The Early History of GMC: America’s Original Truckers

We take it for granted today. GMC has become so synonymous with American automotive dominance that it’s easy to forget the manufacturer – like so many other twentieth century success stories – began as a modest dream. In this case, it was a dream shared by a pair of brothers, aiming to build the country’s most successful truck company from the ground up. 

At Gallagher GMC, we have a deep admiration and respect for the historic building blocks that got us where we are now. Today, let’s take a deeper look at the early years of GMC. 

The Formative Years: 1900 – 1912 

Currently a division of General Motors, we’ve always associated GMC with the Detroit-based automotive manufacturing company. From 1911 – 1943 GMC was the General Motors Truck Company, before becoming the GMC Truck & Coach Division from 1943 – 1998. But when the company was established in 1900 by brothers Max and Morris Grabowsky, GMC stood for the “Grabowsky Motor Company.” 

That original GMC name wouldn’t last long. In 1902, the Grabowsky brothers built the Rapid: the first commercial truck operated in Detroit. In conjunction, they renamed their company the “Rapid Motor Vehicle Company.” Though rudimentary in design, the Rapid still caught the attention of Durant-Dort Carriage Company owner William Durant, who had previously overseen the rise of Buick in an advisory role. Though the country didn’t realize it yet, Durant was building the architecture for what would become General Motors. 

Durant purchased RMVC in 1909. Two years later, he also bought the Reliance Motor Car Company – another early commercial vehicle manufacturer. The two companies merged under Durant’s General Motors banner and changed their name to “General Motors Truck Company,” consolidating all GM truck production in Pontiac, Michigan and paving the way for the GMC we know today. By the time the GMC nameplate made its debut at the New York Auto Show in 1912, people were paying attention to the little truck company that could. 

Pressing on Through Wartime: 1914 – 1945

GMC’s momentum continued rolling into 1916, when commercial truck driver William Warwick loaded his wife and daughter into their 1.5-ton GMC truck and transported a shipment of Carnation Evaporated Milk from New York to Seattle and back. In doing so, GMC became the first truck to cross the country in under 32 days. 

Unfortunately, World War I was well underway by then, and it had other plans for the young company. Like Buick, Ford, and most other American manufacturers, GMC began shifting its focus towards producing military vehicles. By 1918, nearly 90% of GMC truck production was dedicated to military vehicles. In all, GMC provided the U.S. Army with over 8,500 vehicles throughout World War I – mostly troop carriers, aviation support vehicles, and ambulances. 

The decades between wars proved fruitful for the enterprising company. In 1923, GMC trucks were sent overseas to Japan to aid the recovery and reconstruction effort following the Great Kanto earthquake. In 1926, General Motors began expanding into other modes of transportation, acquiring bus and taxicab manufacturer Yellow Coach and beginning production on GMC buses. Yellow coach was renamed Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company, and all General Motors manufacturing operations were placed under YT&CMC. In 1943, after purchasing the remaining interest in YT&CMC, GM renamed the company GMC Truck and Coach Division – which it would continue to be known as throughout the greater part of the century, until it was officially shortened to GMC in 1998. 

When the United States joined World War II, GMC once more turned their attention to military vehicles. In contrast to the 8,500 vehicles they supplied to U.S. Armed Forces 20 years earlier, GMC would produce over 600,000 trucks for the war effort throughout World War II. After the war, GMC simply continued their work on expanded truck design they had begun in the 1930’s, which resulted in the company’s earliest SUVs: the GMC Suburban and GMC Yukon. 

Become Part of the Story Today

There’s so much more to GMC’s rich story that we’ll dive into another day: the introduction of the Sierra and the shift from commercial to personal use trucks in the 1960’s, GM’s rounded line truck series of the 1970’s, the sales explosion of the 1980’s, the Acadia’s debut in 2007… the list goes on. 

For now, you can become a part of GMC’s continued legacy when you stop in at Gallagher GMC, New Britain’s most trusted GMC dealership. From the 2024 Sierra Heavy Duty to the all-new Hummer EV, our inventory is loaded with contemporary, new and pre-owned GMC trucks and SUVs that pay homage to the company’s past – while paving the way towards its limitless future.