[David_Hayward (RIP)]

1. Background: General Motors Peninsular S.A. was officially closed on 18 July 1936, and then on 30 July the premises in Barcelona [HQ Madrid] were taken over by the Catalan Government. The staff left for France 14 August 1936 in the early evening.
2. The plant was then taken over by the Republicans and spare chassis were then used as we know to provide armoured trucks. Then production commenced under Government control under a new name which escapes me!
3. After Franco's victory in 1939 it appears, though not stated in the GMOO 1944 book, that GM re-entered the Plant and production re-commenced for a short time. In the early part of 1942 the small intermitent volume, the '44 book says. from the Lisboa branch of GMOO did not justify its existence and so on 31 December 1942 liquidation proceedings were completed.

I am conjecting that in 1940 despite the exchange control problems and the ruined economy that GM Peninsular assembled Chevrolet and GMC trucks imported through Lisboa. Those Chevrolets are 1940 Models without doubt. However the GMC has me foxed, or did until I looked up my GMC Parts List for US Government trucks. Now, despite what may have been thought GMC retained the '40 style front end for heavy trucks into 1941 and 1942, and the '41-on Chevrolet style front end was not universal. I believe the GMC is a 1941 CC-453, with military style front bumper. The 1940 Model was the AC-453 ..157 3/4 " w.b. as against the CC-453 159 3/4" but I may be wrong! The reference to 'GENERAL MOTORS TRUCK' indicates civilian style. However I cannot find my drawings of heavy duty '40-42 GMCs so cannot confirm whether the truck is a '40 or '41 Model.

I am gobsmacked that we have proof here that GM did indeed import trucks in the 1940-42 period and yet the official wartime history is silent on the point.

On reflection it makes sense to me that the US Government may have been keen to allow the impression that the trucks were post-war 'aid' rather than imported through the back door in 1940-41.