Would Love to have one And the Money to Make it My way! IF Gm would remake this??? It Would be about 30, 000 pounds running on electric and get to 120 miles! I Agree this us Still the Best Looking of All RVs! LOOK at the so called New VW Bus for the US! Electric and Way Passed a Reasonable Price Point!
This was used in the movie "Stripes" and was known as the Urban Assault vehicle. There's a guy in FL who refurbishes these gems and resells them with upgraded equipment. Quite a few people live in these full time.
My uncle had an orange one and IT WAS ORANGE. Inside and out. Reminded me of an Orange Julius. Showing my age there. He had it for most of my childhood and I think he only had 25,000 miles in 15 years. It was nice to ride in from the mountains to the beach in Virginia. He traded in the 80’s for an Itasca but we all missed the ride and feel of that Orange GMC.
"what we have here is one heavily armed recreational vehicle". Bill Murray 'Stripes'...Its the most beautiful RV ever made.! I even have the Hess Training Vehicle model.
I have a very similar experience with my family in our 1977 Palm Beach - we spent an entire summer on the road going from Illinois to Southern California along the PCH through to Vancouver, and then back home across the Canadian Rockies. These were the best memories of my life at time when America was simple, proud, and had hope in a bright future.
It was essentially a parts-bin special, but I agree that it was one of the coolest vehicles GM ever produced. I camped beside one in Pacific Rim National Park (British Columbia) a few years ago. It had been updated, and looked absolutely contemporary with the other RVs there…until the owner fired up the engine. When that 455 rumbled to life it was suddenly 1975…
“It was suddenly 1975” 😂🤝. I can smell the oil burning and hear an engine ticking from across the bayou. Imagine having an exhaust leak in one But seriously, I just saw one for sale with 66k miles. Gonna go look at it.
I used to think the 1970s were the most aesthetically hideous era until I lived to the 21st century. Even Pacers look decent compared to modern "design"...
I hate that one of the reactions to 70's aesthetics was the near-complete removal of brown, tan, and green paint options on vehicles in the decades that followed.
Actually, the 455 continued into 77 as a rolling change to 403 in Jan 77. I have a 77 Eleganza II with a 9/76 build date and 455. Only the 73/74 were farmed out to Gemini for interiors. then GM took interior design and upfitting in house to Pontiac and used premium Flexsteel furnishings. There was also the Transmode, much like an empty shell G van it was sold to upfitters like Coachmen to become the Royalle 26 and Birchaven 23 and to be made into ambulances, bloodmobiles, airport shuttles etc. The rear suspension went through 3 variants on the control system, Powerlevel, Electrolevel 1 (76 dash switches and 77 driver left side switches) and Electrolevel II. On Auto it would auto level much like the E cars, but you could manually raise and lower the rear in total or side to side to make it flat at the campgrounds. The rear air springs were by Firestone and were actually heavy machinery cushions to support and isolate equipment on the plant floor. The key is that the spring bellows are between the 2 control arms, not between control arm and frame, so much road shock is transmitted back to the opposing wheel not up to the occupants.
I have a friend that was a supervisor on the build of these GMC motorhomes. He was in charge of inspecting everything from front to back, left to right, and top to bottom, including even touching up the paint and all interior trim even. He lives in Southwestern Wisconsin in a little town named Potosi, Wisconsin. His name is John Metts and he owned one the last time that I talked to him/worked with him at a different job back in early 2020, almost 4 years ago. He also said that there was an annual get together for the owners of these and a parts swap meet!
The front wheel drive power package did allow a much lower floor height than any of the RV's built on a truck chassis. The steps up to the driver's position show you where the floor would be with a normal truck chassis. It also saves you at least one step up every time you enter the motor home. It down side is that many of the accessories and storage compartments that normally go beneath the floor end up taking some of the living space from the interior.
Perfect for the elderly. In the GDR, there were little trailers with an adjustable floor section. You'd put it to the low position on the spot for standing height inside.
Those GM motorhomes were pretty stylish in their day. If you were to look up what an "Ultravan" was, you would see that there are a number of similarities between them. Ultravans were Corvair powered, built like an aircraft, light as a feather (3500#), and were very expensive for their time. The GMC looks like what an updated Ultravan might look like.
I dig those 70s colors! 😊 These motorhomes were the coolest of the day. Now all we need is an 8 track tape of the Eagles' "Hotel California", and we're good to go.
The one pictured had a bunk bed. The back of that couch would swing up and buckle attach to the ceiling making an upper bunk. That’s where I slept! We had one. I remember waking up in the morning and looking at my dad driving across Canada. He would wake up super early and hit the road before we woke up. We drove from Toronto to Victoria BC. AMAZING TRIP!
I know this is a car channel, but it would be pretty cool to do an overview of GMs ElectroMotive Division. They pretty much single-handedly made steam engines obsolete. One of GM most interesting defunct divisions. Some of their early locomotives shared parts with the cars.
It’s quite interesting how many of these still survive today. I remember being on a camping trip once in the 80s and we saw one at a camping spot. Dad mentioned to me that the engine came out of an Oldsmobile. That fascinated me.
Adam thank you soooooo much for posting this. As a teen in the 70's, I absolutely loved these. It's always enjoyable to get the interesting details you consistently offer. You're the best!
Great machine! The by far best looking RV ever. With its curved side panels, low beltline, huge also curved windows, extended bumpers and tunneled headlamps it always reminds me of the also gorgeously designed AMC Pacer. America was the absolue leader in car design back then.
