A 2000 Buick Custom Blackhawk fetched $475,000, and the first-built Corvette 2006 ZO6 took in more than $100,000 as General Motors peddled part of its history last month.

More than 250 cars from GM’s Heritage Fleet went on the block at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., ending Jan. 18 in what GM called routine housekeeping. The Heritage Fleet is made up of 1,000 vehicles.

GM’s cash problems gave car buffs the rare opportunity to buy some of the automaker’s most unique vehicles, giving gearheads an extraordinary chance to own some of the U.S. auto industry’s history. The auction was part of an effort to raise cash for the struggling automaker but also done to manage GM’s fleet of historic vehicles. GM’s Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Mich., had about 200 of the automaker’s 1,000 historic or special vehicles on display.

Tom Freiman, manager of the Heritage Center, estimated the sales would generate less than $5 million. “We’re trying to get the collection to the right size,” Freiman said. “At the end of the day, I think we’re going to end up with a better mix of heritage vehicles.”

The vehicles for sale included cars done to serve as pace cars in races or made for car shows, including high-performance vehicles made for the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show. Cars on the block included:

•A white 1998 Cadillac Brougham convertible made for Pope John Paul II. The vehicle has a throne-like chair and platform that rises and falls by hydraulic lift. It was blessed by the pope but deemed unsafe for his use.

•A 1986 presidential limousine replica that has been in movies such as “In the Line of Fire” and “The American President.”

•A 1925 House Car. It’s an early version of a camper made before RVs became commercially available. It has mahogany trim and maple floors and is built on a Chevrolet 1-ton chassis. No mention of fuel economy.

Less significant cars went for more pedestrian prices. A 2003 Pontiac Sunfire, even though it was listed as a “Custom Coupe X-Plorers Concept,” drew $7,700, according to the Automotive News online magazine/ Likewise, a Tony Stewart Signature Series ’04 Monte Carlo garnered $15,400. A Pontiac Aztek raised only $13,750, despite its status as the “2001 Daytona Pace Car.”