One of the best ways to lead Michigan into the future could be to help the state leverage its automotive past – and the present-day capabilities that past has generated.
That, in a nutshell, is the goal of the Year of the Car, a collaborative effort organized and sponsored by the MotorCities National Heritage Area, an organization dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive heritage of Michigan. The five-month celebration links together more than 100 activities, exhibits and attractions at nearly 60 locations throughout the state.
The Year the Car was created to mark two major centennials coming up this fall. On Sept. 16, 1908, William Durant founded General Motors Corp. Two weeks later, Henry Ford sold his first Model T.
Bill Chapin, a consultant to the MotorCities National Heritage Area, said he hopes the celebration will make people more aware of the auto-related tourism opportunities available in Michigan because "we have a lot to see and a lot to do."
In addition, Chapin said, the Year of the Car will show that the Detroit region is still the auto capital of the world. The celebrations, he said, will remind the business community that the Detroit area is a place where great innovations have emerged – and continue to emerge – in the arenas of automotive design, technology and manufacturing innovation.
"I think reinforcing that we have been at this for 100 years," Chapin said, "reinforces that this is the place to be" for companes that seek to be players in the global automotive industry.
Among the highlights of the Year of the Car will be:
General Motors Corp. is opening up its GM Heritage Center a limited schedule during the Year of the Car celebrations. Not usually open to the public, the center houses a private car collection of hundreds of GM concept cars, production cars and race cars that have been lovingly maintained and restored.
The Henry Ford has created "The Model T Experience,” a series of programs and events that celebrate the car that changed the face of America and the world. Among other things, visitors can hop into a real Model T and take a narrated tour through Greenfield Village.
The GM 100th Anniversary Parade and Car Show in Flint, scheduled for July 18, will feature authentic/original GM vehicles for every year from 1908 to 2008; includes military vehicles (1942-1945) and buses.
GM Wiki: GM is inviting people from around the world to contribute their personal experiences from the company's first 100 years to the Generations of GM Wiki, hosted at GMnext.com.
Rethinking the Model T at the College for Creative Studies: Ford Design staff is challenging Transportation Design students at CCS to develop Model T design concepts that Henry Ford might have created 100 years after he designed the original. Students put themselves in Henry Ford's shoes and create concepts that aim to deliver a similar impact on the automobile industry in 2008 as the original Model T did in 1908.
For a complete listing of everything related to the Year or the Car, click here.
The MotorCities National Heritage Area is an affiliate of the National Park Service.
Additional Year of the Car partners include Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, The Henry Ford, Travel Michigan, and dozens of other organizations.
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One of the best ways to lead Michigan into the future could be to help the state leverage its automotive past – and the present-day capabilities that past has generated.
