A popular myth / urban legend was that the GMC logo stood for the Grabowsky Motor Company, which didn't exist after 1904, here's why:
in 1902 Max Grabowsky sold his first truck to the American Garment Cleaning Company of Detroit.
Later that year, the Grabowsky Motor Vehicle Company was reorganized as Rapid Motor Vehicle Company in 1904
Named for the serendipitously named street their new assembly factory was located at, Rapid Street, abutting the Grand Trunk Western Railroad tracks on the south side of Pontiac, Michigan. The Rapid Street Plant was the nucleus of what would become the Pontiac West Assembly complex.
By 1904, Rapid would turn out 75 trucks from the factory in Pontiac.
During 1908, General Motors founder William C. Durant began buying up Rapid's stock and the company soon found itself being represented by GM's sales force. GM was growing quickly and brought Rapid fully under the corporate umbrella in 1909 - the year that a Rapid truck made headlines by climbing to the top of Pike's Peak.
The GMC logo - which stands for General Motors Truck Company - was first seen on trucks in 1912.
After reading this whenever I see a GMC I will think Grabowsky Motor Co. The myth is more interesting than the reality. As the editor of the Shinbone Gazette said, Print the Legend.
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