The colors and patterns back then were very warm and nature inspired. Having grown up in that setting I am nostalgic for it, especially when compared with the rather bleak shades of gray/black we see today.
@@WinterInTheForest I’m not nostalgic, I want to crawl under something and hide when I see reminders of the things we used to like (or somebody told us to like them, so we did).
@@garysarratt1 Somebody is telling you to like current things. Modern design trends lack personality, diverse styling and colors other than various shades of gray.
@@WinterInTheForest The older I get, the more suggestions I ignore. I’m becoming the Old Guy who does “weird” things because that’s what I like and most marketing is passing me by.
My dad worked for GMC when these babies were on the road, I was a teenager. The leveling system was a little flaky and I do remember one rainy night out there trying to get it to level so the refrigerator would run. Thanks for sharing this.
Everytime I see a motorhome, I hear Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" saying, "Clark, that's what ya call a 'R..V' it's a good-looking vehicle, ain't it?"
When I was a teenager in the '70's, our neighbor bought one of these GMC motor homes brand new, but I can't remember if it was the Palm Beach edition.) His example was a bright orange, and I can attest to it being very striking and futuristic looking in the eyes of most people back then (most mh's were the boxy looking Winnebagos.) I remember my Dad telling me it was the most advanced motor home you could buy, and I don't doubt it. That being said, I haven't seen one in decades. Our neighbor bought it at retirement age with the intent of traveling a lot, but his wife passed away not long after that, so it wasn't used much, if any. It sat in his driveway for years. Because of that, seeing one of these nowadays kind of makes me sad.
I’d love to see one of these offered with a modern Powertrain. Great looks and styling along with more power and decent economy. Perhaps adding a mild hybrid with the electric motor driving the rear wheels to add traction in slippery conditions.
IF Gm did this again ? It would be Over 25,000 pounds and Be All Electric Getting the Owner to 125 Miles of Range! Sweet Looking Vehicle! I've been Arguing with my wife about getting one And doing a Modern Retro Rod
I worked for a Fire Department and we converted two Transmode’s to ambulances. The ride was second to none. They were relatively high maintenance because the suspension was designed for highway use ,not city use. We got 11 and 13 years of pretty severe service from them. Both were sold to individuals one in Texas and the other went to Canada, both were driven there.
Love that you did this video, Adam. I love these GMC motor homes and even subscribe to an association that advertises when these come up for sale. There are owners’ clubs. There’s also a few shops that completely restore these or with modernize them. A bit of trivia… a GMC motor home can be seen in the movie “Twister” as one of the tornado chase vehicles. 👍👍👍
Amazing vehicle and design, way ahead of its time. Here in Europe, FIAT more or less continued this concept from the early 80s onwards, by making special camper chassis based on the front wheel drive Ducato van (Ram Promaster in US). They are still the most successful camper chassis.
Awesome! I can imagine driving one of these from Buffalo, south to Disney World during March break in 1973.....when the park was brand new. After a few days at Disney, a drive east to Daytona or St. Augustine........parking on the beach and enjoying the salt air and sunshine. Wow!
In the later 90s, there was a magazine called Turbo Power.. on the cover, it showed one of these with a Cadillac 500 with a Turbo making about 650Hp doing a front drive burnout.
I worked at an Oldsmobile/GMC dealer in Woodlawn, Ohio (north of Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1976 when these were sold new. Fantastic and way ahead of there time. Super smooth, sleek, drove well and handled pretty good for a big box. I know of at least 2 that had the original engines removed and Oldsmobile 455's from 1969/1970 wrecked Toronado's installed in them. Bunch more horsepower from the older 455's Rocket V8's. Made a huge difference when driving.
I still want to travel around the U.S. in one of these. At that time GM was building everything from compact cars to semi trucks. I can also see the design passing down to the RTS buses of the '80s which NYC kept running up the end of the 2010s. Even though those buses were made by third party companies the design lasted that long which is very impressive.
I remember seeing those advertised in magazines in the late 70s. But I had no idea they were front wheel drive. That's so cool. That funky green interior was so cool. Those ads make me want to buy one.
Someone made a ridiculous long wheelbase wagon out of the Toronado platform as well. There are a couple of them left intact and one dude on CZcams right now trying to figure out how to restore one he just acquired. I wanna say it was called a "Jetway" or something to that effect and were coachbuilt for a couple different purposes. I wish I had the channel on hand, because it's a really neat project.
@timblaes7028 Well, I know there's at least one out there, and another CZcamsr has it right now. I just watched him get it running a couple weeks ago. If I find it, I'll post a link here.
The GMC motorhome holds the fastest class A motorhome title, 122 mph at Bonneville! Modified of course! I had a 1978 Eleganza II with the 403, one of the last made.
@@jbrou123I helped a friend through a 6.5 diesel swap in his. We got it road-worthy, but the R&P was too short for the diesel engine. He moved away and then passed away. Wonder what ever became of it?
That is so cool. I lived in this time. It was so different, so much better, like a different world. These were great.well made ,durable and fixable. Funny thing, you get the same mileage full or empty.
