General Motors is helping restore VIN 212, the only GM EV1 electric car ever sold to a private owner. Billy Caruso bought the car at a court-ordered auction for $104,000 in 2025. A team of enthusiasts now plans to return it to driving condition by November 2026, in time for the EV1’s 30th anniversary.
Why This Matters
GM leased about 1,000 EV1s starting in late 1996. The company never sold them. When the lease program ended, GM recalled and crushed nearly every one. A handful survived as disabled display pieces in museums and universities. VIN 212 is the only EV1 with a private title, making it the rarest electric car in the world.
For years, GM’s official position was clear: the company would never help anyone put an EV1 back on the road. This restoration marks a complete reversal of that stance. It also comes 20 years after the documentary that drew global attention to the EV1 program’s cancellation.
How VIN 212 Survived
The car was found in a Georgia impound lot in rough shape. A court order put it up for auction, where Billy Caruso won the bid at $104,000. That sale made history as the first time a GM EV1 was legally transferred to a private buyer.
Caruso teamed up with his father Big Mike, fellow enthusiasts Daren and Freddie Murrer, and Jared Pink. Pink runs Questionable Garage, a YouTube channel known for deep engineering-focused car restorations. Together they launched Project V212 with one goal: make this EV1 drive again.
GM President Mark Reuss Steps In
When Questionable Garage started posting restoration videos, GM President Mark Reuss took notice. Reuss has a personal connection to the EV1. His father, former GM President Lloyd E. Reuss, played a key role in the original EV1 program.
Reuss reached out to the team and offered full factory support. GM invited the Questionable Garage crew to its Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. There, GM’s design fabrication team carefully pulled parts from a donor EV1, VIN 159, for the restoration. GM Heritage Center experts Adam King and Kevin Kirbitz joined the effort alongside GM engineers Kurt Kelty and Andy Oury.
GM is also working on its own project: recommissioning EV1 No. 1, the very first unit built. The company has embraced the EV1’s legacy rather than running from it. This shift comes as other EV programs face setbacks across the industry.
The GM EV1 Was Ahead of Its Time
The EV1 launched in 1996 with technology that would not become common for decades. It used heat pumps for climate and battery management, blended regenerative and friction braking, fully by-wire controls, low-rolling-resistance tires, and an aluminum space frame chassis. Many of these features now appear in modern EVs. Understanding how hybrid and electric powertrains compare to gas engines shows just how far ahead the EV1 was.
Former GM CEO Rick Wagoner later called the decision to kill the EV1 his worst business decision. The program’s cancellation became one of the most debated moments in automotive history.
What Happens Next
The Project V212 team is working toward a November 2026 deadline. That date marks 30 years since GM first put the EV1 on public roads. Software is one of the biggest challenges, and GM is helping with that too.
If the restoration succeeds, VIN 212 will become the only roadworthy EV1 in the world. The project is being documented on the Questionable Garage YouTube channel. GM continues to invest in its broader lineup as well, with new Corvette models and updated Chevy crossovers hitting the market.
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