The short story is Bruce McTrowe bought a 1967 GMC 910 pickup brand new from a Calgary, Alberta Canada General Motors dealership and never sold it.
The longer story is the truck stayed with Bruce for the next 57 years and has become a tie that binds him to his son Travis.
Jim Sutherland
MyStarCollectorCar spotted the McTrowe family heirloom at a car show and were fortunate enough to get the history behind the ‘67 GMC truck from Travis. The truck has become an informal co-ownership between father and son, a family partnership that works very well for the two of them.
The 57-year-old GMC has a 910 designation because it is a Canadian-built ½ ton and was built for sale in Canada during the phase-out period after the 1965 Auto Pact eventually eliminated large automotive tariff barriers between the US and Canada to allow cross-border trade for new vehicles.
Bruce did not check off many boxes in the option list when he bought the ’67 GMC since it was purchased for work purposes, not unlike almost every pickup from that era. The option list includes heavy duty front and rear springs and an AM radio that still works, something MyStarCollectorCar learned after Travis gave a brief demonstration from a distant Golden Oldies station that still exists on the AM band.
Additionally, the truck has extra exterior trim, full wheel covers, plusher door interior door panels, and a padded dash that made it a more deluxe model on the 1967 GMC ½ ton totem pole when Bruce bought it that year.
The truck still has its factory six-cylinder 250 cubic-inch engine and three-on-the-tree manual transmission that will remain in the truck, despite the best efforts of other car guys to convince Bruce and Travis to upgrade the GMC’s powertrain.
That advice falls on deaf ears because neither Bruce nor Travis have any interest in radical upgrades for the truck due to its long history in their family.
Travis also added the truck is not for sale (now or any time in the future for that matter) because of its link to the McTrowe family history. Most wanna-be buyers would immediately yank the factory engine and transmission and replace them with a modern powertrain package, presumably an LS swap in today’s world.
The current factory powertrain is still a solid package for Bruce and Travis, bolstered by the fact Travis drove the truck to the car show and is unafraid to take the trustworthy GMC on the road. He is comfortable at highway speeds behind the wheel of the truck and will continue to enjoy its reliability on the road.
Travis added that he thinks of his dad whenever he gets behind the wheel because Travis spent so many years in the truck as a kid-and now as an adult. In fact, Travis learned how to drive a three-on-the-tree truck with his dad in the GMC and never forgot any of the fond memories he gathered in the GMC.
That is why Travis told MyStarCollectorCar “80 million dollars would not be enough to buy the truck”.
Some vehicles are priceless for car guys, including a 1967 GMC truck that has been in one family since Day One.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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