Ain’t nothing worse than an amateur restoration. We’ve all seen cars taken apart and left to rot in a field or garage. Or worse, a “restored” car with a box full of nuts, bolts, and parts that didn’t go back on the car.  I recently saw a social media post in a C3 forum with a member asking how to replace a windshield because “he had never installed one before.”  The collector car market responded years ago by bestowing top value on original, intact cars.

Maybe recent chatter about General Motors will bring us the best of both worlds. It’s rumored that the General might be opening a new division dedicated to the restoration of its iconic past models. Returning your beloved ride to the entity that built it and picking it up factory fresh (with correct parts) would be fantastic. A great resale pitch too, “It was restored by General Motors.”

GM submitted a filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on June 20th for “GM Restoration” that also included a long list of parts like radios, carburetors, tachometers, and other components.

This isn’t anything new. Mercedes and Porsche have offered factory restorations for years. Both companies realized that well-heeled connoisseurs of their brands would pay the price for a correct, fully restored classic. With American cars eclipsing the value of most imported cars these days, maybe GM figures it can make money with a similar operation. GM owns the tooling and rights to over 100 years of parts, engines, and nameplates and it would be a great way to sell more GM Restoration and Chevrolet Performance parts.

This story is based on patent filings so we don’t know what we might see in the future or when it would happen. But, we’ll keep our ear to the ground and keep you posted on any new developments.  If you’re listening GM, documenting factory restorations on a YouTube channel would be something we’d watch.