GM History

[Bruce Nunnally]

Nice GM history summary in the Detroit News.

Perhaps the toughest Body by Fisher?

A Sherman M-4 tank is fitted with tracks at a Fisher Body plant in 1942. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941, GM converted plants for the nation's war machine with remarkable speed. Fisher Body factory #1 in Flint produced its last car body in January 1942 and 16 days later started assembly of M-4s. The first tank was completed 47 days later. (General Motors Corp.)

The Coachbuilt site has a detailed history of Fisher Body

[Cadillac Jim]

General Motors has been the leader in automotive technology for over 100 years. A few examples

• Interchangeable parts; standard threads and bolts.
• The internally balanced V8.
• The enclosed body.
• Hydraulic brakes.
• The automatic transmission.
• The modern, thin-wall casting, hydraulic valve lifter, OHV V8.
• Disc brakes.
• On-Board Diagnostics.
• Seat Belts; Air Bags.
• OnStar and all that this implies.
• ABS. Traction Control, Computer-aided stability (Stabilitrak)...

All but the last of these are required of cars sold in the USA today, and computer-aided stability will be soon.

Anyone who came up with any of these - in a mass-produced automobile available to anyone at their local USA dealer - please accept my apologies, and respond here with corrections.

One last innovation, the assembly ine -- Ransom E Olds implemented this in 1901; Henry Ford improved on it in 1903 in a company that woulld eventually part ways with Henry over goals for the product and rename itself Cadillac.

[winterset]

Let's not forget the electric starter.

Although it's a shame Cadillac wasn't the first to invent self-parking. -Lexus beat us to that one. It's the new sensation you know