It's a little visual treat (albeit not from the East Coast, but still...), including a fair number of photos of stately Hudsons, a Graham, a Fiat and some other odds and ends. Actually, I was surprised that there was such little diversity in the slide show, considering how many defunct auto companies there are in the dusty basement of commercial failure. Then I did some reading and realized that Ypsilanti itself had a rich auto manufacturing history (as much of South Eastern Michigan does), and the very last Hudson dealership in the USA is now the site of the Ypsilanti Automobile Heritage Museum.
In fact, if you want to get a better idea of the range of auto companies that have come and driven off into oblivion, check out the 2008 Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show slide show over at Motor Trend headquarters.
A pea green '57 Nash Ambassador custom (beauties, those Nash sleds).
It's funny (or scarily awakening) to think that we might not be more than a handful of decades away from a reality where foreign-based auto companies manufacture the only vehicles for miles and car shows like this are where the public go to reminisce about strength, design, horsepower and the days when the "American auto" was still a reality. Or where we go to point and laugh at cars, guffawing, "what were they thinking?? That people would want to buy that?? No wonder that was such a failure." (Not unlike the Edsel or the Corvair.)
Really, those days are already long gone in many peoples' opinions, so maybe it's not that big of a tragedy that our entire automotive manufacturing infrastructure is about as steadfast as a warm piece of swiss cheese. I just think it's pathetic and disheartening when our nation can't even dominate the very industries that "make us who we are".
And by "industries that make America AMERICA", I mean the auto, baseball and apple pie industries. (Ha.) And hot dogs. No wait, I'm pretty sure an American won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest this year...so, you know, at least we've still got the upper hand on the competitive hot dog eating thing. And because we're AMERICA, DAMNIT! there should be no surprise our champion hot dog eater was juiced up on 'roids...supposedly.
Team America, FUCK YEAH.
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