There are an estimated 9,100 remaining of over 12,000 built over the six model years. I bought my 1976 in 2010 and had the seller drive it to the GMC COOP in Orlando, Florida for a safety refurbishing before driving it to California in June of 2012. In 2020 my GMC was vandalized and then illegally sold by Regency Realty in Orange, California for $200 cash without a lien sale. They had evicted the mechanic shop owner and essentially "got rid of" ten or twelve GMCs without attempting to contact the owners. I have recovered my GMC and am in the process of repairing $19,000 in damage and theft. The three-year statute of limitations for theft has expired and, as you can imagine, no attorney wanted the case as the expected "recovery" was not high enough.
I absolutely love these GMC motorhomes. They were way ahead of their times for the times plus they were a factory built versus a conversion. They still look great after all these years. Reminds me of the early NASA.
Our family rented these as well as more conventional motorhomes in the Seventies, providing a great comparison. The GMC highway ride and stability were superb. When parked, the air suspension allowed manual control for easy leveling at campsites. As perfectly stated in the video, the front drive (and low ground clearance) did sometimes prove a challenge on uneven low traction surfaces, particularly on an uphill grade. I remember my dad having to get a rather hair-raising run at it to drive the unit up to the road from a particularly wet and rough campsite after a couple slower attempts, something a conventional truck-chassis motorhome would have had no trouble with. On the highway, only the driver and front passenger could see down the road, as the main cabin sat too low for seated passengers (children, at least) to have an unobstructed view forward. As a kid, that was really my only objection to it, more than made up for by the refined ride, exquisite styling inside and out, and oohs and ahs of fellow campers.
There's a rendezvous in Osoyoos every year, near end of June. About 20 show up. Some have ASTRO name plates. A country are the orange trim. Otherwise, quite cool.😊
You finally did the MoHo! I have a 78 Royale, I spent a boatload restomodding it. It is painted black and sliver with red pinstripes ala 78 Indy Pace Car. Has a FI 455 and upgraded TH425. We kept the real black walnut cabinets including a built in liquor dispenser and blender (gotta love the 70s😂)
I have a '73 GMC Sequoia motorhome with that same chartreuse green interior as the palm beach, even the clock by the stove is chartreuse green! It was my grandparents for years and my grandfather has recently gave it to me to bring back to life, it hasn't seen the road in about 20 years but everything still seems to be in working order. I've got a lot of good memories camping in it as a kid and I hope there will be more to come.
One sat for years across the street from my favorite Saturday lunch cafe. With a few flat tires and no tags, it got a tow sticker slapped on the windshield last year. It finally disappeared last Saturday. I told my wife we missed our chance. She didn’t say anything.😅
Love the green and yellow combo. My mother had our house professionally decorated in 1977 and it was all green and yellow like this. Fun times! Those were popular colors then.
Spotted that Caddy steering wheel straight away! They were on 'em from '74-'76. Turned 16 in Feb. '75 and my parents had bought a new Sedan de Ville in '74 so become very well acquainted with it. Cool! Always loved these!
I knew those rear taillights were recycled from the GM parts pin. I couldn't figure out which vehicle I recognized them from. I thought maybe contemporary full-size station wagons or step-side trucks. I finally determined they came from the Chevy/GMC vans of the era.
I've been such a big fan of these motorhomes for so long (at least since seeing Stripes for the first time haha). I got to see a BEAUTIFUL version a few years back at a vintage RV show in Palm Springs and it was such a thing of beauty. This Palm Beach design is amazing!
if its a redline version its worth a pretty penny or 3 even in bad shape there were two variations bw and the much sought after redline quite rare though
Their buses and motorhomes were ahead of their time. Their buses were actually aluminium unibodies- the largest unibodies ever built- with the engine and transmission weight being supported by the upper structure of the bus- and we're talking 1940s technology here. They were also the first buses to have air suspension.
GMC also offered another version of their fwd motorhome called the GMC Transmode which was essentially a blank slate motorhome that could be converted into a shuttle bus, Mobile Police command unit or, in some cases ambulances were built out of these as well. A GMC transmode was actually used in the movie Twister full of computers and tvs as the opposing Storm Chasers mobile weather station.
I noticed that too! Have you ever noticed that the red Dodge pickup I that movie switches between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton throughout the movie. Sometimes the weeks have 5 lugs, othertimes there's 8 haha. Uncle Jesse's white Ford pickup did the same thing in Dukes of Hazard.
Reminds me a lot of the house we moved into in 1979. Built in 1959, appeared fairly recently renovated. Green everywhere with beige carpet. The bathroom in two shades of green with white floor and ceiling. We had green toothbrush cups and towels. After a few years my mother wanted something different.
Right from the beginning, when I got the orange Hot Wheels version of this as a kid, probably not much older than six or seven at the most, I loved these things. It was right up there as one of my favorites beside the Twin Mill, Red Baron, Derora, Gremlin Grinder, The Heavys/Heavyweights, the 40s Woody Wagon and it may have been just a little later, the Poison Pinto, and a few others. I had tons more that I can't bring up anymore because it's been too long, but those are the ones I can remember were my favorites. I can remember saying that I wanted to get this motorhome when I grew up lol! 😢I never did get my GMC Motorhome.
They were built on the same line as the GM RTS Bus. I believe (I don't know the exact timing of it) that they would build busses for 6 months, change the tooling, then build the motor homes I remember walking through the unused plant at the time thinking just how big some of the tooling was compared to the pickup plant across the street.
Adam, being a current RV owner (A-class gas coach), I really appreciate you diving into such a limited and unique part of GM"s history. Those motorhomes are worth a pretty penny fully restored in today's environment for retro styling, If ya never tried RV-ing, I highly recommend you try a state park in the woods, Just you, your significant other, in your own little piece of nature with modern amenities.
