mixing it up with the big boys in the US. Thanks Frosty.

[Ringo64]

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

Not sure 31pontiac. Ringo is the techno geek to that sort of thing. Maybe he can help.

Sorry for the inconvenience, Frosty and everyone! Looks like the last image we have is IMG_9764 and missing all the way up to IMG_9817 of yours here. Unsure how they posted like that as if they don't exist, the system shouldn't post the images. If you want to re-upload the images or send them to me in a zip and I can do it for you, got 1gbps down and 100 mbps up here so can get that done in a jif... Let me know!

[Frosty]

I will send them to you later tonight Ringo, after I get off work. They are on my personal laptop.

[JUSTA6]

11 hours ago, 31pontiac said:

I would love to see your latest set of pics Frosty, but they don’t appear on my phone.😬Am I the only one with this problem?

They were not showing on my desktop last nite.

[Longstroke]

I was very late in knowing this was on here but now I know it and love it. Thank you for sharing all those amazing GM treasures. Cheers.

[Frosty]

I should have posted this months ago. GM is moving the GM Heritage Collection from it's current location in an industrial park in Sterling Heights (close to the GM Tech Center in Warren MIchigan) to the now former Customer Car and After Sales (formerly know as Service Parts Organization or SPO) HQ facility in Grand Blanc Michigan. This place is about 10-12 miles from my house (my in-laws also live in Grand Blanc).

So perhaps in the not-to-distant future I'll be able to check out the collection again in it's new digs and hopefully there will be more vehicles on display then too.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2022/09/29/gm-heritage-center-sterling-heights-archives/69527181007/

GM to move its historical archives and vehicles out of Sterling Heights

By: Jamie L. LaReau

The Detroit Free Press

September 29, 2022

General Motors will move its Heritage Center — which holds its archives and historical vehicles — from Sterling Heights to a bigger property it owns in Grand Blanc.

The move will happen in phases as GM renovates the Grand Blanc facility, which was once the automaker's Customer Care and Aftersales headquarters, GM said Thursday.

"We do not have a start date for the renovations yet," GM spokeswoman Kristen Sullivan said. "This move will take place in a phased approach, and the Heritage team will need some time in the new space to determine how best it can be renovated to fit their needs."

In March 2021, GM moved about 900 workers from its Customer Care and Aftersales offices in Grand Blanc to the Global Technical Center in Warren, effectively vacating the Grand Blanc facility. At the time, GM told the Free Press it was unsure what it would do with the facility in Grand Blanc.

The GM Heritage Center, which first opened in 2004 to preserve GM's history, had been leasing the facility in Sterling Heights, off Mound Road near Metro Parkway. It housed a portion of the GM Heritage Archive, as well as GM’s historic vehicle collection. It is not open to the general public, but does conduct tours and host events.

In the last few years, GM searched for a larger, permanent facility to display the growing number of archives, vehicle collection, product catalogs, sales brochures, press materials and promotional records the Heritage Center housed, GM said in a statement.

The decision to move it to the Grand Blanc facility brings GM’s heritage operations closer to the automaker's location of origin: Flint and Genesee County. GM's Flint Assembly campus is known as Factory One because of the company's birthplace there. GM builds its hot-selling Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups at Flint Assembly plant.