Before minivans existed GM built this futuristic fwd V8 concept with gullwing doors
Published on Jun 14, 2025 at 7:16 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jun 11, 2025 at 6:58 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Back in the mid-1950s General Motors built the futuristic-looking front-wheel-drive L’Universelle, which came with gullwing doors and was powered by a V8 engine.
The concept vehicle was unveiled at the 1955 General Motors Motorama.
Launched years before GM would create its first minivan, L’Universelle was a bit of a trailblazer.
As well as boasting a striking design, the van was highly configurable, making it the ideal choice for a whole range of roles – but things didn’t quite work out like that.
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The 1950s and 1960s were a glorious time for off-the-wall concept vehicles, like the OSI Silver Fox, which resembled a catamaran on wheels, or the 1967 AMC Amitron EV, which was recently discovered in a barn.
However, several years before either of those concepts made their way onto the drawing board, GM was working on the GMC L’Universelle.
The van looked drastically different from anything GM was making at the time; in fact, it looked drastically different from anything anyone was making at the time.
It was given the name L’Universelle, which translates from French into English as ‘the universal’, due to its highly customizable nature.
GM hoped that the L’Unviverselle could find itself well suited to a range of different customers’ wants and needs.
This was also why GM opted for a front-wheel-drive setup, as it kept the drivetrain out of the way and left the entire back of the vehicle free to be swapped around and changed up.
Designers at General Motors also decided to fit it with vertically-opening gullwing doors on both sides and the back of the L’Universelle.
It was also given a cool wrap-around windshield and some neat round headlamps.
Its design wasn’t the only thing that made it stand out, though, as L’Universelle was also – somewhat unusually – fitted with a 4.7-liter V8 engine.
Under normal conditions, that GM V8 would have produced around 180 horsepower, but the concept vehicle didn’t actually drive, so spec details are unknown.
Unfortunately, much like the L’Universelle itself, the project was a non-starter.
After popping up a handful of shows and events, GM decided to quietly drop the L’Universelle, which seems like a bit of a shame to us, because you have to admit, it’s an exceptionally cool-looking van.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
