The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum. It was founded in 1939 and has over 800 worldwide honorees. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. the Automotive Hall of Fame includes persons who have contributed greatly to automotive history—defined broadly to include persons who may not be household words but who are automotive giants nonetheless. They include award recipients from advertising, car rental, dealerships, designers, racing, financiers, engineers, mechanics, drivers, executives, managers, dealers, inventors, and union officials. It includes the automotive industry, suppliers, dealers, and support. The Automotive Hall of Fame has conferred four different awards. The list of recipients can be viewed on the Automotive Hall of Fame website. * Distinguished Service Citation * Hall of Fame Induction Award * Industry Leader of the Year Award * Young Leader and Excellence Award

History

The Automotive Hall of Fame was founded on October 18, 1939, in New York City by a group called the "Automobile Old Timers." Its original mission was to perpetuate the memories of early automotive pioneers and to honor people from all parts of the auto industry worldwide. For its first three decades, The Automotive Hall of Fame 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 known as "The Automotive Hall of Fame" and that 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 Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood University opened as Nort ...

. In 1997, it moved to its present home in Dearborn, Michigan, adjacent to

The Henry Ford The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contain ...

museum. It is within the MotorCities National Heritage Area, an affiliate of the U.S.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

dedicated to preserving and promoting the automotive and labor history of Michigan. The current facilities are in a 25,000-square-foot building. In addition to automobile history artifacts, it contains 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 271 people inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame through 2016. 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 William Signius Knudsen (March 25, 1879 – April 27, 1948) was a leading Danish-American automotive industry executive and an American general during World War II. His experience and success as a key senior manager in the operations sides of ...

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 Knudsen was president. Edgar Apperson, William Crapo Durant, J. Frank Duryea, Henry Ford, George M. Holley, Charles B. King, Charles W. Nash, Barney Oldfield, Ransom E. Olds, and Alfred P. Sloan Jr. were selected. The Hall celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014. At annual induction ceremonies an occasion is made to honor and remember past inductees. The Hall of Fame is reported to be moving to downtown Detroit.

Eligibility

A person must be notable in the automobile industry to be eligible for induction. To receive the award is considered recognition that the person has made a significant contribution to the automotive industry. Along with the Hall of Fame induction awards, the Hall also honors individuals with significant awards each year. The Hall issues four types of awards: # Hall of Fame Induction, # Industry Leader of the Year, awarded to one outstanding leader each year, # Distinguished Service Citation, initiated in 1940 to honor people from the worldwide automotive industry, # Young Leadership and Excellence award, recognizes up-and-coming future leaders of the industry. For the awards 1, 3, and 4, anyone can submit a nomination by filling out the form or sending a letter, along with reference materials that may assist the Awards Committee. The Industry Leader of the Year Award is nominated and awarded solely by the Awards Committee, so no external nominations are accepted.

Inductees 1967–2020

* Giovanni Agnelli * O. Donovan Allen * John W. Anderson * Robert Anderson * Mario Andretti * Zora Arkus-Duntov * Edgar Apperson * Clarence W. Avery * Warren E. Avis * Robert Bamford * Béla Barényi * Vincent Bendix * W.O. Bentley *

Bertha Benz Bertha Benz (; ; 3 May 1849 – 5 May 1944) was a German automotive pioneer and inventor. She was the business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined a ...

Karl Benz Carl Friedrich Benz (; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929), sometimes also Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automobile and fi ...

* Nuccio Bertone * Nils Bohlin * Alberto Bombassei * Robert Bosch * Charles A. Bott * Ernest R. Breech * Allen K. Breed * Craig Breedlove *

Carl Breer Carl Breer (8 November 1883 – 21 December 1970) was an American automotive industry engineer. Along with Fred M. Zeder and Owen Skelton, he was one of the core engineering people that formed the present day Chrysler Corporation. He was the ...

