Wednesday 18th October 1939

The Automotive Hall of Fame was founded in New York City by a group called the “Automobile Old Timers.” Its mission was to perpetuate the memories of early automotive pioneers and to honor people from all parts of the auto industry worldwide.It went through for adverse times for its first three decades, and had four name changes. Its second iteration was “Automotive Old Timers” adopted in 1957 and intended to recognize its broader base, including automotive-related industries. In 1971 it became “The Automotive Organization Team.” Finally, it became “The Automotive Hall of Fame” which resulted in greater growth.
The organization moved to Washington, D.C. in 1960, sharing space in the National Automobile Dealers Association building. In 1971, it moved to Midland, Michigan where it got its first home at Northwood University. In 1997, it moved to its present home in Dearborn, Michigan, adjacent to The Henry Ford museum. It is within the MotorCities National Heritage Area, an affiliate of the U.S. National Park Service dedicated to preserving and promoting the automotive and labor history of Michigan. The facilities with automobile history artifacts are in a 25,000-square-foot building containing a small theater and a central enclosed building area for public events, meetings and other exhibits. The Hall honors members of the automotive industry each year. There were 250 members to the Automotive Hall of Fame by 2015. These inductees include the founders of Benz, Bosch, Bugatti, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroen, Cord, Daimler, Dodge, Duesenberg, Durant, Duryea, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Maybach, Olds, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault and Toyota among others.
In 1946 the hall worked with the “National Golden Jubilee” (50th anniversary of the creation of the automobile). As General William S. Knudsen stated, the selection to the Hall of Fame included “Ten pioneers whose engineering and administrative genius made possible the present day.” The selection was done in cooperation with the Automobile Manufacturers Association, the “National Automotive Golden Jubilee committee of which Knudeson was president. Edgar Apperson, William Crapo Durant, J. Frank Jersey, Henry Ford, George O’Malley, Charles B. King, Charles W Nash, Barney Oldfield, Ransom E. Olds, and Alfred P Sloan Jr. were selected.