GM to auction some historic cars

— -- Some 200 of GM's one-off and historic models will be sold at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., to raise what amounts to pocket change for the struggling giant and to manage GM's fleet of historic and unique vehicles. The auction runs from Sunday through Jan. 18.

The cars for sale don't include the famous Motorama cars of the 1950s, according to Barrett-Jackson's list of cars to be offered.

GM's Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Mich., displays about 200 of the automaker's 1,000 historic or special vehicles. Tom Freiman, center manager, forecasts the sale could generate less than $5 million. GM has been burning through $1 billion or more a month, and borrowed $4 billion last month from the federal government.

"We're trying to get the collection to the right size," Freiman said. "At the end of the day, I think we're going to end up with a better mix of heritage vehicles."

Ken Gross, a classic car collector and author, is glad to see some of GM's stash sold.

"They can't keep them all," Gross says. "If they keep what's significant and let other people have the rest, everybody benefits. Hobbyists get some nice cars, and GM gets a little money."

The vehicles for sale include cars built for use as pace cars for races or made for car shows, including high-performance vehicles made for the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show. GM declined to give a complete list of vehicles to be auctioned, but they include:

•A white Cadillac convertible made for Pope John Paul II. The vehicle has a step-up, throne-like chair and platform that rises and falls via hydraulic lift.

It was blessed by the pope "but deemed unsafe by the security team," according to the auction house's website.

•A 1986 presidential limousine replica that has been in movies such as In the Line of Fire and The American President.