This was one of a handful of cars that appeared at the 1949 Transportation Unlimited Exhibition at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York — the first post-WWII event at that would eventually become the General Motors Motorama.  The car was considered revolutionary with items like a one-piece wraparound windshield, two-way radio/telephone, first overhead valve V8, and perfume atomizer.  The cost for this one-of-a-kind was reportedly $30,000 — about $290k today.

Later that year, a more chrome laden vehicle went into production minus many of the concept car’s flair (it can be seen in the lower two photos in the gallery at the left.)  Even the wraparound windshield did not appear on Cadillacs until a few years later.

So even though there were a few similar looking cars on the road by the time GM’s CEO Charlie Wilson retired in 1953, receiving this Coupe de Ville concept car as a going away present was still a big deal.  Wilson left the auto giant to become President Eisenhower’s Secretary of Defense, and the bespoke Caddy was his daily driver.

When Wilson left his post in 1957, he reportedly gifted the car to his secretary.  This concept car would have a life on the road, but it eventually ended up in the hands of noted Cadillac collector Steve Plunkett.  “I have many cars but the Coupe de Ville restoration has been the most exciting,” he said.  “This will be the first time in 64 years the oldest surviving Motorama Dream Car will be displayed publicly.”

So all those attending the Amelia Island Concours on March 10th, keep a sharp eye out.  That Coupe de Ville with an interesting windshield is a lot more special than you think.

The Chevrolet carries on the split grille tradition of the brand, using the horizontal chrome bar in the middle as a dividing line for the near-symmetrical front end.  The GMC takes its design language from the Sierra All-Terrain concept truck by having a large grille flanked by a smaller modern headlight arrangement.  Both trucks keep to their squared-off roots right down to the wheel wells.  The appearance does get a bit beefier as these 1500 series pickups borrow bulge cues in the hood and fender flares from their HD bigger brothers.

The idea in trucks is not to reinvent the design wheel with every generation.  Instead, what truck people are looking for is innovation in functionality.  Practical improvements for the 2014 model include a rear bumper with integrated steps, torsion bar aided tailgate, and optional LED lights under the bed rails to illuminate cargo.  GM also is touting the use of more high strength steel, which should mean improved towing capacities when the full specifications are announced next year.

See all the exterior goodies in the video below:

Inside is where these two trucks really had to make up ground with the competition.  The previous generation was functional and durable, but even a cowboy likes a little fashion sometimes.  The plain and barren interior has been replaced on both the GMC and the Chevy with something that looks like it was designed by the same hand that created Volkswagen’s latest Beetle.  We’re not quite sure yet what to make of the octagonal center stack that houses everything from air vents to navigation, but the overall appearance is much more inspired than its predecessor.

The engine choices seem to be a bit streamlined from the 2013 truck.  There will be a 4.3-liter V6 and a choice of 5.3 and 6.2-liter V8 engines — all three motors will reduce to using four cylinders when full power is not needed.  The last generation only offered a 6.2-liter V8 for a few of the top level trucks, but now that the 4.8-liter V8 is no longer offered, the largest gas engine might be pulled in for other duties.

Don’t think that losing its mid-level V8 means GM has taken its eye off fuel economy.  Although no mpg figures have been released yet, we expect the Chevy/GMC twins to do better than their predecessors.  GM has been mentioning during throughout the entire development stage (i.e. as fuel prices kept skyrocketing) that fuel economy was a priority to keep competitive.  The only specifics they gave during the launch was that the front end is engineered to improve sealing for more efficient cooling; an aluminum hood and suspension components for less overall weight; and the roof and tailgate spoiler were shaped in the wind tunnel to smooth airflow over the truck to reduce drag.

We’ll get to see more of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 series trucks when they get their full reveal next month at the Detroit Auto Show.  Production will gear up in the spring at GM’s three facilities in Flint, Michigan; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Silao, Mexico.  These new trucks should be in consumer hands by the summer of 2013.

The European arms of General Motors have not divulged many detail yet, but it is a safe bet this is Astra-based.  Named after the Spanish word for “waterfall”, the four seat soft-top convertible will come in at 185 inches long (same size as the Astra 5-door).

Opel/Vauxhall does not want this to overshadow the Adam’s premiere at the Paris Motor Show later this month, so the new convertible will not be attending.  That means we should see a large publicity stunt premiering the convertible before it hits the European market in early 2013.

As far as plans for the USA, it is extremely doubtful but do-able.  We sell a version of the Astra as the Buick Verano, but by the time the parts (or the entire car) is sent over from Europe the pricing will just make buying an Audi A5 or BMW 335i convertible the sensible choice.

