It’s a auto collector’s dream: Heads of international auto museums gathering in the Motor City for the first time, and mingling with descendents of Michigan’s great auto pioneers.
Great grandchildren and other relatives of Fords, Fishers, Lelands (Lincoln and Cadillac founders), Buicks, Chryslers and more all were gathered at the Henry Ford on Oct. 13 to meet auto enthusiasts from Great Britain, Korea, Australia and beyond.
The event capped off the six-day World Forum for Motor Museums, which gave delegates representing more than a dozen countries and even more states a chance to explore the Motor city’s automotive treasures.
That so many people worldwide are so excited about automobiles is “a testament to the industry,” says Edsel Ford II, great-grandson of Henry Ford.
Debbie Fisher Dingell, a member of the “Body By Fisher” family, says it’s important to preserve and study the history of the automobile, because the car industry is a reflection of our artistry and our ingenuity. “It’s a reflection of so many aspects of our culture, and it’s those same qualities that are going to keep being the driving force of the auto industry.”
Mark Pischea, executive director of MotorCities National Heritage Area and host of the forum, says having the auto pioneers’ families there “reinforces a connection between today’s industry and where we came from.”
Detroit was the perfect place to host such a forum, because the city has been at the center of the auto industry for more a hundred years, Pischea says.
For more on the forum or MotorCities National Heritage Area, go to http://www.autoheritage.org/
Source: Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey, Model D Media
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