2025

Remembering the History of the General Motors Technical Center
By Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher Robert Tate
Images courtesy of GM Heritage Archives & Special Collections
Published 12.10.2025

The General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, stands as one of the most iconic automotive facilities in the world. Years ago, I had the privilege of working there as a GM historian for the Design Center staff—a truly fascinating and rewarding experience in my automotive career.

The vision for the GM Technical Center originated with former Chairman Alfred P. Sloan (1875–1966), Harlow Curtice (1893–1962), and Harley Earl (1893–1969). The architectural assignment was entrusted to renowned architects Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen, with Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Inc. serving as architect-engineers for this historic project.

Walking through its hallways, I often reflected on the legacy of legendary designers like Bill Mitchell and Chuck Jordan, who created some of GM’s most celebrated vehicles. General Motors has long maintained a portfolio of designs that remain admired and influential even today.

1OpeningCeremony Opening Ceremony

Construction began on October 23, 1945, on a 320-acre site. The Technical Center officially opened on May 16, 1956, hosting 5,000 distinguished guests. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered the keynote address via closed-circuit television from Washington, D.C. The new facility provided GM employees with state-of-the-art research laboratories, design studios, and manufacturing development spaces—ushering in a new era of innovation.
Design staff moved into the facility on September 16, 1955. Among its highlights was a striking aluminum-domed auditorium, equipped with advanced lighting systems. This space served as a venue for design presentations, receptions, and banquets, showcasing GM’s forward-thinking approach.

GM Tech Center Dome

1956 Product Line Inside GM Tech Center

The GM Technical Center, constructed during the 1940s at a cost exceeding $125 million, was hailed by Life magazine in the 1950s as “The Versailles of Industry.” Notable features include a prominent fountain on the west side of the campus, a scenic lake that supports aquatic life to control algae, and a 140-foot stainless-steel water tower capable of holding 250,000 gallons.

Lake at the Tech Center

The center gained national attention during its opening celebrations when NBC aired a 90-minute special titled "Promise for America" on May 20, 1956. In 2014, the GM Technical Center was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Cadillac Styling Studio in 1963

The concept for this landmark dates back to March 1944, when Alfred Sloan proposed the idea to Charles Kettering, then head of GM Research. Sloan not only championed the project but also coined the name “GM Technical Center.” By December 1944, GM had secured the land in Warren, northeast of Detroit. Harley Earl selected Eliel and Eero Saarinen to design the campus—a masterpiece featuring glazed brick walls and a park-like setting that continues to symbolize automotive innovation and culture.

Bill Mitchell & the Astro III concept

Bibliography
Powell Tracy. “General Motors Styling 1927-1958 Genesis of the World’s Largest Design Studios” Powell House Publishing & communications 2007.
Davis W.R. Michael. “Images of Motoring General Motors A Photographic History.” Published by Arcadia Publishing 1999.
Singer Drew. “GM Warren Technical Center Officially Marked As National Historic Landmark”. GM Authority August 7, 2015.

By A. Wayne Ferens
Published 12.3.2025 (Revised 12.4.2025)

By Robert Tate Award Winning Automotive Historian/Researcher.
Published 11.26.2025
Images courtesy of Robert Tate’s Automotive History Collection.

By Robert Tate Award Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Published 11.19.2025
Images Courtesy of GM Heritage Archives & Special Collections

By Robert Tate Award Winning Automotive Historian/Researcher
Published 11.12.25
Images Courtesy of Gordon Buehrig Archives.

by A. Wayne Ferens
Published 11.5.2025

By A. Wayne Ferens
Published 10.29.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Ford Motor Company Archives
Published 10.22.2025

Read more: The Ford Econoline Truck

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 10.15.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives
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By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 10.1.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 9.24.2025

by Ron Alpern
Images Courtesy of the Reuther Library at Wayne State University and the Detroit Historical Society
Published 9.17.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 9.10.2025

by Brian Yopp, MotorCities' Deputy Director
Images Courtesy of the Gilmore Car Museum
Published 9.3.2025

Gilmore Garage Works group shot A recent group shot of the students and mentors participating in the Gilmore Garage Works program.

