From the days of world domination

• 

Any idea how many cars there are in the world? Our friends at Google say there are over 1.2 billion, and while we presume the majority of them being Whiner 1300 GTXs and Killjoy DeLuxes, we wondered if the major player would still be General Motors? This question was raised after we found that GM reached a milestone on 21 April, 1967. On that very day the 100 millionth US-built GM-car rolled from the production line in Janesville, Wisconsin. It was a Chevrolet Caprice Custom Coupe, like the one seen above, albeit without the lady on top.

1967 was a remarkable year for the American automaker. GM employed around 740,000 people at the time, making it not just the largest motor manufacturer in the world but also the largest company. Its 50 millionth car had been built just 12 years earlier, while its market share in the US reached a peak at over 50%. It makes you wonder how many of those Caprice Custom Coupes are still around, almost 50 years later. The celebration car can still be found in GM’s own museum in Flint, but the days of world domination are long gone now.

(Words Jeroen Booij, picture courtesy Chevrolet)

Kommentar abgeben...