* Edward G. Budd * Gordon M. Buehrig * Ettore Bugatti * David D. Buick * Philip Caldwell * Richard D. Caleal * Frank J. Campbell * Michael Cardone * Walter F. Carey * Francois J. Castaing * Albert C. Champion * Roy D. Chapin His son

Roy D. Chapin Jr. Roy Dikeman Chapin Jr. (September 21, 1915 – August 5, 2001) was the chairman and chief executive officer of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Chapin's father, Roy D. Chapin Sr., was one of the co-founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company; Huds ...

was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1984 and his grandson,

William R. Chapin William R. Chapin (born June 7, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan, United States) is the American grandson of Roy D. Chapin, a founder of the Hudson Motor Car Company, and the son of Roy D. Chapin, Jr., the former chairman and CEO of the American Motors ...

, was named president of the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2010. *

* Louis Chevrolet *

Walter P. Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, American automotive industry executive and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler Corporation. Early life Chrysler w ...

André Citroën André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is remembered chiefly for the make of car named after him, but also for his application of double helical ...

* J. Harwood Cochrane * David E. Cole * Edward N. Cole * Archie T. Colwell * Errett L. Cord *

James J. Couzens James J. Couzens (August 26, 1872October 22, 1936) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He served as mayor of Detroit (1919–1922) and U.S. Senator from Michigan (1922–1936). Prior to entering politics he served as vice ...

* Keith E. Crain *

Frederick C. Crawford Frederick Coolidge Crawford (March 19, 1891 – December 9, 1994) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was also the president of Thompson Products, Inc. (which later became part of TRW) and a major promoter of the National Air Ra ...

* Lewis M. Crosley *

Powel Crosley Jr. Powel Crosley Jr. (September 18, 1886 – March 28, 1961) was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He was also a pioneer in radio broadcasting, and owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team. In addition, Crosl ...

* Clessie L. Cummins * Harlow H. Curtice *

Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (; 17 March 1834 – 6 March 1900) was a German engineer, industrial designer and industrialist born in Schorndorf ( Kingdom of Württemberg, a federal state of the German Confederation), in what is now Germany. He w ...

* Charles A. Dana * Howard A. "Dutch" Darrin * Richard E. Dauch * Edward "Ed" Davis *

Ralph De Palma Raffaele "Ralph" De Palma (December 19, 1882 – March 31, 1956) was an Italian-American racecar driving champion who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,00 ...

* Joseph R. Degnan * W. Edwards Deming * Rudolf Diesel * Arthur O. Dietz *

Abner Doble Abner Doble (March 26, 1890 – July 16, 1961) was an American mechanical engineer who built and sold steam-powered automobiles as Doble Steam Cars. His steam engine design was used in various automobiles from the early 1900s, including a 1969 ...

* Horace E. Dodge * John F. Dodge * Frederic G. Donner * Harold D. Draper * Fred Duesenberg *

John B. Dunlop John Barrett Dunlop is an American political scientist, an emeritus senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, an expert on Soviet and Russian politics from 1980s to the present.

* William C. Durant * Charles E. Duryea * J. Frank Duryea *

Harley J. Earl Harley Jarvis Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an American automotive designer and business executive. He was the initial designated head of design at General Motors, later becoming vice president, the first top executive ever ...

* Dale Earnhardt * Joseph O. Eaton * John E. Echlin * Thomas A. Edison * Elliott M. Estes * Henry T. Ewald * Virgil M. Exner * Battista Farina * Enzo Ferrari * Harvey S. Firestone * Harvey S. Firestone Jr. * Alfred J. Fisher * Carl G. Fisher *

Charles T. Fisher Charles Thomas Fisher (February 16, 1880 – August 8, 1963) was an American businessman and an automotive pioneer. Born in Norwalk, Ohio, Charles was the second son of Lawrence and Margaret Fisher. The family would grow to include seven boys a ...

* Edward F. Fisher * Fred J. Fisher * Howard A. Fisher * Lawrence P. Fisher * William A. Fisher * Walter E. Flanders * Edsel B. Ford *

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...

* Henry Ford II * A.J. Foyt * Bill France * Bill France Jr. * Herbert H. Franklin * Carlyle Fraser * Douglas A. Fraser * Joseph Frazer * Martin Fromm * Thomas N. Frost * August Fruehauf * Thomas C. Gale * Paul Galvin * Robert W. Galvin *

Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field o ...

