GMC

The GMC Division of General Motors LLC is a brand under the General Motors Co., founded in 1908, that specializes in large trucks, vans, buses and even some military vehicles. The Rapid Motor Vehicle Co., a farm and commercial truck company originally founded by brothers Max and Morris Grabowsky, was the base upon which GMC trucks were founded.

Reliance Motor Car is another company that was acquired by GM and was also a key contributor to the first GMC trucks.

While they were originally known as “GMC Trucks,” the company is now branded on-vehicle as simply “GMC,” and has been since 1996. The Chevy pickup truck and the one made by GMC have looked virtually identical for years with the exception of the trim and the grille occasionally. Perhaps this is because William Durant, a key player in the General Motors Co., was ousted and went on to found Chevrolet.

Particularly comparable models are the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy, and the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Today, GMC and Chevrolet are often even manufactured in the same plants.

GMC trucks played a prominent role in World War I when more than 90 percent of their truck production went directly to the wartime effort. In World War II, they provided more than 6,000 trucks. Originally, GMC trucks were sold mainly for commercial use, but later on they became more commonplace for the typical consumer.

Noncommercial vehicles manufactured by GMC are often sold in Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac dealerships, while Chevrolet vehicles are typically sold through their own dealerships.

Throughout the years, there have been several models of GMC trucks. Following is a brief rundown of the most popular GMC trucks throughout the years. You’ll see the evolution and innovation just by looking at the names alone.

The 1902 Rapid started it all off, followed by the 1913 GMC 2 Ton Pickup, the 1927 GMC Cab Chassis Two Ton Tanker, the 1936 GMC Half Ton Pickup that was strong enough to carry a horse, the 1948 GMC FC101 Half Ton ST SP 715, 1955 GMC 100 Series Deluxe ST CT208, 1960 GMC Model 1000 Half Ton Wideside ST, 1976 GMC 2500 Sierra Classic 3+3 Crew Cab Wideside, 1988 GMC C1500 Sierra SLE Extended Cab Wideside, and last, but anything but least, the GMC Denali, which has strongly positioned itself in the luxury pickup truck market.