Pontiac West Assembly (also known as GMC Truck & Coach, GM Truck Validation Center and Pontiac Centerpoint Campus Validation Center) was a

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

manufacturing facility located in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Found ...

. The manufacturing complex occupied an irregular 82-acre site bounded on the North side by Rapid Street, on the South side by South Boulevard W, on the East side by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad/Woodward Avenue ( U.S. Route 24), and on the West side by Franklin Road. The complex included GMC Truck & Coach Plant 1, 3, 4 and 5, as well as numerous administrative and support buildings. The last GM operations at the facility were closed, and the site completely demolished, in 2008.

History

The complex was originally many separate privately owned parcels belonging to various manufacturing companies as well as private homes. By 1909

Rapid Motor Vehicle Company The Rapid Motor Vehicle Company was founded in 1902 in Pontiac, Michigan, by brothers Max (1874-1946) and Morris Grabowsky, whose earlier venture, Grabowsky Motor Company, had been founded in Detroit in 1900. They went on to build one-ton trucks ...

occupied a plant at 25 Rapid Street abutting the

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding ...

tracks. By 1919, Wilson Foundry & Machine Company, Detroit Weather Proof Body Company and Pontiac Drop Forge Company were some of the diverse property owners.

ownership of the site began with its acquisition of Rapid Motor Vehicle Company and its plant at 25 Rapid Street in 1909. The Rapid Motor Vehicle facility became Plant 1. In 1913, the manufacturing of all GMC trucks was consolidated at the Rapid Street plant. GM acquired a controlling interest in Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company in 1925 and began moving its engineering operations to the Rapid Street plant. In 1937, Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company began purchasing the plants owned by Wilson Foundry & Machine Company. Plant 4 fronted S Saginaw Street (now Woodward Avenue). Plant 3 on the corner of South Boulevard W and Franklin Road was acquired in 1940. Plant 5 fronted Franklin Road north of Plant 3. In 1943, GM acquired the remaining interest in Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company and renamed it GMC Truck & Coach Division. Around 1981, Plant 1 was demolished. Plants 3 and 5 were demolished around 2005, and Plant 4 in 2008. In 2011 the vacant property was transferred to

RACER Trust Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust ("RACER") Trust was created in March 2011 by a consent decree in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. RACER's mission is to clean up and position for ...

as part of the GM bankruptcy settlement, and sold to M1 Concourse in 2014 and developed into a playground for auto enthusiasts.Property History
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Other associated GMC facilities

* Plant 2 opened in 1928 at 660 South Boulevard E; this larger facility became known as Pontiac Central Assembly * Plant 6 opened in 1972 at 2100 South Opdyke Road; this modern facility became known as Pontiac East Assembly

Vehicles built

Chevrolet AK Series The Chevrolet AK Series truck was a light duty truck sold under the Chevrolet brand, with production beginning in 1941 until 1947. It used the GM A platform, shared with the Chevrolet Deluxe. The AK series was also branded and sold at GMC locati ...

/GMC C and E series *

Chevrolet Advance Design The Advance-Design is a light and medium duty truck series by Chevrolet, their first major redesign after WWII. Its GMC counterpart was the GMC New Design. It was billed as a larger, stronger, and sleeker design in comparison to the earlier A ...

/GMC New Design *

Chevrolet Task Force The Task Force is a light and medium duty truck series by Chevrolet, their first major redesign since 1947. Its GMC counterpart was the GMC Blue Chip series. It was billed as being more stylish compared to the earlier Chevrolet Advance Design, Adv ...

/GMC Blue Chip *

Chevrolet C/K C/K is a series of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1960 to 2002 model years. Marketed by both the Chevrolet and GMC divisions, the C/K series encompassed a wide range of vehicles. While most commonly associated with pickup ...

/GMC C/K/GMC Sierra *

GMC Motorhome The GMC Motorhome is a recreational vehicle that was manufactured by the GMC Truck & Coach Division of General Motors for model years 1973–1978 in Pontiac, Michigan, USA — as the only complete motorhome built by a major auto/truck manufac ...

* GM Scenicruiser Bus *

GM Buffalo bus GM Buffalo bus was the slang term for several models of intercity motorcoaches built by the GM Truck and Coach Division at Pontiac, Michigan, between 1966 and 1980. "Buffalo" coaches have a stepped roof in front, and the first three rows of se ...

GM "old-look" transit bus The GM "old-look" transit bus was a transit bus that was introduced in 1940 by Yellow Coach beginning with the production of the model TG-3201 bus. Yellow Coach was an early bus builder that was partially owned by General Motors (GM) before bei ...

* GM New Look bus

References

{{coord, 42.621994, N, 83.285032, W, type:landmark_region:US-MI, display=title General Motors factories Motor vehicle assembly plants in Michigan 1909 establishments in Michigan 2008 disestablishments in Michigan Buildings and structures demolished in 2008