* Joe Girard * John E. Goerlich * Martin E. Goldman * Andy Granatelli * Richard H. Grant * Giorgetto Giugiaro * Dan Gurney * Janet Guthrie *

Zenon C.R. Hansen Zenon Clayton Raymond Hansen (July 23, 1909''Florida Death Index, 1877-1998'' – October 19, 1990) was chairman and CEO of Mack Trucks, Inc. from 1965 to 1974. He was the fifth president of the company. Zenon C.R. Hansen was active in the Boy Sc ...

* Elwood Haynes * Donald Healey * J.E. Henry * Phil Hill * Maximilian E. Hoffman * William E. Holler * Earl Holley * George M. Holley Sr. * Soichiro Honda *

August Horch August Horch (12 October 1868 – 3 February 1951) was a German engineer and automobile pioneer, the founder of the manufacturing giant which would eventually become Audi. Beginnings Horch was born in Winningen, Rhenish Prussia. His ini ...

* H. Wayne Huizenga * Anton Hulman Jr. * Lee Hunter * J.R. Hyde III * Lee Iacocca * Robert W. Irvin * Shojiro Ishibashi * Alec Issigonis * Mike Jackson *

Thomas B. Jeffery Thomas Buckland Jeffery (5 February 1845 – 2 April 1910) was a British emigrant to the United states who co-founded the Gormully & Jeffery company which made the Rambler bicycle. He invented the "clincher" rim which was widely used to fit tir ...

* Fred Jones * Charles M."Chuck" Jordan * Edward S. "Ned" Jordan * Henry B. Joy * Albert Kahn * Henry J. Kaiser * Wunibald I. Kamm * Yutaka Katayama * K.T. Keller * Frank D. Kent *

Charles F. Kettering Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents. For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...

* Charles B. King *

* John W. Koons * Eberhard von Kuenheim * Edward C. Larson * Elliot Lehman * Henry M. Leland * Jay Leno * Paul W. Litchfield * Raymond Loewy * Wilton D. Looney * J. Edward Lundy * Roy Lunn * Robert A. Lutz * Sir William Lyons * John M. Mack *

Ray Magliozzi Thomas Louis Magliozzi (June 28, 1937 – November 3, 2014) and his brother Raymond Francis Magliozzi (born March 30, 1949) were the co-hosts of NPR's weekly radio show ''Car Talk'', where they were known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Broth ...

* Tom Magliozzi * Sergio Marchionne * Lionel Martin *

Wilhelm Maybach Wilhelm Maybach (; 9 February 1846 – 29 December 1929) was an early German engine designer and industrialist. During the 1890s he was hailed in France, then the world centre for car production, as the "King of Designers". From the late 19th ce ...

* Frank E. McCarthy * Denise McCluggage * Robert B. McCurry * Brouwer D. McIntyre * Robert S. McLaughlin * Robert S. McNamara * Rene C. McPherson * William E. Metzger * André Michelin * Edouard Michelin * Arjay Miller * Harry A. Miller * William L. Mitchell * Luca di Montezemolo * Hubert Moog * Jim Moran * Southwood "Woody" Morcott * Charles S. Mott *

Alan Mulally Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American aerospace engineer and manufacturing executive. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company. He retired from Ford Motor Company on July 1, 2014. Ford ...

* Shirley Muldowney * Thomas Murphy *

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

Charles W. Nash Charles Williams Nash (January 28, 1864 – June 6, 1948) was an American automobile entrepreneur who served as an executive in the automotive industry. He played a major role in building up General Motors as its 5th President. In 1916, he bou ...

* Henry J. Nave * Joseph Henry Nook, Sr. * Heinrich Nordhoff * Barney Oldfield * Ransom E. Olds * Rodney O'Neal * Carl Opel * Friedrich Opel * Heinrich Opel * Ludwig Opel * Wilhelm Opel * Nikolaus A. Otto * James Ward Packard * William Doud Packard * Wally Parks *

Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937) is an American businessman and entrepreneur involved in professional auto racing and a retired professional auto racing driver. He is most famous for his ownership of Team Penske, DJR Team Penske, ...

