This is a great tour to enjoy from home.
Gather around, boys and girls, because it’s time to learn more about the history of General Motors and its many brands as told through the GM Heritage Center. Whether you’re a GM fan or not, there’s no denying the tremendous influence the automotive giant has had on the industry over the past century-plus. While the effect is felt most prominently in North America, GM has absolutely left its mark in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia as well.
With that kind of global influence, it’s always good to learn more about GM and its rich history. Even if you know quite a few things, there’s something you don’t know and that’s part of the fun of the video attached to this article. Larry Chen of Hoonigan AutoFocus takes us on a nearly one-hour tour of the GM Heritage Center, which houses 165 historically-significant cars and engines, including some rare and one-off concepts.
Even more impressive is the GM North American Heritage Collection, which you can’t tour. It houses over 600 cars. Since it’s specific to North America, you won’t see any Opels, Holdens, or Daewoos for better or for worse, although some of those cars are preserved in other region-specific collections.
There’s also an archive with historical documents, photos, brochures, manuals, build sheets, signs, badges, etc. preserved. While you can’t just go in and rifle through all that, GM does use those items in marketing campaigns and otherwise. For example, the Heritage Center offers an online gift shop with plenty of items inspired by memorabilia from the 40s and 50s.
Like so many other things, the GM Heritage Center is closed because of COVID-19 restrictions. That means this video tour is a good way of seeing it when you can’t go there in person. So, sit back with some popcorn and beverage of choice and enjoy the beautiful GM cars.
