Automotive Hall of Fame mulls move to downtown Detroit

DETROIT -- After nearly 20 years in Dearborn, Mich., the Automotive Hall of Fame’s president says it’s time to move the museum to downtown Detroit.During the Automotive Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony Thursday, William Chapin said the organization believes there’s a need to develop a destination in downtown Detroit that will tell the stories of automotive innovators as well as look ahead to the next era of breakthroughs with autonomous driving and mobility.Chapin envisions a day when downtown visitors will tour the Detroit Institute of Arts museum, then take a quick hop on the M-1 Rail -- now under construction -- to the Automotive Hall of Fame to “learn about Detroit’s hometown industry.” The rail project is slated for completion in 2017.“We’re going to put together a group of people to help us figure out how to do that,” Chapin said of the potential move.The Hall of Fame is next to The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn. The 25,000-square-foot facility opened in August 1997.According to the museum’s website, the first permanent Automotive Hall of Fame building was constructed on the campus of Northwood University in Midland, Mich., in 1975.“We also believe it must be more than just a car museum,” Chapin said of the envisioned downtown Hall of Fame. “It should be inspirational for auto enthusiasts definitely, that’s a given, but also for those who visit some of the other Detroit museums and significant attractions.”Thursday night's ceremony honored former Ford CEO Alan Mulally and consumer activist Ralph Nader along with Bertha Benz, the wife and business partner of Carl Benz, who invented the gasoline-powered automobile, and engineer Roy Lunn, godfather of the Ford GT40, as the hall's latest inductees.

Automotive Hall of Fame mulls move to downtown Detroit

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