The Rapid company was founded by the brothers Max and Morris Grabowsky; the sons of William Grabowsky and Rosalia Fink. William Grabowsky, the father , was born Aug 11, 1836 in Geabow, Prussia and died Jan 21, 1920 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michiagn, he was the son of Simon Joshua Grabowsky and Bertha Krolik, William came to the U. S. in 1861, by 1865 he was in Detroit , Wayne County, Michigan, where he married hi wife Rosalia Fink, who was born in Dec 1845 at Kempen, Prussia and died Jul 2, 1890 in Clay, St. Clair County, Michigan. She was the daughter of Morris Fink. William Grabowsky own a dry goods store in Detroit. In 1880 William's occupation was listed as a peddler, by 1880 he is the owner of a millinery store. In the 1900 census of Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, William is living with his son Morris, and is listed as having his own income. Wiliam and Rosalia had the following children; Lena, Olga, Morris, Max, Joseph, Sidney and Irvin. William and Rosalia Grabowsky are both buried in Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan. Two of their sons went on to start the Rapid Vehicle Company.

Both of the brothers, having some experience with business, for their father owned a dry goods store in the City of Detroit, they decided to get into building the new motor car. They knew others that were building motor cars at that time, they decided to build something different, a vehicle that could haul heavy loads. In the early 1890's, Max Grabowsky, started working on a power wagon. He built one, kept adding improvements until he was ready to start manufacturing them. They built a truck in 1900 under the name of the Grabowsky Motor Company, with the top speed of about 10 mph. That first truck was sold to the American Garment Cleaning Company. The company reorganized in 1902 as the Rapid Motor Vehicle company. By 1903 the brothers needed a larger factory to build their trucks. With some help from the Pontiac Spring Works, in Pontiac Michigan, they produced their truck at that plant, until a new 35,000 square foot factory was complete in 1905. The factory was built on Rapid St. in Pontiac, Michigan, with an electric power plant across the street. At the time the factory was built, it was thought to be the largest truck factory in the world. In 1904 they produced about 75 trucks out of the factory, at the Pontiac Spring Works, having about 20 different varieties being produced. Besides trucks, the company produced what at the time was considered to be a bus. in 1908, The company made plans to erect a new building 300 feet long and 100 feet wide, three stories high, as an addition to its current plant, with the intent to produce trucks with a five ton capacity. In Aug. 1907. Max Grabowsky resigned his position with the Rapid company and returned to Detroit, afterwhich he incorporated his latest ideas in a truck, and organized a company that bore his name , the Grabowski Power Wagon Company. This factory was at 112 Champlain St. in Detroit. In 1910 a new four story factory was built at 1801 Mt Elliott St. In 1912 the company failed and in 1913 the factories were sold off. In 1908 William Durant, the founder of General Motors, had his eye on a couple of production plants in Pontiac, the Rapid plant was one of them. In 1909 William Durant purchased the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, and it became part of the new General Motors Company. In 1911 the last Rapid rolled off the line, its name was changed to General Motors Truck, which bore the name of GMC. The Rapid plant became known in this area, as GM plant #1, the plant produced trucks for almost 75 years. Around 1970, the north east part of the plant had been demolished, the remaining part, from what I have been told, it was turned into a storage facility. If I remember correctly, the rest of the old Rapid plant was razed in 1987-88. Today the site is owned by the M1 Concourse.

1902 Rapid truck frame

1905 Rapid truck with a pay load of 3000 lbs. Two forward speeds, one reverse.
Max speed 18 mph.

The 1940 image is much what the building looked like when William Durant purchased it. The square building at the top of the images, toward the left side, is the old electric power plant the Grabowsky's had built, that building is still standing in 2022. The large section of the plant, that is located at the bottom of the images, was part of the Wilson Foundry, which later General Motors purchased, as well as the land south of the plant, not pictured, which General Motors built two more assembly plants. between 1964 and 1973 the northeast part of the plant had been razed. By 1980 the two additions on the left side of the images had been taken down, and as stated above, the remaining buildings were removed between 1987-88.