At General Motors (GM), one father-son duo perfectly represents the company’s century-long story. Kevin Kirbitz works as GM’s chief historian, preserving its past, while his son, Michael, is an engineer building its electric future. This is the story of the Kirbitz family.

Kevin Kirbitz remembers riding with his mom to drop off his dad, an hourly operator, for his shift at a GM plant in Flint, Michigan. For Kevin, whose mother also worked in public relations for the company for 22 years, General Motors was more than just a local employer. As he says, “I grew up GM. Being in a GM family painted my whole outlook on life.”

Kevin (left) and Michael (right) pulled out the family’s old 1978 Buick Skyhawk to get it running for the Buick centennial celebration. (2003)

That upbringing led him to his current role as GM’s chief historian, where he manages the company’s heritage operations from Factory One, the very birthplace of GM. He is surrounded by the physical history of the company that shaped his family. That same passion was passed down to his own son, Michael Kirbitz.

Cars have always been a family passion. Here, two-year-old Michael Kirbitz takes the wheel of a red race car bed for his birthday. (1992)

Michael’s inspiration to join the company came from a “take your child to work day” event with his father. “I remember getting to see behind the scenes of automotive engineering,” Michael recalls, “I remember being totally wowed by the entire process and wanting to be a part of it.” After college, he briefly looked at other jobs, but his interest in GM’s products brought him back.

Baby Kevin (center) with his mother Leona (left), who worked for GM Public Relations for 22 years, and his mother’s aunt Anna (right) who worked for Buick in the 1920s.

Today, Michael is an engineer working on GM’s new generation of electric trucks, including the Silverado EV, Hummer EV, and Escalade IQ. “Given my family history with GM, it’s wild to see how we’ve come full circle with my current role in battery electric trucks,” he says. While they share a love for the company, their personal tastes show a friendly divide. Kevin’s favorite car is a classic 1949 Buick Roadmaster Riviera, while Michael, a “muscle car person,” picks a ’69 Camaro, alongside the new EV trucks he helps design.

(Left to right) Michael Kirbitz (12 years at GM), Richard Kirbitz (42 years at GM), and Kevin Kirbitz (nearly 46 years at GM) — a true family legacy. (2013)

The Kirbitz family story, spanning more than a century, offers a simple look at how a passion for cars can be passed down from one generation to the next. From a father who preserves GM’s rich past to a son who is engineering its electric future, their journey reflects the evolution of the company itself.