60 years ago, Today...

[BobWitt]

A lot has changed, and a lot has remained the same in this last 60 years. 60 years ago today, GM built its 50 millionth vehicle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ery8MK2K6Fk
[share_youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ery8MK2K6Fk[/share_youtube]

[bbodie52]

My wife and I were almost two years old on that proud GM November 23, 1954 day!

Achievement USA - General Motors 50 Million Automobiles Produced In The USA By 1954



Nice to see that a classic 1955 Chevy 2-door marked the 50 millionth GM car built on that day.

[64powerglide]

Kinda makes you wonder where that 55 Chevy is today. That was the year dad let my sister & me drive his 54 Olds 98 around the block alone, I was almost 11 & my sister was 12. My mother had just got her 55 Bel-Air station wagon, 265 powerglide, red with a white top.

[bbodie52]

Gold 1955 Chevrolet - General Motors 50 Millionth Car

http://www.55classicchevy.com/1955-chev ... h-car.html

The 50 millionth automobile produced in this country by General Motors rolled off Chevrolet's assembly line in Flint, Michigan at approximately 10 A.M. November 23, 1954.

This 50 millionth automobile was a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe 2 door hard top.

In honor of the occasion, the 50 millionth General Motors car was painted gold inside and out. It was fully equipped with a 265 cubic inch V-8 engine, powerglide, air conditioning, power brakes, power steering, power seats, electric windshield wipers and a signal seeking radio.

The car itself was a once in a lifetime achievement. More than 600 parts of the Chevy was plated with 24 Karat gold. Each of its two doors bore a replica of a gold medallion created to celebrate the event.

The milestone in automobile production history became a nationwide celebration, as GM opened the doors to 114 factories and 11 centers across the country in a day long open house. More than a million people visited GM factories and centers. Each guest of the company received a souvenir Golden CARnival coin or medallion and a 40 page booklet titled "General Motors Builds Its First 50 Million Cars"

Comment by Pamela Hirschhorn on December 27, 2013 at 6:59pm

The unique Anniversary Gold Bel Air two-door hardtop became privately owned at some point after its days of generating publicity for GM came to an end and this owner (who prefers his privacy so he will be called “Mr. Gold”) owned a different 1955 hardtop he was planning to restore. Mr. Gold learned of some garage owners who were building another 1955 hardtop into a race car so he went there to see it. Extensive modifications were nearly underway when Mr. Gold’s inspection of it showed it to be in better condition than the car he originally planned to restore. Since this car was about to get major modifications Mr. Gold suggested swapping it for his car. The offer was accepted.

After getting the car home and beginning the dismantling process, Mr. Gold noticed lots of gold plating and gold paint inside the car. He also found a special plate on the firewall, so he called Tom Trainor who worked for GM for 30 years and was a Chevy hobbyist (and is since deceased). Tom found that the VIN on Mr. Gold’s Bel Air matched that of the 50-millionth GM car. As of the last report, it was still in the process of being restored.Hopefully, upon completion of the restoration of this historic Bel Air the car’s owner will share it with Chevy enthusiasts by showing it at car shows and special events.

http://northeastwheelsevents.com/video/ ... hrough-the

Flint Photos: Gold-Plated 1955 Chevy

http://www.flintexpats.com/2013/04/flin ... chevy.html