This along with the Airstream is the best motorhome ever! I worked for an owner of one of these GMC motorhomes I think his was a Elegance of 23 ft model 10 on the outside. One of my jobs was to make sure that bricks or pieces of wood were placed under the suspension so that it would not sink.
These were ULTRA cool among my friends growing up in Mish-Gin in the 1970's! Any camper was cool [my parents had a 26 foot '73 Argosy travel trailer that we pulled with a '72 Ford LTD 2 barrel, and then a '77 Coupe de Ville d'Elegance] but these were the ULTIMATE of coolness, even better than a genuine Winnebago! Interesting fact however: These days the rear air suspension "bag" is NOT AVAILABLE. You cannot get that rubber piece anymore, from what I've heard.... Great video! [My dad said the '72 Ford with the 402 cubic inch 2 barrel pulled the trailer better than the '77 Cadillac with a 425 and a four barrel carb.]
Hi Adam…finally a video on the great GMC motorhome. My parents bought a new 1976 GMC Birchhaven model, which was the shorter coach. I remember it well. They bought it from Seifert Pontiac and GMC dealer in Aurora CO. I think the dealership is still there but it’s,now called Suss Buick and GMC. They also traded in our 1977 Ford LTD Landau coupe w/460 on a brand new 1978 black Firebird from that dealership and then traded it in on a 1979 white Trans Am with a light baby blue velour interior, T tops, loaded and a 403. In any event it was a great rv but who knew they would be so collectible. They only owned it for a few years and then stopped camping. I wish we would have kept all of the cars my dad bought as he kept everything showroom mint. The TA was for my mom and it just sat in the garage. They owned it for 7 years and I think when they traded it, it had a whopping 20K miles on it. Literally a little old lady drove it to the bank and grocery store. It’d be worth a fortune today as it was mint. Great, fun rv video! Thanks for sharing.
It inspired the styling of the GM “RTS” city transit bus which was far ahead of anything else at the time especially their own 1957 era “new look” bus which they kept making for years yet.
Awesome 👍 I had a 36ft National diesel pusher Class A cost a fortune to repair CAT motor and other equipment. I would rather have had one of these GM ones Gas easy to fix cheap parts etc. Beautiful even today funky colors are kinda cool.
Still looks better than 90% of current motor home offerings.
I agree
Way better build quality. They suck today.
Also better than most of GM’s current offerings
I heard ya like boring cubes.
I agree...it looks like they at least ATTEMPTED to make it somewhat aerodynamic
I think that I like the "Stripes" EM-50 Urban Assault option package over the Palm Beach interior package.
Dude, that's all I see whenever these things come around... first thing I thought of when I saw the thumbnail...
I think of My old Hess truck "training van" and Hot Wheels "palm beach" motorhome whenever I see one too....forgot the Stripes version lol
"It's like going to Wiscaaaaansin"
DANG, beat me to it :)
I can't believe Adam didn't mention Stripes!
Put it back in production with today's technology you have a winner
It did fine as it was, why screw it up with a bunch of crap that costs a million, and a million more to maintain?
Would Love to have one And the Money to Make it My way! IF Gm would remake this??? It Would be about 30, 000 pounds running on electric and get to 120 miles!
I Agree this us Still the Best Looking of All RVs! LOOK at the so called New VW Bus for the US! Electric and Way Passed a Reasonable Price Point!
This was used in the movie "Stripes" and was known as the Urban Assault vehicle. There's a guy in FL who refurbishes these gems and resells them with upgraded equipment. Quite a few people live in these full time.
In an era when gray is a "bold" color choice, I'm sure the interior shots of the GMC blew some minds.
My uncle had an orange one and IT WAS ORANGE. Inside and out. Reminded me of an Orange Julius. Showing my age there. He had it for most of my childhood and I think he only had 25,000 miles in 15 years. It was nice to ride in from the mountains to the beach in Virginia. He traded in the 80’s for an Itasca but we all missed the ride and feel of that Orange GMC.
Ours was orange too. Purchased from dealer in Orangeville Ontario. Hughes motor homes & r.v.'s.
The most amazing thing is that you still occasionally see one on the road.
I Have Seen two in southwest pa driving last year. Seen Many on the side parked or Dead in the side!!
Beautiful Machine!
Just saw one yesterday in that exact same Palm Beach color.
"what we have here is one heavily armed recreational vehicle". Bill Murray 'Stripes'...Its the most beautiful RV ever made.! I even have the Hess Training Vehicle model.
"That's a fact, Jack!"
My Dad bought a new 77 Kingsley and took my mom and brother and me across the country from Pennsylvania to Arizona.
Absolutely the best memories ever.
I have a very similar experience with my family in our 1977 Palm Beach - we spent an entire summer on the road going from Illinois to Southern California along the PCH through to Vancouver, and then back home across the Canadian Rockies. These were the best memories of my life at time when America was simple, proud, and had hope in a bright future.
Remarkable vehicle. They’re so much bigger in person than in pictures.
I’ve always loved the look of these GMC motor homes.
Same, I liked it on first sight and that stayed always the same.
I took our 77 with the 455. To the Woodward dream cruise and it did several burnouts going through the pontiac loop.
I worked for a motor home dealership when these were new. The 23 foot models were quick in traffic. As you mentioned, they could do burnouts too.
