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Secret GM Museum

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by bluthndr, Sep 7, 2012.

  1. [​IMG]

    Here's another one of the wonders on display at the GM Heritage Center: yes, that's a Cadillac 500 CID V8 with genuine gold plating. How about that.

    About the Heritage Center vs. the warehouses... the Heritage Center building isn't large enough to house all the vehicles at once so they are rotated in and out for variety. When they're not on the Heritage Center floor, they're in storage, being serviced, or out on loan/tour somewhere, and if you visit regularly you will eventually see pretty much everything in a year or three. It's not like there's another secret cache of cars somewhere.

    Link to collection gallery:


    Inside GM's Private Car Museum | MCG


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  2. I am sorry your brother had to go through that.

    No one hurt you, you found out that GM has some cars warehoused and that it is not likely that you are going to see them without getting connected. It probably isn't that hard to get yourself connected, one of the fellas on here has seen at least one of the warehouses maybe if you ask him he can try and get to hooked up.

    I wont be there with you but maybe you should not underestimate what I have seen or done in my lifetime. Just because you don't know doesn't mean it hasn't happened.
     
  3. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    I expect the big3 all have some development shops that have kept a few interesting projects layin around. I know of one project manager that was a prominant racer back in the day, he got away from racing and focused on engineering. One project he headed was the fibreglass '69 camaro. They made 3 of them, when gm gave up on the project the three were destroyed but he told me that, in fact, only 2 were destroyed.
     
  4. There are several private car collections, BIG ones, that are not at all open to the public. There is one in near Norwood, Colorado, which contains one of the GM FutureLiners, among others. The author Clive Cussler has a very impressive collection West of Denver. Both are available for tours by car clubs and others, but are not open for viewing otherwise.
     
  5. twochops
    Joined: Feb 28, 2006
    Posts: 1,510

    twochops
    Member

    I went there with group of other owners who had a 53 ce Corvettes.
    BILL---TwoChops
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Definitely. I work in the Detroit industry and this is my world. When I walk into a shop, I never know what I will find. Naturally, 99 percent of the time I can't even talk about what I see, let alone take photos, but with this car the cat is already out of the bag, safe to say.

    The shop is Kustom Creations and obviously, the car is the GM Firebird I. These guys do all kinds of dark ops for the OEs, but here they were doing some vintage repair work. These are among the few people left who can drive and maintain the GM turbines.

    Link to the story with more photos you've never seen:

    A rare look at GM's Firebird I | Mac's Motor City Garage

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    If you like this kind of stuff, bookmark the website and check back regularly. Also, look around the site for similar articles already posted. This is our beat. This is what we do.
     
  7. Amen to that!!
     
  8. I'd have to spend a couple of weeks in the Detroit area to see these collections, and some of the old car plants. The Packard plant is probably the most famous and visible derelict plant there. I'd like to roam through that (with a camera and a sidearm!) for a day.

    So much automotive history, so much to see...
     
  9. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,479

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    Ever been to the Buick Gallery here in Flint? Tasty stuff there. Only opens once a year during the Sloan Museum car show.
     
  10. ken bogren
    Joined: Jul 6, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    ken bogren
    Member

    We visited the GM Heritage Center in 2011. We got in as part of a group from the Chevy event in Flint. Staff said they had rotated in more Chevys for the event.

    The Buick Gallery in Flint is great too.

    So much auto history on display in MI that it's almost hard to comprehend it all.
     
  11. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,479

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    ....yet both Detroit and Flint are going down the tubes....QUICKLY.
     
  12. As a past president of one of the Chevrolet Ser. Mgr. Chapters it was a privilege to get to see the collection.
     
  13. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    The Cadillacs look similar to vehicles that were included in the GM Parade of Progress tour, in the mid 50's..... Great cars and ideas.

    4TTRUK
     
  14. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,245

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Nearly a decade ago, a close friend and racing companion got a job servicing the cars for the Heritage Center. We've lost touch over the last 5-6yrs, but he was still there then. "My dream job..." as he refered to it.
     
  15. Definitely. The Cadillac LeMans still pulls my strings.
     
  16. 59 brook
    Joined: Jun 12, 2005
    Posts: 1,016

    59 brook
    Member

    on the power tour this year they allowed us into the heritage center and it was really cool . from the y-job to the first production vette to the firebirds 1,2 & 3 ( to me these were wild cars for the time . it helps me to explain about the "jet age " of car stlying. the corvairs they had were also impressive . the 20's and 30"s cars have incredible color combinations and striping a nomad prototype the list goes on and on

    another incredible collection in detroit is the lingenfelter collection it was breathtaking
     
  17. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    I've heard about this, but I think it's an urban rumor. People love to have a mystery to solve. This is right up there with the car that runs on water. :D
     
  18. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,753

    Deuces

    You guys missed a good one on PBS today...
    Got to see the Mako Shark and the Manta Ray in living color... That was a treat...:)
    Those cars are at the GM Tech Center in Warren Mi. I believe.... The Mako still runs and looking sharp as ever.. :)
     
  19. Belchfire8
    Joined: Sep 18, 2005
    Posts: 1,540

    Belchfire8
    Member

    I got to open the hood of the Y Job and had hands on the Lesabre (Parked next to the Y Job in this photo) In the background is the Bill Mitchell StingRay; I leaned over that one to check out the interior; it was pretty ripped up. Yeah, I know a guy...:)
     
  20. Randy in Oklahoma
    Joined: Sep 18, 2008
    Posts: 301

    Randy in Oklahoma
    Member
    from Oklahoma

    Guess I dont understand why GM didnt start selling all of these cars to raise some cash rather than having the American taxpayer bail them out.
     
  21. stuart in mn
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,406

    stuart in mn
    Member

    They did auction off a bunch cars three years ago or so.
     
  22. Yes, they are beautiful. Those two cars are usually kept at the Heritage Center, only a few miles from the Tech Center. The Heritage Center essentially services the Tech Center with historic cars. More photos here....

    Inside GM's Private Car Museum | Mac's Motor City Garage




    [​IMG]

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  23. SuperJim
    Joined: Mar 31, 2010
    Posts: 191

    SuperJim
    Member
    from Minnesota

    I believe the Hot Rod Power Tour long haulers may have been able to tour it before/after the long hual ceremony a few years back. Sounds like a VERY neat place to go.
     
  24. GM did sell off a number of cars during the bankruptcy, but not to raise cash per se. The collection was thinned out to reduce the operating costs of the program, thus protecting it from the chopping block. The overhead involved in caring for all the cars can exceed the value of the vehicles themselves.

    The cars, which were auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson, were mainly duplicates, SEMA show cars, affinity vehicles, etc. Not the important historic stuff, in other words.

    Inside GM's private car museum | Mac's Motor City Garage


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  25. Never got to look under the hood of the Y-Job but I have seen the engine in the LeSabre -- pretty wild. Supercharged aluminum V8.

    I also got a look underneath the Cadillac Cyclone. The rear axle is IRS with an integral Hyrdamatic and inboard drum brakes. I'll dig around for a photo.
     
  26. Check out the Buick nailhead V8 test mule above -- turbocharger installation with Carter YH sidedraft carburetors.


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  27. Stay tuned for an in-depth, multi-part tour of the Ken Lingenfelter Collection. Coming soon!

    In the meantime, Motor City Garage is looking for hand-raisers who might be interested in a tour of the GM Heritage Collection. If there's interest, MCG would love to sponsor a day there. Drop us a line.


    LINK:


    Inside GM's private car museum | Mac's Motor City Garage.com



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