Essay - Michigan Auto Show: History Early History the History of the...

Michigan Auto Show: History

Early *****

The history of the Michigan Auto Show (now re-named as the North American International ***** Show) dates back to 1899 when it was held for the first time as the Detro***** Auto Show in Detroit. The credit for organizing the earliest Detroit ***** Shows goes to William E. Metzeger who dealt in bicycles be*****e becoming associated with the au***** industry. ("Zacharias"). Metzeger had traveled to England in 1895 to attend the world's first auto exhibition and returned to ***** to become its first ***** dealer. (Ibid.)

In ***** Metzeger ***** an associate formed the Tri State Sportsman's and Au*****mobile Association and leased the Light Guard Armory in Detroit to organize a hybrid exhibition of sporting equipment and automobiles. At the first show, the major attractions were big-game trophies from Africa, fishing tackle and assorted sporting equipment, rather than *****. Metzeger was the only auto dealer in ***** at ***** ***** and he placed two steam mobiles and ***** electric cars ***** t***** exhibition as an advertising gimmick. (Ibid.) In order to demonstr*****e the power and speed of his *****, ***** ran them on specially developed sets of rollers that were equipped with dials. The Detroit public w***** fascinated by the demonstration, besides 200 sportsmen ***** *****ed ***** exhibit. ***** show was a resounding success and took off. It was repeated in the next two years with a dog-***** thrown in for added appeal.

The First Exclusive Auto Show (1902)

By 1902, ***** ***** dealerships in Detroit had grown to five and the Tri state group decided to hold an exclusive auto exhibition. This also marked the informal beginnings of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA). Metzeger was still ***** dominant exhibitor at the show and displayed his electric and steam vehicles including ***** cars like Waverly and Columbia and steam cars named Mobile and Toledo.

The year 1902 ***** saw the start of an automobile club in Detroit with a membership of 30. This was the time when Henry Ford formed ***** Ford Motor Co. ***** the Detroit ***** Co. was reorg*****ized as Cadillac Motor Car Co. with Metzeger as ***** first Sales Manager. ("Zachari*****")

Tri- St*****e Shows (1903-1906) & the First Auto Dealers' Show (1907)

The Tri State group auto shows continued to be held every year from 1903 ***** 1906. In the meantime ***** auto dealership had ***** in Detroit to 16 and in 1907 the dealers ***** to hold their own auto show. S*****ce the ***** State ***** still ***** ***** ***** leasing rights to the Light Guard Armory in *****, the ***** Detroit dealers' auto ***** was held at Bellers' Beer Garden near Belle Isle Bridge. At the 1907 show 17 exhibitors participated displaying a total ***** 33 vehicles. ("2002 NAIAS: History"). The ***** of the ***** proved to be a catalyst in the formation of the Detroit Auto Dealers' Association (DADA) and the ***** Auto show has *****n held every year since then (except for an interruption of 4