It was essentially a parts-bin special, but I agree that it was one of the coolest vehicles GM ever produced. I camped beside one in Pacific Rim National Park (British Columbia) a few years ago. It had been updated, and looked absolutely contemporary with the other RVs there…until the owner fired up the engine. When that 455 rumbled to life it was suddenly 1975…
“It was suddenly 1975”
😂🤝. I can smell the oil burning and hear an engine ticking from across the bayou.
Imagine having an exhaust leak in one
But seriously, I just saw one for sale with 66k miles. Gonna go look at it.
I used to think the 1970s were the most aesthetically hideous era until I lived to the 21st century. Even Pacers look decent compared to modern "design"...
Right? I was born in 1973, so there are some things I remember from then on.
The cars all look more or less like pieces of melted plastic now.
I hate that one of the reactions to 70's aesthetics was the near-complete removal of brown, tan, and green paint options on vehicles in the decades that followed.
On TV we're literally flashed with red and blue now, morphing into magenta. Must be some sorcery.
You say that like Pacers were a bad thing.
Actually, the 455 continued into 77 as a rolling change to 403 in Jan 77. I have a 77 Eleganza II with a 9/76 build date and 455. Only the 73/74 were farmed out to Gemini for interiors. then GM took interior design and upfitting in house to Pontiac and used premium Flexsteel furnishings. There was also the Transmode, much like an empty shell G van it was sold to upfitters like Coachmen to become the Royalle 26 and Birchaven 23 and to be made into ambulances, bloodmobiles, airport shuttles etc. The rear suspension went through 3 variants on the control system, Powerlevel, Electrolevel 1 (76 dash switches and 77 driver left side switches) and Electrolevel II. On Auto it would auto level much like the E cars, but you could manually raise and lower the rear in total or side to side to make it flat at the campgrounds. The rear air springs were by Firestone and were actually heavy machinery cushions to support and isolate equipment on the plant floor. The key is that the spring bellows are between the 2 control arms, not between control arm and frame, so much road shock is transmitted back to the opposing wheel not up to the occupants.
We have a 77 palm beach 26' with a 455 , built in November of 76.
That is so cool.
Awesome!
I have a friend that was a supervisor on the build of these GMC motorhomes. He was in charge of inspecting everything from front to back, left to right, and top to bottom, including even touching up the paint and all interior trim even. He lives in Southwestern Wisconsin in a little town named Potosi, Wisconsin. His name is John Metts and he owned one the last time that I talked to him/worked with him at a different job back in early 2020, almost 4 years ago. He also said that there was an annual get together for the owners of these and a parts swap meet!
The front wheel drive power package did allow a much lower floor height than any of the RV's built on a truck chassis. The steps up to the driver's position show you where the floor would be with a normal truck chassis. It also saves you at least one step up every time you enter the motor home. It down side is that many of the accessories and storage compartments that normally go beneath the floor end up taking some of the living space from the interior.
Perfect for the elderly. In the GDR, there were little trailers with an adjustable floor section. You'd put it to the low position on the spot for standing height inside.
Those GM motorhomes were pretty stylish in their day. If you were to look up what an "Ultravan" was, you would see that there are a number of similarities between them. Ultravans were Corvair powered, built like an aircraft, light as a feather (3500#), and were very expensive for their time. The GMC looks like what an updated Ultravan might look like.
I loved the Ultravans!
@@Paramount531 I owned a 68 Ultra for about 10 years. Only made one road trip in it, but it was an excellent extra bedroom!
I dig those 70s colors! 😊 These motorhomes were the coolest of the day. Now all we need is an 8 track tape of the Eagles' "Hotel California", and we're good to go.
The one pictured had a bunk bed. The back of that couch would swing up and buckle attach to the ceiling making an upper bunk. That’s where I slept! We had one. I remember waking up in the morning and looking at my dad driving across Canada. He would wake up super early and hit the road before we woke up. We drove from Toronto to Victoria BC. AMAZING TRIP!
It's hard to fathom that the 73 Chrysler Imperial was only 3 feet shorter the 73 GMC motor home....
😊
I know this is a car channel, but it would be pretty cool to do an overview of GMs ElectroMotive Division. They pretty much single-handedly made steam engines obsolete. One of GM most interesting defunct divisions. Some of their early locomotives shared parts with the cars.
It’s quite interesting how many of these still survive today. I remember being on a camping trip once in the 80s and we saw one at a camping spot. Dad mentioned to me that the engine came out of an Oldsmobile. That fascinated me.
Adam thank you soooooo much for posting this. As a teen in the 70's, I absolutely loved these. It's always enjoyable to get the interesting details you consistently offer. You're the best!
Great machine!
The by far best looking RV ever.
With its curved side panels, low beltline, huge also curved windows, extended bumpers and tunneled headlamps it always reminds me of the also gorgeously designed AMC Pacer. America was the absolue leader in car design back then.
I’ve always wanted one of these for my collection. I have been lucky enough to drive one. They are terrific.
there a 75 forsale in connecticut, it's on Facebook if your interested, it not mine
Can’t beat that 70’s style
Oh yes you can. 🤣
The colors and patterns back then were very warm and nature inspired. Having grown up in that setting I am nostalgic for it, especially when compared with the rather bleak shades of gray/black we see today.
@@WinterInTheForest I’m not nostalgic, I want to crawl under something and hide when I see reminders of the things we used to like (or somebody told us to like them, so we did).