From some people's perspectives, cars provide pure utility. They can get you from Point A to Point B. For others, classic cars provide entertainment or recreation as a nice weekend hobby.

In the case of Gilmore Garage Works, cars can provide invaluable life lessons.

An earlier group of participants in the Gilmore Garage Works program

In 2012, MotorCities supported a grant to the Gilmore Car Museum to connect at-risk, Kalamazoo-area high school students with local mentors as they worked together on classic automobiles. The incentive was that you needed to remain enrolled in school in order to continue in the after-school vehicle restoration program. What the students learned about body repair and internal combustion engines paled in comparison to what they learned from auto engineers and other professionals serving as mentors from their community who showed them a world of possibilities.

A recent student participant in the program

After a brief interruption to the COVID pandemic, the program has expanded and continues to be a success. Many students who have graduated from the program have returned to act as professional mentors.

According to the Gilmore Car Museum's Director of Education, Fred Colgren, this program has filled a void regarding student access to traditional auto shop classes that used to exist at many high schools, but now are relegated to vocational education centers at the Intermediate School District (ISD) level -- if they exist at all. Students come to the Gilmore Garage Works building on the museum's campus twice a week after school from September through June and work with a mentor to develop a variety of skills, including engine building, repairs and welding. They work on restoring actual vehicles from the Gilmore's extensive collection of cars, trucks and motorcycles.

The Gilmore Garage Works building

Gilmore Garage Works is hosting an upcoming Open House on Tuesday, September 23 where parents and students can tour the building, meet their future mentors and learn more about the specifics of the program.

I recently made the trip to Hickory Corners in Kalamazoo County to the Gilmore Car Museum's campus to speak with Colgren, Program Manager John Chapman, and Eli and Conner -- two recent participants in the program. You can watch the interview here.

MotorCities Deputy Director Brian Yopp (center), flanked by the Gilmore Car Museum's Director of Education Fred Colgren and Garage Works Manager John Chapman (left) and students Eli and Conner (right)

MotorCities has also launched a new page on our website to spotlight amazing programs taking place at our partners. Gilmore Garage Works is the first program featured, and we will add new stories quarterly. You can find the new page by clicking here.

by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of the Ferens Collection, Motor Trend, and Road & Track
Published 8.27.2025

A view from above of the Ford GT 90 concept

Today's super cars are so advanced in engineering and technology -- even the word “exotic” is passe’. Words describing these new ultra-machines being tossed around the car industry include adjectives like extreme, hyper, super, or super-hyper. Yes, these new “exotics” are probably all of those things and more.

Look at some of today's “extreme machines” and see what they have in common -- those super Ferrari limited models like the LaFerrari, Lamborghini Veneno, Koenigsegg Regera, McLaren Senna, Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Zonda to name a few. For starters, all use advanced construction materials like carbon-fiber, high-strength aluminum, magnesium, titanium and other exotic materials. Most are hand-assembled using advanced structural adhesives or welding techniques. When automation is used, it is of the highest-tech most advanced computer controlled robotic manufacturing processes known to man.

When it comes to hyper-performance, many use radically designed V8s, V12s even V or W-16 cylinder engines with multi-valves, multi-cams, multi-turbos, etc. Some are even using advanced hi-tech hybrid systems that produce four-figure horsepower levels from their power units. Many of these super cars are not evolutionary, but revolutionary to say the least. So, when did this "hyper-revolution" start and who started it? Let's take a look back to the 1990s.

