PLEASE NOTE:

The following information is from the 2010 Michigan International Auto Show.

Million Dollar Motorway

You asked for it West Michigan...you got it!  The most admired feature of the 2009 Show is back by popular demand.  Only vehicles with retail prices over $100,000 qualify to be displayed in our "Million Dollar Motorway" ...our total? ...well over $1 Million!  Several cars with price tags over $100,000 are scheduled to be on display this year!

Vehicles expected to be on display in the Million $ Motorway include:

Range Rover Autobiography

Porsche Panamera 4S

Bentley Super Sport

Bentley GTC Speed

Maserati Gran Turismo

Lamborghini LP560 Spyder

Aston Martin DBS Volante

Aston Martin Fire Red Coupe Vantage

Auto Show Supercar - 2010 Berger SS Camaro!

Be sure to check out this Supercar while you're at the show!  Berger Chevrolet is celebrating 85 years of exclusive devotion to the Chevrolet brand and the dealership's performance heritage by producing a special limited edition 2010 Berger SS Camaro with 550 horsepower.  Berger will produce a total of twenty Berger SS Camaros and one prototype for the 2010 model year.

Auto Show Supercar - Shelby Mustang

This Shelby Mustang, along with the Berger SS Camaro, is a Supercar of the Show.  These Supercar vehicles will have at least $20,000 worth of additional options and accessories!

Gilmore Car Museum Display

Each year the Gilmore Car Museum of near by Hickory Corners presents an outstanding exhibit of historic automobiles during the show.  This year is no exception and the museum, considered one of the top five car museums in the nation, has selected a little something for everyone to enjoy.

1907 Franklin Roadster

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

The most unique feature of the Franklin was its use of an air-cooled engine rather than the typical liquid-cooled.  Known for its reliability and superior ride, the Franklin was produced from 1902 - 1934 and became America's most successful air-cooled powered automobile.

In 1904, a runabout similar to this example made a cross-country trip from New York City to San Francisco in just 33 days, cutting the previous records made by Winton and Packard cars nearly in half.

On May 1, 2010 the Gilmore Car Museum will open the all new "Franklin Collection at Hickory Corners," a collection of nearly 20 Franklin automobiles.  This new museum partner will be housed in a recreation of the famed Hamlin auto dealership of Los Angles, CA circa 1918.

1929 Duesenberg Model J -Dual Cowl Phaeton

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

Duesenbergs were not the choice of the simply rich, but the choice of the ultra-wealthy.  It was more than just a status symbol - it WAS status pure and simple.  With custom coachwork by LeBaron, this automobile cost nearly $20,000 new, which in 1929 was the equivalent of purchasing two average middle-class homes and about two dozen Model A Fords.

This is the 10th Model J built and was originally built for the 1929 New York and Los Angeles Auto Shows before becoming a company demonstrator to the Hollywood elite.  The Duesenberg Model J was delivered new to more people with famous names than any other American auto manufacturer.  This rare Duesenberg was eventually purchased by James Talmadge, the son of famed silent film stars Buster Keaton and Natalie Talmadge.

No one foresaw the stock market crash of October 1929, which triggered the "Great Depression," and the effects it would have on the luxury car market.  Original projections called for the production of five hundred Model J automobiles in its first run.  A second production run never took place and it took nearly ten years to sell the 480 autos built.

Duesenberg went out of business in 1937 and, without question, is the single most sought after collector car in America today.  In 1947 this car sold as "used" for only $123.

1940 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

Total Production - 350

"The most beautiful car of all time"  -  Franklin Lloyd Wright, famed architect

In the fall of 1938, Ford Motor Company President Edsel Ford asked one of his chief designers, Bob Gregorie, to build a special convertible coupe from a Lincoln Zephyr for his personal use.  Edsel then added many of his own styling ideas, making his car lower and longer than a standard Zephyr.  While the design was never intended to become a regular production model, Ford was flooded with so many requests to buy the car he decided to put it into production in 1940 as the Lincoln Continental.  One of the hallmarks of the largely hand-built cars was their rear-mounted spare tire.  Today, any rear-mounted spare tire is commonly called a "Continental Spare."

The 1940 Lincoln Continental was marketed to the rich and famous.  Buyers included Hollywood legends Rita Hayworth, Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra.  You may also recognize this model as the vehicle featured in the movie The Godfather.

1957 Oldsmobile - Starfire 98 4-Door Hardtop

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

All-new for 1957, the Oldsmobile came in three series with the 98 being the top of the line.  Four-door hardtops had come into fashion just a few years before and were extremely popular.  The new Oldsmobiles proved quite popular with 398,569 being built for the model year despite the start of a recession midway through 1957.

This car features the very rare J2 tri-power option of three 2-barrel carburetors, which increased the horsepower from 270 to 300 running on premium gasoline.  On the race front Oldsmobile was still running a factory backed team at NASCAR and the cars were being piloted by Lee Petty and his rookie son Richard Petty.