@@garysarratt1 Somebody is telling you to like current things. Modern design trends lack personality, diverse styling and colors other than various shades of gray.
@@WinterInTheForest The older I get, the more suggestions I ignore. I’m becoming the Old Guy who does “weird” things because that’s what I like and most marketing is passing me by.
My dad worked for GMC when these babies were on the road, I was a teenager. The leveling system was a little flaky and I do remember one rainy night out there trying to get it to level so the refrigerator would run. Thanks for sharing this.
Everytime I see a motorhome, I hear Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" saying, "Clark, that's what ya call a 'R..V' it's a good-looking vehicle, ain't it?"
We took the GMC to my in-laws and went through the whole bit.
A friend of the family had one of these- it was awesome. So much better than other motor homes of the time.
When I was a teenager in the '70's, our neighbor bought one of these GMC motor homes brand new, but I can't remember if it was the Palm Beach edition.) His example was a bright orange, and I can attest to it being very striking and futuristic looking in the eyes of most people back then (most mh's were the boxy looking Winnebagos.) I remember my Dad telling me it was the most advanced motor home you could buy, and I don't doubt it. That being said, I haven't seen one in decades. Our neighbor bought it at retirement age with the intent of traveling a lot, but his wife passed away not long after that, so it wasn't used much, if any. It sat in his driveway for years. Because of that, seeing one of these nowadays kind of makes me sad.
Just saw a Palm Beach yesterday driving through town. It’s amazing that these are still on the road after almost 50 years.
I’d love to see one of these offered with a modern Powertrain. Great looks and styling along with more power and decent economy. Perhaps adding a mild hybrid with the electric motor driving the rear wheels to add traction in slippery conditions.
IF Gm did this again ? It would be Over 25,000 pounds and Be All Electric Getting the Owner to 125 Miles of Range!
Sweet Looking Vehicle! I've been Arguing with my wife about getting one And doing a Modern Retro Rod
I worked for a Fire Department and we converted two Transmode’s to ambulances. The ride was second to none. They were relatively high maintenance because the suspension was designed for highway use ,not city use. We got 11 and 13 years of pretty severe service from them. Both were sold to individuals one in Texas and the other went to Canada, both were driven there.
My favorite was the urban assault version. Winger and Ziskey really showed its outstanding capabilities!
Love that you did this video, Adam. I love these GMC motor homes and even subscribe to an association that advertises when these come up for sale. There are owners’ clubs. There’s also a few shops that completely restore these or with modernize them. A bit of trivia… a GMC motor home can be seen in the movie “Twister” as one of the tornado chase vehicles. 👍👍👍
See my other comment.
Amazing vehicle and design, way ahead of its time. Here in Europe, FIAT more or less continued this concept from the early 80s onwards, by making special camper chassis based on the front wheel drive Ducato van (Ram Promaster in US). They are still the most successful camper chassis.
Awesome! I can imagine driving one of these from Buffalo, south to Disney World during March break in 1973.....when the park was brand new. After a few days at Disney, a drive east to Daytona or St. Augustine........parking on the beach and enjoying the salt air and sunshine. Wow!
In the later 90s, there was a magazine called Turbo Power.. on the cover, it showed one of these with a Cadillac 500 with a Turbo making about 650Hp doing a front drive burnout.
The stock 455 dose that job just fine.
I remember that ,it was in a few magazines I think the guy who owned it was an engineer I think he built it also
@carlpreston1680 yes sir! You are correct!
I worked at an Oldsmobile/GMC dealer in Woodlawn, Ohio (north of Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1976 when these were sold new. Fantastic and way ahead of there time. Super smooth, sleek, drove well and handled pretty good for a big box. I know of at least 2 that had the original engines removed and Oldsmobile 455's from 1969/1970 wrecked Toronado's installed in them. Bunch more horsepower from the older 455's Rocket V8's. Made a huge difference when driving.
Right on! The older 455 were twice the motor than these low compression smogged out turds...
I still want to travel around the U.S. in one of these. At that time GM was building everything from compact cars to semi trucks. I can also see the design passing down to the RTS buses of the '80s which NYC kept running up the end of the 2010s. Even though those buses were made by third party companies the design lasted that long which is very impressive.
I remember seeing those advertised in magazines in the late 70s. But I had no idea they were front wheel drive. That's so cool. That funky green interior was so cool. Those ads make me want to buy one.
Someone made a ridiculous long wheelbase wagon out of the Toronado platform as well. There are a couple of them left intact and one dude on CZcams right now trying to figure out how to restore one he just acquired. I wanna say it was called a "Jetway" or something to that effect and were coachbuilt for a couple different purposes. I wish I had the channel on hand, because it's a really neat project.
Jetway 707
Would be cool if Adam could do a video on them.
Jetway 707
Would be cool if Adam could do a video on them.
@timblaes7028 Well, I know there's at least one out there, and another CZcamsr has it right now. I just watched him get it running a couple weeks ago. If I find it, I'll post a link here.
These motor homes still look cool today!!! Better than what's out there on the market now!!! 👍👍🙂
Adam, The Oldsmobile 455 powering this mean green machine would be at home in Palm Beach or anywhere else. 🤩🤩
That's true.
Look everybody...it's a larger version of the Mystery Machine. Scobby Doo loves that on longer capers. That is so cool / retro...
hilarious
The GMC motorhome holds the fastest class A motorhome title, 122 mph at Bonneville! Modified of course! I had a 1978 Eleganza II with the 403, one of the last made.
