Classic GMC September 30, 2019, 06:01:29 pm I’ve always admired the rare GMC motorhomes and was surprised when I saw this one for sale in my local area. If I were younger, dumber, and had a lot more money, I would consider buying it and fixing it up!
Re: Classic GMC Reply #1 – September 30, 2019, 08:10:18 pm Yes, I always appreciated the looks and concept!
Re: Classic GMC Reply #2 – September 30, 2019, 09:17:09 pm They used nice big windows in those. 1 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #3 – September 30, 2019, 10:30:56 pm Quote from: Jota - September 30, 2019, 09:17:09 pmThey used nice big windows in those. Reminds me of another motorhome. 😉
Re: Classic GMC Reply #4 – October 01, 2019, 12:35:09 pm Thanks for sharing the pics, Greg. There's one of these I see on my way to work parked in a driveway. It looks to be in nice original shape and it's sometimes gone for weeks. So the owner seems to be still enjoying it. Nice to see your photos to learn more about it. It will definitely be an awesome project for someone. I would think at only $5,000, they won't have any trouble selling it.Thanks,Jim & DebSanta Cruz, California 1 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #5 – October 01, 2019, 01:16:54 pm As a young person, two motorhomes caught my attention, the Cortes and the GMC.The Cortes were the first on the scene, I remember seeing them while in high school and thinking what an efficient little camper. My father had pickups with shell campers, so I was already being indoctrinated into the RV lifestyle at a young age.Cortez Motor Home - WikipediaCurbside Classic: 1963 Clark Cortez Motorhome – The Revolutionary Compact...A few years later, the GMC motorhome came out and what a sight, low profile with huge windows. It looked so modern.It's the only commercially available motorhome that was completely designed and built in house by a major American auto manufacturer. Equipped with an Oldsmobile Toronado front wheel drive transmission, there was no driveshaft or rear axle, so the floor, center of gravity and overall height were very low.The one opportunity I had to ride in a GMC, the drive was surprising, almost car like, the four rear wheels rolled though potholes instead of slamming into them as our LDs do. It had decent acceleration with big-block, V-8 power.Te GMC had a lot going for it but the lack of heavier front wheel drive transmissions prevented upsizing, A car transmission can handle only so much weight. It remains, for me, one of the most beautiful RVs ever built. If I was 30 years younger, and had an extra 100K to play with, restoring one would be a great project.Owners of GMC are as cultish as any LD group.Larry 2 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #6 – October 01, 2019, 05:44:38 pm Thanks, Larry, great stuff! Maybe someday one of the car TV shows will restore one and we will be able to enjoy it without the expense - would love to see that.Jim & DebSanta Cruz, California
Re: Classic GMC Reply #7 – October 01, 2019, 06:15:28 pm Quote from: Jim Langley - October 01, 2019, 05:44:38 pmThanks, Larry, great stuff! Maybe someday one of the car TV shows will restore one and we will be able to enjoy it without the expense - would love to see that.There are several active GMC websites and some parts are still available.I have lost a few hours getting stuck in the GMC rabbit hole. They are very interesting RVs that had a lot of nice features.In the late 1990's, at LAX, we built a mobile commando post RV on one-off chassis was similar to the GMC, with front-wheel-drive and four wheels in the rear with bogie suspension. It wasn't a GMC, it used a truck 4X4 front axle and a 4X4 transfer-case with only a front driveshaft used. It wasn't a pleasant vehicle to drive, which was OK since it never moved more than a few miles at a time. Its major advantage was that it lacked a driveshaft and rear axle, which allowed for spacious interior with a low interior floor, making it easy to enter and exit. This is the same feature I liked so much about the GMC. In the future, when electric RVs arrive, once again low, flat floors will be possible, with each wheel have its own electric motor, with no axles needed.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #8 – October 01, 2019, 06:25:51 pm " I've always admired the rare GMC motorhomes"Me, too! They were all the rage when I first got heavily interested in RV'ing in the 80's. They have great appeal. i had a 1977 GMC Jimmy for which there was a slide-in "topper" called a Chalet/Casa Grande, but I was in Florida and these attractive slide-in's were made in Broomfield, Colorado. I had my Jimmy until it was stolen in 1997; it was a grand machine.I guess it is the season for the GMC's now, as we saw one on a flatbed trailer a couple of days ago, but it was of the yellow-ish persuasion - my favorite of their schemes. These were the epitome of class, as far as I was concerned.Twenty something years ago, the local (Sierra Vista) RV repair shop had a Cortez on their site like Lazy Daze has their old 17 footer. The shop changed hands about 12 years ago, and the Cortez went to live in the mountains with the retiring owner of the shop.There was also one in a back yard that faced a main street on our path to town. It has been gone for years.Virtual hugs,Judie 2 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #9 – October 01, 2019, 06:33:32 pm Quote from: Judie Ashford - October 01, 2019, 06:25:51 pmTwenty something years ago, the local (Sierra Vista) RV repair shop had a Cortez on their site like Lazy Daze has their old 17 footer. The shop changed hands about 12 years ago, and the Cortez went to live in the mountains with the retiring owner of the shop.There was also one in a back yard that faced a main street on our path to town. It has been gone for years.Cortez RV had steel bodies and most have rusted away. GMC had aluminum and fiberglass bodies that have resisted decay better plus there has alway been more interest in owning and preserving them. The Cortez RVs were primitive in comparison, still, they were part of the RV evolution. .Larry 1 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #10 – October 01, 2019, 06:39:31 pm Then there is this about the GMC Motoring homes...Front-drive GMC motorhome goes 120.8 mph at Bonneville, going for 130 next... 1 Likes
Re: Classic GMC Reply #11 – October 01, 2019, 06:40:11 pm This one is in a little better shape with a resultant increase in selling price:1978 GMC royale - rvs - by owner - vehicle automotive sale 3 Likes
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