1967 Ferrari - 275 GTB/4 Berilinetta

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

Previously owned by Hollywood actor, Nicholas Cage

Ferrari introduced an upgrade to its popular 275 GTB model at the Paris Motorshow in 1966 - the new 275 GTB/4.  The number 4 designation refers to the adoption of twin camshafts per cylinder bank and the use of six Weber carburetors rather than the standard three.  The V-12 engine on this vehicle produced 300 horsepower, the same as Ferrari race engines, and could be purchased right out of the showroom.  Approximately 330 examples were built before production ceased in early 1968.

1969 Camaro Yenko

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

The 1969 Camaro is without question the most popular Camaro ever produced.  The recently reintroduced Camaro features retro styling based on the 1969 models.

Don Yenko, son of a Chevy dealer, had begun building his legendary Super Camaros in 1967 by removing the factory small-block V-8 in favor of the fire-breathing L-72 Corvette 427 / 450 hp engine.  1969 marked the first time these engines were installed at the factory using the Chevrolet COPO (Central Office Production Order) process.  All of these models were ordered with spoilers and the COPO 9737 sports car conversion option, which included a 140 MPH speedometer, 15 inch tires on rally wheels, and heavy duty suspension.

This stunning, fully restored example was sold new through Francis Chevy of Bridgeton, MO as part of the Yenko Dealer Network and only has 5,427 original miles on it.

1982 Checker Taxicab

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

An American Icon.  The 1982 Checker is the VERY last car off the assembly line.

The distinctive Checker Cabs - recognized around the world - were produced in Kalamazoo from 1923 to 1982 when the firm ceased car production and began supplying parts to the auto industry.  Today the Checker name and its trademark checker board pattern seen on its cabs are universally identified with taxis.

The Checker Cab became an American icon and was hailed in every large city in the nation and beyond.  "Billions and Billions Served," the famed McDonald's slogan, could have easily been applied to Checker Motors and the cabs it built.  Checker Cabs moved millions of people each day in cities such as New York, Chicago, Pittsburg and Baltimore.  In fact, the Tri-State Transportation Agency tracked an average of 223 million taxi fares annually - in New York City alone - between 1963 and 1977.

Checker Motors had a long, proud history and outlasted many other notable automotive makes.  The company survived the Great Depression, WWII, and a change from auto production to parts manufacturing.  It was the poor state of the auto industry and recent bankruptcy of General Motors, Checker's largest customer that forced the firm to close its doors for good in early July of last year.

In September of last year the Gilmore Car Museum established the Checker Archives and has already preserved several thousand blueprints, documents, and photos that tell the rich history of this American Icon.

1982 DeLorean

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

The DeLorean sports car was the brainchild of John DeLorean, the automotive maverick and former General Motors engineer who created the Pontiac GTO in 1964.  The DMC-12, with its distinctive stainless steel body and exotic gull-wing doors, debuted in 1981.  By 1983, amidst financial difficulties and prosecution on a federal drug charge to which he was later acquitted, the venture unraveled after building only 8,583 cars.

Ironically, the futuristic-looking DeLorean car is most recognized for its role as Doc Brown's "Time Machine" in the Back to the Future film trilogy, starring Michael J Fox.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #8 "Staind" Budweiser True Music - 2003 Monte Carlo NASCAR Race Car

Gilmore Car Museum Display Vehicle

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, Sr. is arguably the most popular NASCAR driver today.  Before driving the #88 car for Hendrick Motorsports Dale Jr. drove the #8 car for DEI, the race team started by his late father and managed by his stepmother Teresa.

In 2003 Junior scored a record breaking 4th consecutive win at Talladega and drove this #8 "Staind" Budweiser True Music 2003 Monte Carlo, with a paint scheme reminiscent of his late father's famous #3, in the 2003 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond.

For 2010 the Gilmore Car Museum will feature a special season-long stock car exhibition showcasing the cars and history of stock car racing.  The exhibit will include cars raced by Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Johnny Benson as well as regional drivers.  Visitors will see Ned Jarrett's 1937 Ford, the actual "Days of Thunder" movie car driven by actor Tom Cruise and everything in between. 

This car is displayed courtesy of the Winston Cup Museum, Winston Salem, NC.

Automotive Mascots

The Gilmore Car Museum will display 14 automotive hood ornaments - works of art in their own right.  The exhibit will include 3 very rare crystal hood ornaments from the 1930's designed by world-renowned glass artist Rene of Paris.  It is said that Adolf Hitler presented the magnificent crystal eagle's head mascot, identical to the one on display, to his senior officers for their personal use.

MasterCraft VR Express Virtual Simulator

Sponsored by Action Water Sports and Summit Marine Boat Lifts

Jump aboard the MasterCraft VR Express for a virtual reality thrill ride with "Slot Car Extreme!"

The "Dragon Slayer" 1933 Willys

Bar's Leaks and Rescue 1 Fire Safety for Kids have teamed up to deliver "fire safety at full throttle" with a visually exciting program through racing and fire prevention literature.

Micro-Reality Race Cars

All attendees are invited to step right up and try their skill at these remote control race cars.

Cogs the Robot!

Be on the look-out for Cogs the Robot while you are at the show!  He'll be wandering the aisles entertaining attendees.