* Thomas S. Perry * Donald Petersen * Richard Petty * Armand Peugeot *

Ferdinand Piech Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

* Charles M. Pigott * Charles J. Pilliod * Sergio Pininfarina * Harold A. Poling * Ralph Lane Polk * Ferdinand Porsche * J. David Power III * Heinz C. Prechter * William A. Raftery *

Alice Huyler Ramsey Alice Huyler Ramsey (November 11, 1886 – September 10, 1983) was the first woman to drive an automobile across the United States from coast to coast, a feat she completed on August 7, 1909. Early life Ramsey was born Alice Taylor Huyler ...

* Louis Renault *

Walter P. Reuther Walter Philip Reuther (; September 1, 1907 – May 9, 1970) was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history. He ...

* Edward V. Rickenbacker * James M. Roche * Willard F. Rockwell Sr. * George W. Romney * Helene Rother *

Jack Roush Jack Roush (born Jackson Earnest Roush on April 19, 1942) is the founder, CEO, and co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is chairman of Roush Enterprises. Roush Enterprises is the ...

* Frederick Henry Royce * Patrick Ryan * James A. Ryder * Bruno Sacco * George N. Schuster * Mort Schwartz * Louis Schwitzer * Kenneth W. Self * Wilbur Shaw * Carroll H. Shelby * Owen R. Skelton * Alfred P. Sloan Jr. * Arthur O. Smith * Lloyd R. Smith *

John F. Smith Jr. John Francis "Jack" Smith Jr. (born April 6, 1938) is an American businessman and executive who formerly served as COO in 1992, CEO from 1992 to 2000 and then chairman of the board of directors of General Motors from 1996 to 2000. He later serve ...

* Charles E. Sorensen * Hal Sperlich * Clarence W. Spicer * Francis E. Stanley * Freelan O. Stanley * Sir Jackie Stewart * Walter W. Stillman * John W. Stokes * William B. Stout * Robert A. Stranahan, Sr. * Frank Stronach * John M. Studebaker * Harry C. Stutz * Genichi Taguchi * Ratan N. Tata * Walter C. Teagle * Ralph R. Teetor * John J. Telnack * Mickey Thompson * Henry M. Timken *

Eiji Toyoda was a Japanese industrialist. He was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and later, as chairman. He was succeeded as the president of Toyota by Shoi ...

* Kiichiro Toyoda * Shoichiro Toyoda * Alex Tremulis * Preston Tucker * Edwin J. Umphrey * Jesse G. Vincent * Roy Warshawsky * Elmer H. Wavering * Edward T. Welburn *

J. Irving Whalley John Irving Whalley (September 14, 1902 – March 8, 1980) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Early life and business activities J. Irving Whalley was born in Barnesboro, Pennsylvania to Isabella ...

Rollin H. White Windsor Thomas White (August 28, 1866 – April 9, 1958) was an American automobile developer. A native of Orange, Massachusetts, he produced the White steamer cars in 1900, and later expanded to trucks. These vehicles were used militarily during ...

* Walter C. White * Windsor T. White * John L. Wiggins *

C. Harold Wills Childe Harold Wills (June 1, 1878 – December 30, 1940) was an American engineer and businessman. He was an early associate of Henry Ford, one of the first employees of the Ford Motor Company, and the chief contributor to the design of the M ...

* John N. Willys * Charles E. Wilson *

Alexander Winton Alexander Winton (June 20, 1860 – June 21, 1932) was a Scottish-American bicycle, automobile, and diesel engine designer and inventor, as well as a businessman and racecar driver. Winton founded the Winton Motor Carriage Company in 1897 in Clev ...

* Jiro Yanase * Fred M. Young * Frederick M. Zeder * Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin *

Chung Mong-koo Chung Mong-koo (born March 19, 1938, in Kangwon Province) is a South Korean businessman. He is the honorary chairman and former CEO of Hyundai Motor Group, Korea's second largest chaebol that manages 54 subsidiaries including Hyundai Motor, Kia ...

Other similar institutions

In 2001 the European Automotive Hall of Fame was established and inducted its first class of 13 members. Permanent plaques of honor will be emplaced at Palexpo, the home of the Geneva Auto Show.

Citations

External links