MotorCities National Heritage Area

MotorCities National Heritage Area MotorCities National Heritage Area is a nonprofit organization & part of the National Heritage Area System of the National Park Service.
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We preserve and promote the automotive and labor heritage of 16 counties of lower Michigan.

Check out this great Summer Camp for kids at our Partner The Henry Ford!
06/14/2026

Check out this great Summer Camp for kids at our Partner The Henry Ford!

06/13/2026

Join the Henry Ford this weekend as they celebrate the opening of Jackson House with a block party!

WEEKEND ALERT PART II – Tomorrow at 6 p.m., the Proving Grounds Historic Site will host Packards & Pours! Join them fo...
06/12/2026

WEEKEND ALERT PART II – Tomorrow at 6 p.m., the Proving Grounds Historic Site will host Packards & Pours! Join them for an evening of craft beverages, classic cars, and great atmosphere where guests will enjoy sampling stations, live music, food trucks, and tours of the site. https://packardprovinggrounds.org/2026-packards-pours/

On June 12, 1940, Edsel Ford agreed to build Rolls Royce engines to use in British and U.S. airplanes for World War II....
06/12/2026

On June 12, 1940, Edsel Ford agreed to build Rolls Royce engines to use in British and U.S. airplanes for World War II. Director general of the Office of Production Management and former president of General Motors, William Knudsen, approached Henry and Edsel Ford with a proposal to manufacture 9,000 engines earlier that spring. Ford Motor Company had experience building planes, producing the Trimotor just a decade earlier, but never on the scale that Knudsen wanted for the Rolls-Royce aircraft engines.

Nevertheless, Ford’s success mass-producing other vehicles gave them the confidence to go ahead with the project, at least until Henry Ford saw Britain’s announcement of the agreement.

While Edsel supported the project, his father opposed doing business with Britain or any other country. Upon hearing that Ford would build 6,000 engines specifically for British use, he canceled the deal. Henry only wanted the planes to be used for American defense, but as it became more certain that the United States would join the war, he reaccepted the deal.

Along with the Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, Ford Motor Company went on to produce bombers, trucks, tanks, tank destroyers and even a naval training station throughout the course of World War II.

WEEKEND ALERT – Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant will host its monthly Cars and Coffee event f...
06/12/2026

WEEKEND ALERT – Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant will host its monthly Cars and Coffee event for June. Bring your classic or antique car to this show as all cars are welcomed. Free coffee and donuts while supply last and Free Parking in the museum lot. https://www.fordpiquetteplant.org/public-events/

On June 11, 1928, the first Plymouth was built at Chrysler’s Highland Park plant. Consumers wanted smaller, less expensi...
06/11/2026

On June 11, 1928, the first Plymouth was built at Chrysler’s Highland Park plant. Consumers wanted smaller, less expensive cars, but Chrysler had not yet entered this market. Their answer? The Plymouth epitomized “the endurance and strength, the rugged honesty, the determination of achievement and freedom from old limitations of that Pilgrim band who were the first American colonists,” according to Walter P. Chrysler.

Though it was originally priced from $670 to $725, the Plymouth was still more expensive than the target market, having to compete against Ford Motor Company's $600 Model A and other models. What it did offer was four-wheel hydraulic brakes, aluminum alloy pistons and full pressured lubrication for the engine -- features unavailable from low-priced Ford and Chevrolet vehicles.

Chrysler was able to sell 58,000 Plymouth cars in the first year of production, leading Chrysler to build the Lynch Road Assembly plant in Detroit in 1929. For the rest of the 20th century, the Plymouth would become one of the top-selling American automobile brands, acting as Chrysler’s high-volume seller until the 1990s.

Introduced in 1975, the Cadillac Seville was a quick success in the automotive industry. Learn more about the Cadillac S...
06/10/2026

Introduced in 1975, the Cadillac Seville was a quick success in the automotive industry. Learn more about the Cadillac Seville, promoted by General Motors as “A new expression of Cadillac excellence” in this week’s ! https://www.motorcities.org/story-of-the-week/

PROGRAM ALERT PART II – Tomorrow at 4 p.m., the Stahls Automotive Foundation will host its monthly Rockin’ Roll In Cruis...
06/10/2026

PROGRAM ALERT PART II – Tomorrow at 4 p.m., the Stahls Automotive Foundation will host its monthly Rockin’ Roll In Cruise Night! This event will have live music, food trucks, and fun for all. The Free Beer Band will perform live and the Crusty Digglers Wood Fired Pizza Food Truck and Batter Up Sweets Food Truck will be at the event. It is Decades themed night as well, celebrating the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. The first 100 Cruise Night drivers will receive a free t-shirt and a passport book. https://www.stahlsauto.com/event/rockin-roll-in-cruise-nights-3-3/

PROGRAM ALERT – Tomorrow Night at 7 p.m., the Pontiac Transportation Museum will host its monthly Wheels of Time Lecture...
06/10/2026

PROGRAM ALERT – Tomorrow Night at 7 p.m., the Pontiac Transportation Museum will host its monthly Wheels of Time Lecture Series. This month’s lecture is titled, “Pontiac’s Metal Fabrication Heritage.” This lecture will be presented by Jim Gaeschke, who is the current Director of GM’s Pontiac Metal Fabrication Operation. This lecture will cover the history and future of this facility and the equipment that is used there. https://www.pontiactransportationmuseum.org/events/wheels-of-time-pontiacs-metal-fabrication-heritage/

On June 9, 1922, William C. Durant, purchased an Elizabeth, NJ plant from the struggling Willys Corp. for his newly foun...
06/09/2026

On June 9, 1922, William C. Durant, purchased an Elizabeth, NJ plant from the struggling Willys Corp. for his newly founded company, Durant Motors.

One year after being forced out of General Motors in 1920, Durant established Durant Motors, but needed somewhere to house his production. Soon after, the Willys Corp. found themselves in financial trouble and decided to sell their Elizabeth plant. Despite being headquartered in Lansing, Durant decided to join an auction for the east coast plant, as it was one of the largest and most modern assembly plants in the country and could produce the Star, Durant’s answer to Ford Motor Company's Model T.

On the day of the auction, 500 people gathered to witness the multi-million dollar bidding. After going back and forth with Maxwell Motors, Durant eventually came out the winner with a bid of just over $5.5 million, acquiring the Elizabeth plant and a former Willys Corp. car design that would later be modified into Durant's Flint model.

Address

2937 E. Grand Boulevard
Detroit, MI
48202

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(313) 259-3425

Website

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