The ex-Peter Pan Futurliner is up for sale on eBay.  This one gets its name from once being owned by the bus service company, and for a brief part of its history was painted in Peter Pan livery.

Futurliners were part of GM’s Parade of Progress, an educational caravan that went across the country in the 1940s and 50s.  These buses would ride through town like the circus gathering attention, and then the massive 16×5’ cargo doors on both sides would open to reveal technology of the future (like microwave ovens.)

This Futurliner is number seven of the twelve total built (nine are known to still exist.)  This bus and many of its siblings exist only because car collector Joe Bortz intervened when he saw five of these buses together on one lot.  That owner had plans to cut the buses in half to create a restaurant, but Bortz bought them all so that they would be sold or given away to those who would preserve the legacy.

Bortz donated Futurliner #10 to the National Automotive and Truck Museum.  Today it is considered to be the most accurate restored example, and here it is in action:

The eBay ad for #7 does do some disclosure on the vehicle, but those who are interested in purchasing will likely discover much more.  For example the engine is listed as a Detroit Diesel 4-71 turbo motor.  This is a replacement for the original 5.0-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine.

Also running a Futurliner is not as easy as laying down a few dollars and driving away.  The front hubs must be well maintained because each side has dual front wheels.  This means that during a turn, the two paired wheels have a different turning ratios, and the hubs allow for correction.

Still, it doesn’t seem like they are trying to pass a lemon off as a peach in this sale.  The auction company has already pointed out some problems with the vehicle, and they don’t seem to be trying to sell this as an all-original Futurliner (the National Automotive and Truck Museum knows how tough it is to make one of those.)  Instead, this is a decent example of a well-maintained nearly one-of-a-kind vehicle that has made some sacrifices over the years to keep it on the road.

How much is Futurliner #7 really worth? Although you can count the number of the known buses left on two hands, the condition seems to really dictate what collectors are willing to pay.  A decent example of one sold for $4 million at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2006, but last May an unrestored example failed to get any bids above $340,000.

Futurliner #7′s condition falls in between these two examples, and it is reflected in the current bid price of over $500k.  It is hard to know how much the owner wants for the bus, but it is likely quite a bit more — the reserve is not yet met and there are still three months to go in the online auction.

Over the past seven years, foreign companies have been given preferential treatment to partner with local Chinese auto companies, including reducing tariffs on imported heavy equipment used in auto manufacturing.  Effective January 30th, the benefits for foreign automakers will come to an end.  While companies with large investments in China like GM and VW have not expressed any fear over the new policy, this may make it harder for them to build new facilities in China.

What also may be taking place here is China may have learned almost all it wants from foreign auto companies.  Over the last seven years this has become a country that has a firm grasp on the knowledge of how to build cars.  That also helps explain why emerging technologies, such as alternative fuels, will continue to receive foreign investment encouragement from the government.

This may be an interesting step by the Chinese government.  Because this is such a heavily protected economy with millions of untapped consumers, China gets to make its own rules (for now).  So as far as automobiles go, this looks like China has let the rest of the world help it through its infancy, and now it is time to see if the baby can walk on its own.

This seems far from fair for anyone used to a free-market economy, but right now China has so many wanting customers that foreign companies are content to play the China’s game.

Of course some of this is just our opinion.  Get all the facts from the full story at Bloomberg.

Sawicki Motors is luring city dwellers out to the western Illinois town of Rochelle by promising to give away free cars if the 7-7 Chicago Bears hold the 13-1 Green Bay Packers from scoring.  The Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac dealer will rebate the full sale price of all eligible vehicles if the Bears hand their heated rivals the gift of a goose egg this Christmas.

The promotion started last Friday and runs through tomorrow.  All cars sold by the dealer during this time qualify until the maximum of $1 million worth of vehicles is met.

Even if the Bears do shut out the Packers, the dealer will not fare too badly.  The amount of free national attention they’ll receive will help offset the hundreds of thousands of dollars lost from free cars (their invoice price and possibly insurance will give the dealer some cushion on not losing a full million.)

Of course this is simply a publicity stunt, and we are doing exactly what the dealer wants by making it into a story.  Still, this has enough of our attention that we’ll happily be here adding even more to the dealer’s hype if the Bears do the (nearly) impossible this weekend.

So just look at this one for what it is, an old school promotional gimmick.  If Sawicki Motors doesn’t have to pay off a week’s worth of cars they’ll probably offer elephant rides next weekend.

Story source: Yahoo Sports    Photo source: GM, Sawicki Motors