Which 1980s classic are you taking for a weekend drive? 🚘📻 Cast your vote below and tell us why in the comments! 👇 #MotorCitiesNHA #AutoHeritage #80sCars #PureMichigan #MadeInMichigan #CarCulture

Engineered for performance, crafted in Lansing! 🏎️💨 Built at Lansing Grand River Assembly, the @Cadillac CT5 carries forward Michigan’s proud legacy of luxury automotive manufacturing. Discover more Michigan auto heritage: motorcities.org 🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #MadeInMichigan #Lansing #PureMichigan #AutoHeritage

#OTD in 1864, John Dodge was born in Niles, Michigan. He and his brother Horace grew up working on marine engines in their father's machine shop. In 1901, Ransom Olds approached the Dodge Brothers about building transmissions for his fledgling auto manufacturing company. The Dodge's early success and quality products caught the eye of Henry Ford, who offered them the opportunity to supply parts for @Ford Motor Company. The brothers broke their contract with Olds to work with Ford, ultimately becoming large shareholders in the company. By 1913, the Dodge Brothers' Ford stock had grown in value to $50 million, and they felt confident enough to stop supplying Ford and produce their own cars starting the next year. The first @Dodge models proved to be strong sellers and almost challenged Ford for domestic market share. Unfortunately, the Dodge Brothers wave of success came to a tragic end in 1920, when both became sick with influenza and pneumonia after attending an auto expo in New York City. John died on January 14, and Horace died in December of the same year. #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

Under Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, @chevrolet unleashed a true factory racer: the legendary L88 Corvette! 🏎️🔥 Conservatively rated at 430 HP, its 427 CI big-block actually churned out 500-600 HP. Only 216 were built from 1967–1969. Read our #StoryoftheWeek on these incredible cars here: motorcities.org/story-of-the…🗺️📍 Images courtesy of Ferens collection, Mecum Auctions and Yenko. #MotorCitiesNHA #Corvette #AutoHeritage #MadeInMichigan #PureMichigan

#OTD in 1989, Charles Plank, co-inventor of a process that dramatically increased the efficiency of gasoline production, died at the age of 73. Plank was born in Calcutta, India to American Methodist missionary parents. As a child, he and his family returned to the US, settling in Lafayette, IN. Plank attended Purdue University, receiving a B.S. in chemistry, mathematics, and physics in 1936 and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1942. While researching catalysts for Mobil Oil in the 1950s, Plank (pictured at right) and his chemical engineer partner Edward Rosinski (left) explored an idea to use zeolite, a porous clay-like material that contains microscopic channels approximately the same size as the desired hydrocarbon length for gasoline. The superior activity and selectivity of the zeolite catalysts produced dramatically higher gasoline yields. The process was patented in 1964. By the mid-1980s, around 35 percent of US gasoline was produced from zeolite catalytic cracking, saving the country an estimated 200 million barrels of oil per year. Today this process is now used in every major oil refinery in the world, saving consumers billions of dollars a year while extending the Earth's precious oil reserves. #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

Next Wednesday, November 4th, discover how Michigan became the "Arsenal of Democracy" during WWII! 🇺🇸✈️ Join returning speaker Wendy Zielen as she explores FDR & Eleanor Roosevelt’s historic connections to Michigan, Willow Run's wartime power, the WASP, and the Tuskegee Airmen. Learn more: miflightmuseum.org/event/his… 🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #ArsenalOfDemocracy #WWII #MichiganHistory #WillowRun #AutoHeritage #PureMichigan

#ThrowbackThursday: Debuting for 1970, the @chevrolet Monte Carlo set the standard for personal luxury with its long hood, formal roofline, and standard V8 power! 🚘💼 Explore Michigan auto heritage: motorcities.org 🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #AutoHeritage #MadeInMichigan #PureMichigan

#OTD in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act, which sought to limit billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising, as well as junkyards and other roadside messes, along America’s interstate highways. The act also funded local efforts to clean up and landscape green spaces on the sides of the roads. The law was championed by first lady Lady Bird Johnson. Cleaning up city parks, removing ugly advertisements, planting flowers and screening junkyards from view, she thought, would make the country a better place not only to look at but to live. Many urban activists, along with others who were starting to think about the nation’s poor environmental policies, supported Mrs. Johnson’s efforts. In contrast, business groups and advertisers lined up against the bill. Lobbyists for the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and their allies watered down the highway-beautification bill significantly. Companies forced to remove billboards were compensated by the government, and the law’s enforcement provisions were weak. (Photo: LBJ Presidential Library & Museum) #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

