Brian Kevin—THE YEAR WAS 1972. Don McLean’s “American Pie” was big. Watergate hadn’t yet broke. And the gas crisis—what’s a gas crisis? Cars were boats and motorhomes were spaceships and sales were booming. General Motors wanted in—which was unusual.
IN THE ‘70S, THIS GROOVY LAND YACHT BECAME AN INSTANT SCI-FI-MEETS-GRANOLA CLASSIC.
Then as now, car companies didn’t much dabble in RVs. Automakers sold truck chassis to coach builders. Coach builders bolted on stick-and-siding rectangles, filled them with shag carpeting and wood paneling, then shipped them off to the lot. America’s motorhome pilgrims jostled down the highways with all the style and comfort of semi-truck drivers.
GMC designers thought, let’s start from scratch. They built a whole new platform, powered by the same engine and drivetrain in a front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Toronado, a sports coupe. Without a long driveshaft for the cabin to sit above, the new motorhome rode close to the ground. For the body, GM went space age—aerodynamic, sure, but also just eye candy: A curved coach body. Bold accent striping. Big, flush-mounted, rounded-corner windows. House & Garden magazine consulted on the over-the-top interiors (hello avocado and harvest gold!).
When the first GMC Motorhome models dropped in ’73, the ads declared, “It doesn’t ride like a truck. It doesn’t look like a box.”
“You couldn’t stop at a gas station without somebody coming by and admiring it,” says Bill Bryant, a GMC Motorhome historian who, over the course of 34 years, put some 200,000 miles on his. “It just had this cachet, this real desirability.”
“They designed these knowing they had to live a little longer than a car, but I’m sure nobody was thinking 50 years. Outrageous, isn’t it?”
Bill Bryant
And, alas, it had a short lifespan. Oil shocks crippled RV sales, and by ’78, Americans were flirting with a new vehicular fancy: pickup trucks. GMC wanted more plants making pickups and nixed its weird, wonderful motorhome. Just shy of 13,000 were built, Bryant says, but a surprising number are still on the road, darlings of a cult fan base. His was still going strong when he sold it a decade back.
Sources: Wildsam.com and the MyMotorhomeLife Archives. No copyright infringement intended.
About GMC Motorhomes International
GMC Motorhome International was formed on July 21, 1982 and is made up of around 1,000 owners and enthusiasts of the classic GMC Motorhomes that were produced from 1973 to 1978.
We invite you to explore their website (gmcmi.com) and consider becoming a GMCMI member.
Mission
GMCMI is a social organization dedicated to fun, friendship and the active preservation of the GMC Motorhome, the sharing of technical information and the promotion of the vintage motorhome lifestyle.
Membership Requirements:
- Have an interest in the Classic GMC Motorhome
- GMC Motorhome ownership is not required
Benefits:
- GMC Vintage Rving Award-Winning Digital Magazine
- GMCMI Publication Article Index
- GMCMI Membership Roster
- GMC Motorhome Parts Interchange Index
- GMCMI.com Website – the GMC Motorhome Community Connection of Information
- The Vintage GMC Motorhomes Facebook group and the GMCMI Facebook page
- eNewsletter
- Free classified advertising in the magazine
- Attend GMCMI Conventions and Events
Follow GMCMI on Social Media:
Website: GMCMI.com
Facebook: GMCMI
Instagram: @vintageGMCmotorhomes
YouTube: @vintageGMCmotorhomes
Threads: @vintageGMCmotorhomes
Local GMC Motorhome Owner Chapters
GMC Cascaders
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia & Alberta (Canada)
Website: GMC Cascaders
Facebook: GMC Cascaders
GMC Classics
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Website: GMC Classics
Facebook: GMC Classics
GMC Colonial Travelers
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland & SE New York
Website: GMC Colonials
GMC Dixielanders
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Western Carolinas
Website: GMC Dixielanders
Facebook: GMC Dixielanders
GMC Eastern States
The Mississippi River and east in the United States and Canada
Website: GMC East
GMC Flatlanders
Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Colorado
Randy Van Winkle | 417-429-5925
Facebook: GMC Flatlanders
GMC Forty-Niners
Northern California & Northwest Nevada
Club Email: [email protected]
GMC Great Lakers
All States & Canada Provinces touching the Great Lakes
Website: GMC Great Lakers
Facebook: GMC Great Lakers
GMC Greater Midwest Classics
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Manitoba and Ontario
Website: GMC Greater Midwest Classics
GMC Heritage Cruisers
Covering Parts of Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, & West Virginia
Website: GMC Heritage Cruisers
GMC Mountainaires
500 mile radius of Denver, CO
Website: GMC Mountainaires
Facebook: GMC Mountainaires
GMC Nor’easters
Northeastern portion of the United States and neighboring Canadian provinces
Website: GMC Nor’Easters
GMC Pacific Cruisers
Southern California (Los Angeles to San Ysidro)
Website: GMC Pacific Cruisers
Facebook: GMC Pacific Cruisers
GMC Saguaro Jetset
Arizona
Website: GMC Saguaro Jetset
Facebook: GMC Saguaro Jetset
GMC 6 Wheelers
Illinois and surrounding states
Affiliations required for membership: none
Email: [email protected]
Website: GMC 6 Wheelers
Facebook: GMC 6 Wheelers
GMC Sunshine Statesmen
Florida
Website: GMC Sunshine Statesmen
Facebook: GMC Sunshine Statesmen
GMC Tidewater Crabs
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia & District of Columbia
Club Email: [email protected]
Website: GMC Tidewater Crabs
Facebook: GMC Tidewater Crabs
GMC Western States
Mainly drawn from the 11 western states and 3 western provinces of Canada.
Website: GMC Western States
Facebook: GMC Western States
Other GMC Groups
Aussie Classic GMC Motorhomes
Australia
Gail Bennett | Coordinator |
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Aussie Classic GMC Motorhomes
GMC Motorhome Tulsa Lunch Bunch
Join us for lunch and friendship. Every first Friday of the month. Golden Corral 71st and Mingo, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Newcomers welcome!
Facebook: GMC Motorhome Tulsa
