Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Stewart
Are most of the cars in the GM Heritage Collection restored? None that are brand new? I'm talking about assembly line cars only. When did they start the collection?
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It's a mixed bag.
Some of the assembly line cars are in original unrestored condition (some gifted by the original owners); others restored by previous owners or by General Motors. There are several local high end companies that fluff, maintain and store the cars that are not currently on display at the Heritage Center proper. These are not auto restoration shops or suppliers per se, but more like the outside contractors that create and prep the modern show cars and displays.
I guess the "collection" started in 1938 with the "Y Job" (the first show car in the industry) - but I think what you mean is when did the Heritage Center form and move to the current location.
The concept started when Greg Wallace created and curated the Cadillac Heritage center, back in the mid 1980's*. When GM as a whole decided to try to consolidate all their vehicles and records into one central location they tapped Greg to take on the task. The present building opened in June of 2004 but was too small by the time it opened. It does represent a storefront for all the Heritage activities and is supported by these other locations and storage facilities behind the scenes. One of the advantages of this is that the displays are very dynamic, with different vehicles and items rotating through. You can visit one month and come back the next month and see different stuff.
The Heritage Center is not open to the public but is available to schedule and host events, luncheons, group meetings, car club gatherings and team building activities. They used to send a notice about once per month and I would grab the maximum number of spots (four) right away, figuring in the meantime I would find someone that wanted to go for a visit.
I thought the GTO was significant since it was restored at the manufacturer's location by PMD employees, ala those Ferarri's or Porsches (or Cushman scooters) that you can send back and get restored to original specifications. It's the only GM vehicle in the collection I can think of like that (except maybe the Corvette SS racer which was also recently freshened up).
K
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/greg-wallace
*there's a story there, too.