GM cleans out its garage - automaker is selling vehicles from its 'Heritage Collection'

[Dennis Donovan]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28581960/



By David Kiley

General Motors is cleaning out the attic to sell some stuff at the auction house to raise some much needed cash.

Around 250 vehicles from GM's "Heritage Collection" will be auctioned by Barrett-Jackson, with the first lots going on Jan. 13 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the second hitting the block in April in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Don't think that GM is parting with the family jewels to pay the mortgage. Though insiders can't recall such a big chunk of the collection being sold at once, 25 percent of the total, most of the vehicles are special show cars and one-offs that GM snapped together for the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Assn. shows over the years, as well as some classic production cars that were duplicates of models GM still has.

Of interest to some bargain-hunting curiosity seekers, too, are some examples of GM design failures. As one GM executive told me off the record, "These are mostly cars that current management don't much care for."

The real family jewels aren't going anywhere, even if one, like the first off-the-line 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado or 1938 Buick Y-Job, might bring as much cash as 10 or 20 of the cars being sold off.
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Figures they're doing this at a time I'm broke...:(

[aquart]

1. Call Leno.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. I'm sure he already knows...

;)

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Beat me to it.

And Jerry Seinfeld can take the leftovers.

[Medusa]

6. Seinfeld just collects Porsches

Leno collects everything.

[exboyfil]

3. What kind of liability is associated with these cars

Many of them will not be street worthy. What happens if one of the overmuscled cars gets into a accident that kills a bus load of school kids???

[DiverDave]

4. Man, the cool things they must have

If I was stupid rich, I'd be there...

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Here's one they have that I used to carry around for them

The Buick Wildcat Prototype/Concept car


http://www.gmphotostore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=53217596





Back in 1988 & '89 I worked for a company owned by Drag Racer Kenny Bernstein that handled the displays for the Buick Motorsports promotional effort. The Wildcat was used for a time by PPG as part of their "Pace Car" fleet at CART/Indy car events. Although it ran, it was temperamental as hell and was pushed more than driven. Since it was so troublesome, Buick relegated it to display work like the picture above. It had a one-off, double overhead cam, 24 valve, V-6 engine, a 4-speed semi-manual gearbox that operated like a motorcycle shifter - pull up for an up shift, down for a down shift, etc.


It was a real head turner.

[Stevenmarc]

7. It's a good thing

Now some of these cars that have been stuck in a warehouse away from public view have a shot to join museum collections.

[FarCenter]

9. Age cars like scotch or wine?

Maybe GM should build cars this year and put them all in storage for 10 or 15 years and sell them then?

[dkofos]

10. I'm sure that will raise millions.

But they need BILLIONS.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. If I had my choice, I'd choose this one...

That was the first car Nana had that I remember. Only hers was green and white. There are pix of me and that car. ;)



That was followed by a Ford. I think it was this one. I vaguely remember going with her to get it. One memorable thing that did happen to this car was that when we were all staying in this rented lodge in Old Forge, Bette arrived late at night driving it and drove it straight into the front window!:wow:



But if I could have anything, my choice would absolutely be this: :loveya: ;)