Join Karen Marzonie, Senior Director of Gardens & Grounds at Fair Lane, for an inside look at the history & restoration of Henry & Clara Ford’s historic estate landscape! 🌿🏛️ Reserve your seat today before tickets sell out! 🎟️👇 Discover more information here: motorcities.org/events/growi…🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #FairLane #Dearborn #AutoHeritage #PureMichigan

#TripTuesday: Looking for an unforgettable day trip in Macomb County? 🚘🎶 Head to Stahls Motors & Music Experience in Chesterfield! Explore dozens of rare Brass Era automobiles alongside incredible automated musical instruments and pipe organs. Plan your visit: motorcities.org 🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #PureMichigan #AutoHeritage #MadeInMichigan

#OTD in 1883, Karl Probst, an American engineer, was born in West Virginia. A 1906 graduate of the @OhioState University, he is credited with the design of the first prototype "Jeep" for the U.S. Army in 1939 and 1940. #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

#MadeInMichigan: On September 16, 1908, Billy Durant founded @GM in Flint, MI! 🚘🏢 By uniting @Buick, Oldsmobile, @Cadillac & Oakland, GM built a multi-brand empire that revolutionized the global auto industry. Discover more history: motorcities.org 🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #AutoHeritage #Flint #PureMichigan

#OTD in 1933, R. Buckminster Fuller, American inventor, applied for a patent for what he called his "Dymaxion Car." The word Dymaxion was coined by Fuller as a combination of “dynamic,” “maximum,” and “ion.” The pod-shaped car itself was three-wheeled and 20 feet long, capable of carrying 11 passengers and traveling up to 120 miles per hour while getting 30 miles out of a gallon of fuel. The Dymaxion's unique style made it a real attention grabber, but the single rear wheel could make handling difficult at higher speeds. The interest extended to investors, but in the same month that Fuller applied for the patent, one of the Dymaxion prototypes was involved in an accident that killed the driver. The incident scared off investors and prevented the project from moving forward. (Image: Chicago History Museum/Getty Images) #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

#OTD in 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, declared their decision to cut oil exports to the United States and other countries who provided assistance to Israel during the recent Yom Kippur War. This action triggered the end of the era of cheap gasoline, as well as one of the worst recessions in US history. By the time OPEC ended the embargo in March 1974, the price of gas nationally had increased from 38 cents to 84 cents/gallon. Another consequence of the oil embargo was a dramatic uptick in sales of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Since American automakers were still making big, heavy gas-guzzlers, demand for their models declined significantly enough that a change in product development strategy was necessary. #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

Did you know the iconic 1966 TV Batmobile started as a real Ford concept car? 🦇🚘 Customizer George Barris acquired Ford’s $250,000 Lincoln Futura concept for $1, transforming its fins and bubble canopies into TV's most famous ride. Explore the 85-year evolution of the Batmobile: motorcities.org/story-of-the… 🗺️📍 Images courtesy of Ford Motor archives and the Batmobile website. #MotorCitiesNHA #AutoHeritage #FordHistory #PureMichigan

#OTD in 1958, @chevrolet began to sell a car-truck hybrid called the El Camino. Made to challenge the @Ford Motor Company's Ranchero, introduced two years earlier, the El Camino was a sedan-pickup combo built on the Impala body, including its signature “cat’s eye” taillights and rear fins. While the Ranchero had proven to be a consistent sales performer for Ford, the first El Camino was not, and Chevy nixed it only two years later. In 1964, however, Chevrolet brought out an updated version built on the more heavy-duty Chevelle chassis. By 1968 when the more powerful SS engine was added, the El Camino became a true muscle car -- and a sales hit. In 1987, the El Camino was removed from Chevy's lineup, but the car/truck hybrid remains a classic -- a forerunner of today's popular utility vehicles. #ThisDayInAutoHeritage

Join unionists, faculty, students & community leaders to help shape new content for @MotorCities Auto Heritage Guide! 🚗🛠️ We’re highlighting Southwest Detroit’s diverse culture & labor history (UAW, Teamsters, Steelworkers). Learn more & get involved: lp.constantcontactpages.com/… 📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #AutoHeritage #DetroitHistory #MadeInMichigan #Community #LaborHistory

On June 4, 1896, Henry Ford took his very first vehicle out for a test drive in Detroit! 🚗🚲 The Ford Quadricycle featured a 4-HP engine, bicycle tires, and a top speed of 20 mph, setting the stage for @Ford Motor Company. Learn more: motorcities.org 🗺️📍 #MotorCitiesNHA #ThrowbackThursday #AutoHeritage #MadeInMichigan #Detroit