New GM Tech Center

SyTyRegistry — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 18:23:26 +0000

The GM Technical Center was inaugurated in 1956 as General Motors’s primary design and engineering center, located in Warren, Michigan. In 2000, the center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and fourteen years later, it was designated a National Historic Landmark primarily for its architecture. Recently, GM has invested nearly $2 billion into its historic center, originally built by modernist architect Eero Saarinen. The new GM Tech Center is the latest addition to its design headquarters, over 1,000 workers sculpt clay models and and use VR to imagine car interiors.

The Wall Street Journal covered the story, and behold, 29 seconds into the video story, we see the Syclone Challenge truck parked on display in the lobby area of the center! In 1991, Vista Group, in coordination with GMC Truck Division, organized a promotional event called the “Syclone Challenge” to coincide with the launch of the GMC Syclone. The trucks used in the event were referred to as the “Syclone Challenge Trucks.”

The Syclone Challenge was part of a traveling roadshow, which was a marketing strategy for GMC dealers to showcase new truck models. This included a selection of show trucks, one of which was the famous 1989/90 Syclone LSR (Land Speed Record) truck. Attendees to the show could see up close the latest in GMC Trucks and take home various GMC Truck Motorsports literature, posters, and apparel. The display traveled the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) tour and allowed local GMC Truck dealer groups to showcase the new GMC Syclone pickup truck in an optimal high-performance setting – the quarter-mile track.

In 2009, GM declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and in doing so, they liquidated some of their collection of vehicles through auction. This included the PPG Syclone and one of the Syclone Challenge trucks. Today, GM still retains ownership of one of the trucks, which is seen here in the WSJ video. The other truck is privately owned (purchased through auction) and located in AZ.

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New GM Tech Center