I've heard people do an LS swap in this things.
@@jbrou123I helped a friend through a 6.5 diesel swap in his. We got it road-worthy, but the R&P was too short for the diesel engine. He moved away and then passed away. Wonder what ever became of it?
A classic example of general motors having a great idea, and then giving up on it.
Dig those 70s interiors!
I love these, sometimes you see weathered ones on the side of someones barn but rare to see a nice one
What a nice motorhome! Lots of visabilty and decent styling. Looks well made too.
That is so cool. I lived in this time. It was so different, so much better, like a different world. These were great.well made ,durable and fixable. Funny thing, you get the same mileage full or empty.
There are an estimated 9,100 remaining of over 12,000 built over the six model years. I bought my 1976 in 2010 and had the seller drive it to the GMC COOP in Orlando, Florida for a safety refurbishing before driving it to California in June of 2012. In 2020 my GMC was vandalized and then illegally sold by Regency Realty in Orange, California for $200 cash without a lien sale. They had evicted the mechanic shop owner and essentially "got rid of" ten or twelve GMCs without attempting to contact the owners. I have recovered my GMC and am in the process of repairing $19,000 in damage and theft. The three-year statute of limitations for theft has expired and, as you can imagine, no attorney wanted the case as the expected "recovery" was not high enough.
3 year statute of limitations?!?! Geez California.......
I absolutely love these GMC motorhomes. They were way ahead of their times for the times plus they were a factory built versus a conversion. They still look great after all these years. Reminds me of the early NASA.
Our family rented these as well as more conventional motorhomes in the Seventies, providing a great comparison. The GMC highway ride and stability were superb. When parked, the air suspension allowed manual control for easy leveling at campsites. As perfectly stated in the video, the front drive (and low ground clearance) did sometimes prove a challenge on uneven low traction surfaces, particularly on an uphill grade. I remember my dad having to get a rather hair-raising run at it to drive the unit up to the road from a particularly wet and rough campsite after a couple slower attempts, something a conventional truck-chassis motorhome would have had no trouble with. On the highway, only the driver and front passenger could see down the road, as the main cabin sat too low for seated passengers (children, at least) to have an unobstructed view forward. As a kid, that was really my only objection to it, more than made up for by the refined ride, exquisite styling inside and out, and oohs and ahs of fellow campers.
Every day is St . Patrick's day in one of these 😊
My wife and I saw one at a cruise night last year. Now she wants one.
We had exactly this model in green. In Europe. Wonderful memories.
I remember seeing those in my home province of British Columbia, back in the 1970's.
There's a rendezvous in Osoyoos every year, near end of June. About 20 show up. Some have ASTRO name plates. A country are the orange trim. Otherwise, quite cool.😊
@@carlingraham114 that's is cool
You finally did the MoHo! I have a 78 Royale, I spent a boatload restomodding it. It is painted black and sliver with red pinstripes ala 78 Indy Pace Car. Has a FI 455 and upgraded TH425. We kept the real black walnut cabinets including a built in liquor dispenser and blender (gotta love the 70s😂)
I have a '73 GMC Sequoia motorhome with that same chartreuse green interior as the palm beach, even the clock by the stove is chartreuse green! It was my grandparents for years and my grandfather has recently gave it to me to bring back to life, it hasn't seen the road in about 20 years but everything still seems to be in working order. I've got a lot of good memories camping in it as a kid and I hope there will be more to come.
Always liked these. Closest i came was the Matchbox version.
Who among us had the Hot Wheels version in the 70’s? As a vintage Avion travel trailer fan, I especially liked the Avion version of the GMC.
I love it! I think it's way better looking than most motorhomes of the same vintage.
One of my friends had a toy version of this in the 80s. It still looks good. I can almost smell that interior, good god… awesome!!!
It was ahead of it's time! The interiors were the 70's!
There is a place in Okeechobee, Florida that only deals in sales, repair, and restoration of these GMC motorhomes!
I believe there are clubs dedicated to these fine motorhomes.
I absolutely love the interior, I can see my inside of my home done this way. 👍🏻🤠
One sat for years across the street from my favorite Saturday lunch cafe. With a few flat tires and no tags, it got a tow sticker slapped on the windshield last year. It finally disappeared last Saturday. I told my wife we missed our chance. She didn’t say anything.😅
Love the green and yellow combo. My mother had our house professionally decorated in 1977 and it was all green and yellow like this. Fun times! Those were popular colors then.
Spotted that Caddy steering wheel straight away! They were on 'em from '74-'76. Turned 16 in Feb. '75 and my parents had bought a new Sedan de Ville in '74 so become very well acquainted with it. Cool! Always loved these!
I knew those rear taillights were recycled from the GM parts pin. I couldn't figure out which vehicle I recognized them from. I thought maybe contemporary full-size station wagons or step-side trucks. I finally determined they came from the Chevy/GMC vans of the era.
I've been such a big fan of these motorhomes for so long (at least since seeing Stripes for the first time haha). I got to see a BEAUTIFUL version a few years back at a vintage RV show in Palm Springs and it was such a thing of beauty. This Palm Beach design is amazing!
So have you bought one yet, Adam??? That green is SWEET! I miss the '70's...
Every time I see one of these I think of John Winger and Russel Ziskey.
