|
Home / Cars and Trucks / Trucks
GMC's Collectible Motorhome
By:frank vanderlugt
In the 1970's, General Motors entered the RV market. Drawing on the exuberance of the times, the company set out to create the ultimate American Motor home.
Their aim was to produce a top-of the-line vehicle with cutting-edge design and construction, not just another competitor in the already crowded vacation vehicle market.
The common design in this era was a boxy, ungainly and top-heavy unit on a truck chassis. The GMC vehicle was intended to be a completely new design in every way.
Design work began in 1970, with the market introduction planned for 1973. "Doesn't look like a box or ride like a truck" was the GMC ad slogan.
The new vehicle would be unusual for this era in several ways. First of all, it was to have a front wheel drive, a rare concept in cars of that day and unheard-of in mobile homes.
The drive train and suspension were taken from the design of the Oldsmobile Toronado. The 265 horsepower 455 cubic inch Oldsmobile engine was attached to a Turbohydramatic 425 transmission with torsion bar suspension.
The rear suspension was a product of GM's bus design, using dual swing arms, one leading and one trailing, with a single air spring on each side. Instead of a auto body steel, the body was to be made of lightweight aluminum and molded fiberglass-reinforced plastic such as was used in the Chevrolet Corvette.
The front wheel drive and independent swing arm rear suspension brought great improvement to the standard motor home design.
The lack of drive shafts and axles underneath the coach allowed a very low floor height, leading in turn to a low overall vehicle height and lower center of gravity. Aside from easier entry and exit, this reduced rollover risk and wind resistance and made the vehicle much safer and easier to operate for buyers accustomed only to car driving.
A six-wheel braking system, with disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on all four rear wheels, further enhanced drivability.
Previous motor home design focused mainly on the use of the vehicle as a temporary home once it had reached its destination, an extended stay in a mobile home park or a camping spot.
Ease of getting to the destination was of secondary concern, and cumbersome handling on the road was taken for granted. GMC made a special point of targeting this feature for improvement by adding visibility from the driver's seat with a panoramic expanse of glass.
The motor home was featured in 23 foot and 26 foot lengths, fairly small even for this era. Nowadays, much larger models are common. The motor home's interior design was compact, with no permanent sleeping areas in the original design.
All beds were converted from seating areas when required.
Hot water was provided by water heaters using engine coolant loops, which produced water so hot it could actually present a scalding hazard since coolant temperatures usually exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
The refrigerator was powered by a standard automotive battery, adequate only for overnight use before recharging.
The prototype was first displayed in May 1972 at the Transpro '72 trade show in Washington, D.C.
Production started in 1973 with two models, Model 230 and Model 260, 23 and 26 feet long respectively. They were sold with a finished interior for the public as well as unfinished to other RV manufacturers such as Avion and Coachman, who then provided their own interiors before reselling to consumers.
30 different floor plans were available, and models were priced from $35,000 to $40,000.
The GMC vehicle changed slightly over time, the most notable alteration coming in 1977 when the 455 cubic inch engine was replaced by a 403 cubic inch model in response to the energy crisis.
This decade caused hardship for all RV manufacturers as the increased price of fuel pushed large gas guzzling vehicles out of the market. The GMC motor home had never sold at high volumes, and the company decided that the RV production facilities could be more profitably used to make light trucks.
After the manufacture of 12,921 vehicles, production of motor homes was discontinued after the 1978 model year.
Almost immediately after production ceased, GMC motor homes became collectors' items, with owners' associations being established to provide parts and service for these vehicles.
Small manufacturers and garages developed a cottage industry servicing them. In 1992, as General Motors prepared to scrap all remaining tools and parts, Cinnabar Engineering purchased all the motor home manufacturing supplies and negotiated a deal to continue to provide parts for the discontinued vehicles.
In 1992, a monthly magazine called GMC Motor home Marketplace was introduced, and in 1994 Cinnabar started publishing a quarterly newsletter called GMC Motor home News.
The vehicle's futuristic design has even found a place in pop culture: Mattel Toys created die-cast versions of the GMC motor home for its Hot Wheels line. More than 50 different GMC Hot Wheels are available, and in 1977, Mattel released three toy GMC versions in a Barbie Doll Star Traveler promotion.
In an amazing example of customer loyalty and product durability, more than 8,000 units are still registered by owners.
