First things first: There really is a museum of the first, best examples of what General Motors calls its most important vehicles produced since inception of the company. Saline Journal can confirm that. We were there earlier today — inside, shooting photographs for more than two hours. [1]
By the numbers, GM Heritage Center is an 81,000 square foot facility where an average of 165 vehicles are displayed in a single indoor space. Structural pillars from floor to ceiling are the only interruptions to this expanse. Cars and trucks were mostly parked closely together in groupings, with barely room for opening drivers doors for access. But nicely sized aisleways on at least one side provide ample vantage for viewing.
Billed as a “corporate conferencing and special events venue,” organization is made about a central area where podium, seating for four hundred, and dropdown screen could certainly serve any of the aforesaid functions well.
According to staff, 85% of the vehicles here are in “road-running” condition according to the standards in place at time of manufacture. This means that when examples are changed out from among the total of seven hundred, all but “the Chitty-Chitty, Bang Bang cars” are driven in and out under their own power. Any that have trouble are immediately addressed at a specialized shop next door. [2]
Access is available by booked tour only, for groups of with a minimum of thirty persons. And, although touching, entering, or access to hood, passenger compartment, and trunk areas is strictly prohibited, nothing is roped-off or displayed in cases. This makes it a wonderful opportunity for photographers and researchers. But it’s also rather a spartan environment: Minimal information is provided for each vehicle, with none of the surrounding frills along the lines of what’s experienced at The Henry Ford. [3]
The GM Heritage was first opened about fifteen years ago as a new initiative. During pre-access orientations, staff notes that “GM didn’t keep one example of every car it made,” and that most of what is seen here has actually been acquired from outside sources. Then in 2009, about two hundred were sold due to corporate bankruptcy. [4,5,6]
It’s hard to read a story about this place without feeling like the writer is twelve-years-old, filing a report on his first trip to Disney World. In terms of scope and care, the GM Heritage Center stands unrivaled among the likes of its more visible brother in Dearborn or the absolutely must-see Gilmore Car Museum. At the same time, be prepared for a feel more akin to corporate archives than impassioned collector. [7,8]
Surely nothing that a seasoned heritage interpreter couldn’t fix. Be patient. After all, most readers didn’t even know this treasure existed before now. [9]
Special thanks to the Allanté-XLR Chapter of the Cadillac & LaSalle Club for arranging this tour in conjunction with its Third Annual Allanté Invitational car show going on this weekend. Organizers of Camaro Superfest 2018 put together a similar excursion this past June. [10,11,12,13]
The GM Heritage Center is located 62 miles east-northeast of Saline.
References
- GM Heritage Center (home page).
- “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)” IMDb.
- The Henry Ford (home page).
- “GM auctions off historic cars” (January 18, 2009) History.
- “A slice of GM’s past hits the auction block” Jack Walsworth (January 19, 2016) Automotive News.
- “Text: Obama’s Remarks on the GM Bankruptcy” President Barack Obama (June 1, 2009) The New York Times.
- “General Motors’ private car museum has been a secret for years” Phoebe Wall Howard (March 24, 2018) Detroit Free Press.
- “Stop Whatever You’re Doing and Make Plans to See the GM Heritage Center’s Dazzling Collection of Classic Cars” Tino Rossini (March 27, 2018) The News Wheel.
- “You’re a what? Interpreting Interpretation to Non-interpreters” Mark Woolmer, Museums + Heritage.
- Allanté-XLR Chapter of the Cadillac & LaSalle Club (home page).
- “Third Annual Allanté Invitational Returns This Weekend During 28th Street Metro Cruise In Grand Rapids” Dell Deaton (August 20, 2018) Saline Journal.
- Camaro Superfest (home page).
- “‘Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary’ Limited Edition Featured as Special Theme of Camaro Superfest 2018” Dell Deaton (June 28, 2018) Saline Journal.
