Big Dent Tuesday for GM's pride (UPDATE: not All of the collection)

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A 90 year old production facility of General Motors which was planned to close in 2010 will close its doors today, Tuesday December 23. It's not a cheerful message, but not all in history is about shiny showrooms & waving cornfields. So let's face reality and take things from there. GM would not be the first automaker to vanish and for sure not the last either. Janesville was an iconic plant for GM employees as it started way back in 1908. So it's rather like closing a book than the end of a chapter. Even more now the news is out that GM will sell its full Heritage Collection: check Steve Parker's page website. That may be great news for collectors with a big appetite, but it is sad that an automotive giant like GM has to strip right down to their underwear in an attempt to survive. A short history of 'Janesville' at Gazettextra.com. We wish the workforce lots of luck in finding new jobs. (advert showing GM Building; 1923 from Horwitz collection)
UPDATE by David Coco: "It is a shame that GM is selling SOME of its collection, but it is not selling ALL. Most of the cars are from the 1990's or 2000's and only marginally significant. There is still an important core collection of cars being kept. The more interesting story is why make a deal with Barrett Jackson to sell them. There are a few interesting cars, love the early French front Oldsmobile. If a company is having financial trouble, then maintaining a car collection has to become a very low priority. We can only hope GM survives, as the influence on US and World economy would be significant. That said, some of the business decisions internal to that company have been inadequate to meet the needs of the marketplace. Two books that are must reads to understand the past and current sad state of the American automobile industry: Rivethead by Ben Hamper; and Car by Mary Walton."

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