“Advance Design” Truck Collection

All our past Feature Truck of the Month Series is selected because they have special characteristics unlike any others. This month’s article is not even close to those of our past 220 articles! It was difficult to choose one of the owner’s collection of over 30 Advance Design GM trucks (1947-55). They consisted of very unique body styles, restored and waiting to have this done. So we decided to show them all in one feature truck article.

The owner, Alain Lamaire, and his number one assistant Rene St. Pierre of Kingsey Falls, Quebec have this large Advance Design Series collection. It is probably the largest gathering of these years of trucks in Canada!

Lamaire is a second generation owner of purchasing and reselling scrap paper, plastics, etc. Yes, that can be a very profitable enterprise if managed correctly. When his number one employee Rene retired several years ago, he rehired him part-time to be in charge of this developing new interest, collecting unusual unrestored Advance Design trucks.

How Alain Lamaire began with this Chevy truck is mentioned below!

Rene has also become totally devoted to finding these Chevy trucks throughout North America and has them transported to Quebec. He now hires three part-time specialists – one is a mechanic and two do restorations – such as the cabs, beds, frames, upholstery, etc.

So far, of their 30 trucks, three have been restored and two are in the final finishing stages. See photos. Plans are now to complete two restorations each year! Thus, big projects lay ahead for many years in the future. The following photos will show those completed and the many waiting their turn. No, at this time, none are for sale. It’s being done as a very large hobby. It is so great that Alain and Rene are bringing these Advance Design trucks back to new condition for all of us to enjoy and see how they were about 70 years ago!
Lemaire was born in 1947 so for his 60th birthday he bought himself a 1947 1/2 ton Chevy Truck … nice but not up to par with what he really expected of an original truck…

So an extensive restoration began. The cream and green color theme that he had seen somewhere was used a first time. The green color is really important and meaningful! at the same time, it’s in part the color used by the Paper Company the 3 Lemaire brothers founded in 1964 … and being “green” is a natural way of life for them … his parents having, out of necessity, began recycling glass, metal and specially cardboard while collecting the trash around their hometown. With the recycled cardboard they started making pulp and selling it back to Pulp and Paper Industries. Then after a while in 1964 they bought and old Paper Mill that had been shut down for many years and started making paper out of recycled cardboard instead of wood!!!

Cascades is now a worldwide leader in many sectors of recycled products … cardboard, tissue, plastics…

Here is a list of those in their collection. Very Impressive!

We have restored to date:
1 x 3100 model (1/2ton)
1 x 3600 model (3/4ton)
1 x 3900 model (1ton)
Restoration on the 3100(1/2ton) Chevy Service truck is to be finished in May-June 2021 Next on the list??? … Pick your own!!!!
2 x 3100 (1/2ton) Panel Trucks
1 x 3900 (1 Ton) Panel Truck
2 x 3100 (1/2Ton) Suburban Truck (barn & clamshell doors)
2 x 3100 (1/2Ton) Canopy Express
1 x 3900 (1Ton) Canopy Express 10 Grain trucks (different models ranging from 4100 to 6400, wooden and steel dumper boxes)
4 COE 5700 models, (1 being a 5 window)
1 Chevy Towing 6400 with original Holmes on the back
1 short Chevy & GMC School Buses
1 Chevy Firetruck 6400
1 Chevy “Ice Cream” Truck
1 GMC Water Tanker Truck
… and a couple of donor trucks in pieces …