A front end view of the Ford GT 90 concept

One car comes to mind -- the Ford GT. No, not the early welded steel/fiberglass, cast iron carbureted V8 GT40 from the 1960s, but Ford's hyper-super-exotic concept car built in 1995 known as the GT-90. Some call it the greatest concept GT car ever made. Yes, it was made to run and drive. When a large high-volume automobile company like Ford Motor Company invests hundreds of thousands, even millions (estimates of $3-million for the GT-90) into a “dream car,” one must dream down the road so to speak.

Starting with some super car basics -- as used in the then Ford-owned Jaguar, as in Jaguar XJ-220 -- Ford laid the foundation of the GT-90 on the XJs chassis and suspension, and also used the Jag’s smooth shifting five-speed manual transmission.

The cockpit of the Ford GT 90 concept

Ford molded it's “New Edge” designed body out of exotic and very expensive hand-laid, light-weight, high-strength, carbon-fiber material. This 3,200 lb. super car had subtle styling details reminiscent of the original GT40, especially on the front of the vehicle.

A rear view of the Ford GT 90 concept

To give it that mind-blowing super hi-performance, Ford sliced and diced two of its modular 4.6-liter fuel-injected V8s as used in the Lincoln and created a 6.0-liter DOHC 48 valve, quad-turbo (Garrett T2s) aluminum V-12 -- pumping out 720 horsepower and 660 lb. ft. of torque from its mid-engined power unit. Other hi-tech features included touch-panel entry, passing car sensors, speed-activated air dam and a gorgeous spacious blue oval-colored interior with individual gauge pods and a multi-control center console.

The powerful engine that drove the concept to high-performance heights

First debuted at the 1995 Detroit Auto Show, the Ford GT-90 super car became an instant sensation. On the track, it produced performance numbers in the range of 0 - 100 mph in six seconds and a top speed of 230 mph. If the super or hyper name fits, wear it!

Ford never intended to put the car into production, but the company continued the “New Edge” design through the 2000s on many of its popular production models. Was this just a styling exercise, or did Ford secretly intend to build an exotic super performance hyper-car? I mean a ultra-super-performance-exotic-hyper car like the new Ford GT that can be purchased through special order -- in limited numbers of course ...

Bibliography

Motor Trend, December 1, 1995

Road & Track, April 1995

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of General Motors Heritage Archives, Spotlight Hobbies Inc. and Barrett-Jackson Auction Company
Published 8.20.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Black Hawk Museum and Ruxton Automotive Archives
Published 8.13.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives and General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 8.6.2025

By Jeffrey D. Brasie
Images Courtesy of Checker Motor Cars and the Checker Car Club of America
Published 7.30.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Stellantis Chrysler Archives
Published 7.23.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Heritage Archives
Published 7.16.2025

By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the Robert Tate Collection
Published 7.9.2025

by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of the Ferens Collection
Published 7.2.2025

by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of Ford Motor Company, The Henry Ford, the Ferens Collection and the Nixon Library & Museum
Published 6.25.2025

2025

Remembering the History of the General Motors Tech Center

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Remembering Eugene "Bob" Gregorie: His Most Significant Designs At Ford Motor Co.

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Remembering Vincent Geraci, Automotive Designer

The 1949 Nash was an Entirely New Postwar Design

Remembering the General Motors Class of 1956

Exploring Southwest Detroit's Industrial Legacy

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Gilmore Garage Works: Training the Next Generation

Remembering the 1995 Ford GT-90 Concept

Remembering the Great-Looking 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle

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Bryan Nesbitt Becomes General Motors' 8th Head of Design

Checker Cab's Michigan Connection

The 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt was an Early Concept Model

Remembering the Chevrolet Vega

Inside Facts on the 1951 Studebaker Line

Remembering Racing Engineer Phil Remington

Lincoln for President

Remembering "Mr. Corvette," Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov

Remembering Edsel Ford's Lincoln Designs from the 1940s

Remembering American Motors' Class of 1967

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Remembering the Pontiac Fiero, an Exciting Automobile

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Remembering General Motors' Class of 1967, a Very Good Year

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Remembering the Popular 1970 Chrysler Hurst Edition

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