An internet search of "GMC Motor home" produces 771,000 results, as sites advertise motor home parts, engines and upgrades as well as classic car rallies for owners. Used GMC motor homes sell for $10,000 to $15,000 depending on the condition of the vehicle.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: collectibe motor home, GMC Motor Home
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
About GMC collectible Motor Homes by Frank Vanderlugt
About Charitable Car donations by Frank Vanderlugt
|
|
| Top Trucks Articles |
|
|
- 2). How Safe Are Your Truck Batteries By : MITCHELL HAMPSON
Truck batteries are a type of lead-acid battery which powers not just trucks but the majority of automotive equipment such as cars, wheelchairs, tractors, and motorcycles. These type of batteries are shaped similar to a rectangle and have sulfuric acid in them which if exposed to the skin burns it on contact.
|
- 3). Review of Ford Trucks By : Tim Allen
The best-selling car in America returns with an original engine design and a blue-collar transmission from the motor city. Ford's F-150 pickup comes in regular, extended, and crew-cab styles. All cabs have four doors. The standard minicab mimics the SuperCab extended minicab with average rear-hinged "partly doors." The SuperCrew crew minicab has four straight doors.
|
- 4). Used Truck Buying Guide By : Mark Ab
Here are some of the most important questions I think a potential buyer should ask his sales person before they buy their truck. By asking these questions to me, or someone else you will save yourself time and possibly a lot of money. I would welcome these questions , and I will answer them accurately and sincerely.
1. Does the truck have any type of warranty?
2.
|
- 5). 5 Tips About Bed Caps And Bed Rails For Your Truck By : Chris Andretti
Let something besides your paint bear the brunt instead, and dress up your vehicle while you're at it! Top your truck bed (and tailgate, too) with a sturdy set of bed caps, bed rails or both, and you'll discover the following 5 tips:
Sweet looks that range from burly to smooth and stylin'
Premium protection for your sensitive truck bed paint
Simple.
|
|
|
- 7). Bushings Buying Tips By : John Morris
Bushings are either permanent or detachable metal sleeves that are used primarily to reduce friction. Since the early 90s, different chemistries of the dry bulb bushings with bronze layers have been commonly used...
|
|
|
- 9). Rental Trucks - Help You Move! By : Stefan Rockhaus
If you are planning to shift to a new place, be it across the state or to a new country, you obviously would want to take all the pieces of furniture and stuff you had collected, which you hold special to you, instead of selling them off and buying new ones. Well then what better way to do that than to rent a truck! You can decide on the size of the truck depending on how much stuff you have.
|
- 10). The Toyota FJ Cruiser: Breaking the Styling Mold By : Matthew C. Keegan
Toyota’s growing popularity hasn’t been without controversy. No, the automaker doesn’t have much of a quality issue to contend with and, no Toyota isn’t likely to begin losing market share anytime soon. Yet, there is one area where the Japanese automaker has a bit of a perception problem and that has to do with styling. Of course Toyota vehicles aren’t ugly but there are few models being built today that are truly exciting.
|
| New Trucks Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 5). Protecting Your Chevy Truck Seats By : Scott Carmichael
One of the great on-the-road ironies is that while you're sitting comfortably in your seat driving along, the seat itself is going through a huge amount of abuse. From dirty clothes to wet swimsuits, slobbering pets, kids eating in the backseat and the harsh sunlight shining in, there are a lot of potential options out there to ruin or wear out your great looking seats.
|
- 6). Truck and SUV Exhaust Systems By : Will Mahoney
Let’s assume that you have decided to purchase a performance exhaust system. Let’s also assume that you already know the benefits of putting a high-performance exhaust system on your truck or SUV: better gas mileage, more horsepower and torque, and a louder, high-performance sound. These high-performance exhaust systems give you all of those benefits by providing less restriction and making it easier for your motor to send it’s exhaust gases through the exhaust system.
|
|
|
- 8). Grille Guards And Bull Bars Are Ready For Battle Or The Burbs By : Andrew Bernhardt
A good grille guard can be quite the versatile tool for your truck or SUV. In fact, grille guards better your driving experience with the following features:
- Tough looks that add a serious dose of attitude or style to your front end
- Protection of delicate, expensive parts with rugged steel bars that deflect potential hazards
- A number of shapes.
|
- 9). Mud Flaps and Mud Guards Prevent A Potential Accident By : Andrew Bernhardt
Rocks, sticks and debris meet their doom when they hit a mud guard. There's plenty of other benefits to slapping-on a set of mud guards, including:
- Cleaner fenders that'll save you a car wash or two
- Dent and ding protection that preserves your paint
- Sweet looks that go from mud-running master to smooth-style cruising
- Durable, long-lasting.
|
- 10). Truck Driver Safety - Behavior Plays a Vital Role By : Annette Estes
Hiring the wrong truck drivers can be disastrous. Hiring the right ones can save lives.
Naturally, safety training plays an important role in driver safety. Other factors may be even more significant according to a 1993 study conducted by Behavioral-Values Research Associates.
The research was conducted on maintenance workers between the ages of 22 and 64, who had been with (XYZ) Company for an average of 17.
|
|
|