I had the orange Hot Wheel, still do. Love it
if its a redline version its worth a pretty penny or 3 even in bad shape there were two variations bw and the much sought after redline quite rare though
Their buses and motorhomes were ahead of their time. Their buses were actually aluminium unibodies- the largest unibodies ever built- with the engine and transmission weight being supported by the upper structure of the bus- and we're talking 1940s technology here. They were also the first buses to have air suspension.
There are a lot of great car info shows out there - but you are by far - THE BEST !
Appreciate that
GMC also offered another version of their fwd motorhome called the GMC Transmode which was essentially a blank slate motorhome that could be converted into a shuttle bus, Mobile Police command unit or, in some cases ambulances were built out of these as well. A GMC transmode was actually used in the movie Twister full of computers and tvs as the opposing Storm Chasers mobile weather station.
I noticed that too! Have you ever noticed that the red Dodge pickup I that movie switches between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton throughout the movie. Sometimes the weeks have 5 lugs, othertimes there's 8 haha.
Uncle Jesse's white Ford pickup did the same thing in Dukes of Hazard.
Reminds me a lot of the house we moved into in 1979. Built in 1959, appeared fairly recently renovated. Green everywhere with beige carpet. The bathroom in two shades of green with white floor and ceiling. We had green toothbrush cups and towels. After a few years my mother wanted something different.
I love Oldsmobiles especially the 455s, have a couple. Wouldn’t mind living in one of these rvs here in SoCal. Rent is killing me 😆😆😆
I always thought of these as " limo van" motorhomes.
Right from the beginning, when I got the orange Hot Wheels version of this as a kid, probably not much older than six or seven at the most, I loved these things. It was right up there as one of my favorites beside the Twin Mill, Red Baron, Derora, Gremlin Grinder, The Heavys/Heavyweights, the 40s Woody Wagon and it may have been just a little later, the Poison Pinto, and a few others. I had tons more that I can't bring up anymore because it's been too long, but those are the ones I can remember were my favorites. I can remember saying that I wanted to get this motorhome when I grew up lol! 😢I never did get my GMC Motorhome.
It'll always be the EM-50 to me. Urban Assault Vehicle!
would love to travel the US in it for sure...
They were built on the same line as the GM RTS Bus. I believe (I don't know the exact timing of it) that they would build busses for 6 months, change the tooling, then build the motor homes I remember walking through the unused plant at the time thinking just how big some of the tooling was compared to the pickup plant across the street.
Adam, being a current RV owner (A-class gas coach), I really appreciate you diving into such a limited and unique part of GM"s history. Those motorhomes are worth a pretty penny fully restored in today's environment for retro styling, If ya never tried RV-ing, I highly recommend you try a state park in the woods, Just you, your significant other, in your own little piece of nature with modern amenities.
Excellent video. Great subject Matter!!! I agree with the others comments, [it's the EM-50 Urban assault vehicle] from Stripes!!!
This along with the Airstream is the best motorhome ever! I worked for an owner of one of these GMC motorhomes I think his was a Elegance of 23 ft model 10 on the outside. One of my jobs was to make sure that bricks or pieces of wood were placed under the suspension so that it would not sink.
“ No John, come on Russell, no John, come on, ok John”
These were ULTRA cool among my friends growing up in Mish-Gin in the 1970's! Any camper was cool [my parents had a 26 foot '73 Argosy travel trailer that we pulled with a '72 Ford LTD 2 barrel, and then a '77 Coupe de Ville d'Elegance] but these were the ULTIMATE of coolness, even better than a genuine Winnebago!
Interesting fact however: These days the rear air suspension "bag" is NOT AVAILABLE. You cannot get that rubber piece anymore, from what I've heard....
Great video!
[My dad said the '72 Ford with the 402 cubic inch 2 barrel pulled the trailer better than the '77 Cadillac with a 425 and a four barrel carb.]
Wow. That’s a lot of green! That motor home should’ve been called The Saint Patty’s Edition!
Hi Adam…finally a video on the great GMC motorhome. My parents bought a new 1976 GMC Birchhaven model, which was the shorter coach. I remember it well. They bought it from Seifert Pontiac and GMC dealer in Aurora CO. I think the dealership is still there but it’s,now called Suss Buick and GMC. They also traded in our 1977 Ford LTD Landau coupe w/460 on a brand new 1978 black Firebird from that dealership and then traded it in on a 1979 white Trans Am with a light baby blue velour interior, T tops, loaded and a 403. In any event it was a great rv but who knew they would be so collectible. They only owned it for a few years and then stopped camping. I wish we would have kept all of the cars my dad bought as he kept everything showroom mint. The TA was for my mom and it just sat in the garage. They owned it for 7 years and I think when they traded it, it had a whopping 20K miles on it. Literally a little old lady drove it to the bank and grocery store. It’d be worth a fortune today as it was mint. Great, fun rv video! Thanks for sharing.
It inspired the styling of the GM “RTS” city transit bus which was far ahead of anything else at the time especially their own 1957 era “new look” bus which they kept making for years yet.
This’s only RV I’d buy to restore and keep.
Awesome 👍
I had a 36ft National diesel pusher Class A cost a fortune to repair CAT motor and other equipment.
I would rather have had one of these GM ones Gas easy to fix cheap parts etc.
Beautiful even today funky colors are kinda cool.
The Hess truck version was my favorite as a kid👍
I've always wanted one of these beasts
I always remember the one used in the movie “Stripes”. There still is an example at the RV Hall of Fame near South Bend, Indiana.