Page 7 - Summer 2018 GMC Vintage RVing

The Trans Am Territory design was updated by Schninella in 1978 to more accurately reflect that year’s new hood bird which debuted on Y88 Ams.It is seen here on a participant windshield decal.It has been noted that expensive signage was produced but unfortunately was taken as souvenirs from early events which was replaced with less expensive cardboard versions.Merchandise from the Trans Am Territory program.So, what happened to the Trans Am Traveler?GMCMH Historian Bill Bryant was able to question his friendDick Balsley, who worked for GM for years. Dick made decisions as to what vehicles might be restored for the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He found the Trans Am Traveler at the GMC proving grounds in the weeds, about to be scrapped.Thanks to Dick, the GMC Motorhome was restored at Cinnabar. (Just in time, someone showed up with a scrap ticket, and Dick had to make the ticket “go away” to save the motorhome.)The intent with its restoration was not to replicate the original Pontiac Trans Am Traveler vehicle but develop a beautifully restored GMC Motorhome that could be used for various displays and showings. So, if you have seen it at a GMCMI convention or at the GM Heritage Center where it now resides, it will not look like the pictures that accompany the article. But, thankfully, we are able to celebrate the fascinating history of this unique vehicle through documentation from the past and historians such as Dick Balsley and Bill Bryant.Restored Trans Am Travler at the 2003 GMCMI International Convention in Goshen, Indiana.Editor’s Note: A special thank you to Smoke Signals, the official publication of the Pontiac-Oakland Club International and its support for the use of the photography, etc. to make this feature possible. Additional research was conducted reviewing internet resources, magazine articles, GMC Historian Bill Bryant’s Archives, etc.If you have additional information and/or photos to contribute to the story, please forward to [email protected] 2018 GMC MOTORHOMES INTERNATIONAL 7Scott A. ScheelScott A. Scheel