In 1908, William C. Durant established General Motors with one goal - to build a variety of vehicles that could serve not only the rich but also the ordinary working American. It didn't take long for Durant to achieve his goal, as GM was selling millions of vehicles by the '50s. With iconic brands like Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, and Oldsmobile under its wing, GM eventually became the largest manufacturer in the world and led global sales for decades.

RELATED: Ranking The Fastest Muscle Cars Ever Produced By GM (& 1 Mopar That Beats Them All)

Throughout its history, GM has built many iconic models, including the Chevy Corvette, Camaro, Pontiac GTO, and many more. But, for every well-known GM model, there are countless others that most gearheads have never heard of. Let's explore ten of the best GM models most gearheads don't know about.

10 GM EV1

GM EV1 parked outside
Via abcnews.go.com

Over the last decade, Tesla has established itself as the leading EV manufacturer in the world. This isn't surprising, as Tesla makes some of the most popular EVs on the market today. However, contrary to popular belief, Tesla didn't build the first mass-produced EV. GM did when it introduced the EV1 almost three decades ago.

GM EV1
Via digitaltrends.com

The GM1 caused a stir when it debuted in 1996. It had an unusual design and was powered by one electric motor producing 137 hp. Only, 1117 EV1s were made, and GM would later order them destroyed, which is why it's hard to spot one today, with only a couple escaping that crushing fate.

9 Pontiac Grand Prix ASC McLaren

1989 Pontiac Grand Prix ASC-McLaren Turbo
Via BaT

Before McLaren started building high-performance supercars of its own, the British marque used to partner with other manufacturers to build special versions of production cars. The Grand Prix ASC McLaren is one such car.

Pontiac Grand Prix ASC McLaren
Via BaT

The ASC McLaren started as a Pontiac Grand Prix Coupe, but instead of a boring four-cylinder engine, it had a 205-hp 3.1-liter turbocharged V6 engine tuned by McLaren. Less than 750 ASC McLarens exist. ​​​​​​​

8 Cadillac XLR

2009-Cadillac-XLR-V-Sports-Car
Via: BringaTrailer

In the early 2000s, Cadillac wanted to build a more luxurious version of the Corvette, resulting in the XLR. The XLR was based on the C6 Corvette but had a unique design and many premium features, including heated seats, keyless entry, a color touchscreen, wood trim, and more. ​​​​​​​

RELATED: Here Are The 10 Greatest Cadillacs Ever Made

2009 Cadillac XLR-V Luxury Roadster
Via: BringaTrailer

While the XLR looked great, it didn't have the power to match when compared to the Corvette it was based on. It was powered by a 4.6-liter V8 producing 320 hp - a lot less than the Vette's 400 hp. ​​​​​​​

7 Chevrolet SSR

Front 3/4 view of a blue SSR
Chevrolet

The SSR is a car that often leaves people wondering; what the heck is that? This car has one of the wildest designs we've ever seen and is described as a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck. ​​​​​​​

The rear of the SSR in blue
Chevrolet

Things got even crazier when you looked under the hood. The SSR was equipped with the same 6.0-liter V8 used in the C6 Corvette. With an output of 390 hp, the SSR needed just over 5 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph.

6 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon
Via: Cadillac

In 2008, Cadillac introduced the CTS Sport Wagon to attract gearheads looking for more practicality. While the CTS Sport Wagon was great, it was quite underpowered. As such, Cadillac went back to the drawing board and developed one of the greatest American sleeper cars ever - the CTS-V Wagon.

2012 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Cropped
Via mecum.com

The CTS-V Wagon looked harmless from the outside, but it had a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under the hood, cranking out 556 hp. Some sports cars couldn't keep up with it. ​​​​​​​

5 Buick Reatta

Buick Reatta - Front
via Mecum Auctions

While other top GM brands were making a name for themselves in the muscle and sports car markets of the post-war era, Buick was left behind making slow, boring cars. However, in the late '80s, Buick decided to improve its image by building its first-ever two-seater - the Reatta. ​​​​​​​

Buick Reatta
via Mecum

The Reatta was impressive - it had an awesome wedge-shaped design featuring pop-up headlights and had some of the most advanced technologies at the time, including a CRT touchscreen and digital gauges. Sadly, a weak powerplant led to poor sales. ​​​​​​​

4 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega

Black 1975 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega Parked Outside
via Mecum

The Chevrolet Vega is widely considered to be one of the worst GM cars ever. It had an unsightly design, underpowered engine, and was extremely unreliable. Thankfully, Chevy decided to build a special Vega variant that would impress gearheads - the result was the Cosworth Vega. ​​​​​​​

RELATED: These Are The Coolest Cars With A Cosworth-Developed Engine

Black 1975 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega Parked Outside
via Mecum 

As the name suggests, this car was developed with the help of Cosworth. It was powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four engine producing 110 hp - doesn't sound like much, but it was plenty for a car built in the '70s.​​​​​​​

3 Cadillac Allanté

Cadillac Allante: The luxurious sports car.
via: Wikipedia

Back in the '80s, Cadillac wanted to build a new model to help maintain its position as the top luxury carmaker in the US. Cadillac's plan was simple: to merge European design with American performance. That's how the Allante came to be. ​​​​​​​

1990 Cadillac Allanté Convertible Sports Car In Black
Via: BringaTrailer

Cadillac started by hiring Pininfarina to design the Allante, and the Italians didn't disappoint, as it turned out to be a beauty. Unfortunately, since the Allante's body had to be shipped from Italy, it was too expensive and had to be discontinued. ​​​​​​​

2 Saturn Sky Redline

2008 Saturn Sky Redline Sports Car
Via: Mecum

The 21st century didn't start well for GM brands, particularly Saturn. Saturn had a terrible 2000s decade, full of financial problems and underperforming models. To save itself, Saturn introduced the Sky in 2006. ​​​​​​​

2008 Saturn Sky Redline Edition Sports Car
Via: Mecum

The Sky impressed many with its design, but it was too slow, prompting Saturn to introduce the Redline version. The Sky Redline looked just as good as the base model, but has a better engine - a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 260 hp on tap. ​​​​​​​Sadly, the Redline couldn't save Saturn.

1 Oldsmobile Toronado

1968 Oldsmobile Toronado--Mecum
Via Mecum

When asked to name an Oldsmobile muscle car, most gearheads will immediately think of the 442. However, Oldsmobile had another awesome muscle car that many gearheads don't remember - the Toronado. ​​​​​​​

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Classic Car
Via: Mecum Auctions

The Toronado debuted in 1966 and was intended to compete against the Ford Thunderbird and Buick Riviera. The top-of-the-range Toronado was powered by a massive 7.5-liter Rocket V8 producing up to 400 hp, making it a beast.