Story of the Week

What Will the Next Generation Corvette Look Like? 

by Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher 

The history of the Chevrolet Corvette goes back to 1953. For over 70 years, the Corvette sports car has always had a great history of producing some of General Motors’ best-looking automobile designs. From the original brainchild of GM’s first design chief Harley Earl to the development of the split window 1963 Stingray model by Bill Mitchell and later generations of the Corvette under Charles Jordan and Ed Welburn, General Motors has always had great-looking designs. 

Today, the year is 2025, and the question is what the future Corvettes will look like. The Corvette has always had a special niche in the marketplace and an army of enthusiasts and fans all over the world. American culture has changed and is evolving rapidly.  

To learn more about the next generation Chevrolet Corvette and see more images, click below.

This Week's Story

12th annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day Wraps Up with Discount Opportunities, More Awareness 

Last week, MotorCities teamed up with Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the co-chairs of the Michigan Legislative Auto Caucus, Senators Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) and Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway Twp.) and Representatives Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton Twp.) and Curtis VanderWall (R-Ludington), to declare Thursday, October 9 as the 12^th annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day throughout the state. 

The celebration kicked off last Thursday with an event at the Pontiac Transportation Museum, the National Heritage Area's newest attraction. You can check our MotorCities Facebook page to watch the livestream from that event, or scroll our photo album here. 

Media coverage for Michigan Auto Heritage Day ranged from Metro Detroit broadcast outlets including WDIV Local 4's "Live in the D," WWJ Newsradio 950 and News/Talk 760 WJR to Mid-Michigan's WSMH and WEYI-TV, and WGHN 92.1 FM in Grand Haven. 

You can watch the Governor's special video message here. 

Special thanks to 15 of our partner museums or attractions around the state, who offered special discounts or giveaways from October 9-12 in celebration of Michigan Auto Heritage Day. They included the following:

• Detroit Historical Museum;
• Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores;
• Ford Piquette Plant Museum in Detroit;
• Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners;
• The Henry Ford in Dearborn's Rouge Factory Tour;
• Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester;
• Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti;
• Michigan Flight Museum in Belleville;
• Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe;
• Plymouth Historical Museum;
• Pontiac Transportation Museum;
• R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing;
• Roush Automotive Collection in Livonia;
• Sloan Museum of Discovery in Flint;
• Stahls Motor and Music Experience in Chesterfield Township. 

For the complete wrap-up on Michigan Auto Heritage Day and to see the proclamation from the Governor and the Michigan Senate resolution, click here. 

In the photo below, the following people posed for a picture after the kickoff event at the Pontiac Transportation Museum. From left to right: MotorCities Board Chair Michael Bauman, MotorCities Board Member Paul Corbett, Pontiac Transportation Museum Board Member Doug Smith, Pontiac Transportation Museum Board Chair Terry Connolly, MotorCities Executive Director Shawn Pomaville-Size, MotorCities Board Vice Chair George Etheridge and MotorCities Director of Communications & Engagement Bob Sadler.

Have a story of Your Experiences in the Automotive Industry or Involvement in the Labor Movement? Click the Image Above to Share Your Story for Our Nation's 250th Birthday!

This Week in Auto Heritage 

On October 15, 1991, the new Chrysler Technology Center was dedicated in Auburn Hills, MI. Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca led the ceremony in the main lobby of the center along with Michigan Governor John Engler and Robert Grusnick, mayor of Auburn Hills. 

The $1 billion building would be 100% complete in 1993 and would employ 7,000 workers. Iacocca would praise the complex (pictured on the upper left next to the company's headquarters building) as “the finest automotive R&D facility in the world.”

If you enjoy our historical content and would like to see it more regularly than weekly, please like MotorCities National Heritage Area on Facebook or follow us on X or Instagram at @motorcities. 

Look for #ThisDayInAutoHeritage. Click the icons at the bottom of this newsletter to explore all our social media

Did You Know? 

The MotorCities National Heritage Area's current Strategic Plan is available to read on our website here.

Hey Kids!  Become a MotorCities Junior Ranger! Click here for details!

Events Coming to the MotorCities 

Thursday: Night at the Museum at Stahl's Motors & Music Experience in New Baltimore 

Tomorrow from 5 to 8 p.m., the Stahl's Motors & Music Experience presents their next "Night at the Museum." 

Get ready for an unforgettable evening, Stahls Night at the Museum brings the collection to life after hours! As the sun sets, the cars, music, and memorabilia take on a whole new glow, transforming the space into a vibrant spectacle of sights, sounds, and stories from automotive history. 

For more information, click here.

Friday: Tank Dedication at the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe 

This Friday at 2 p.m., the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe hosts a special dedication for their newest artifact donation. 

The museum is holding a Dedication Ceremony for its newly installed 20-ton tank monument outside the building. Admission to the museum will be free all weekend! The vehicle, an M8 Armored Gun System, represents the evolution of the American light tank concept designed to replace the M551 Sheridan. Developed in the 1980s, the M8 shares design lineage with the Cadillac Gage Stingray prototype, which was engineered in Warren, Michigan. 

For more information, click here.

Sunday: Fall Open House at the Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Twp. 

This Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., the Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Twp. presents its annual Fall Open House. 

This free community event celebrates the site's 98th birthday with a Cruise-In Car Show, Packard taxi rides, live music, food trucks, a bake sale, and more. The Open House is one of our most cherished traditions, bringing together families, car enthusiasts, and community members while supporting the ongoing preservation of this historic landmark. 

For more information, click here.