September 15, 2022
By Jack Teetor, nephew of 1988 AHF Inductee Ralph Teetor Ralph R. Teetor filed his first patent on his speed control device in 1945, under the tradename, “Speed-o-Stat,” known worldwide as “Cruise Control,” one of today’s most popular and convenient driving devices. His idea came in 1936, when Teetor was annoyed while riding with his patent attorney who could not maintain a constant speed. As Teetor once stated, “The general purpose is to make driving […]
July 5, 2022
By Leah Minadeo, AHF Archives & Digital Asset Manager One of the artifacts on display at the Automotive Hall of Fame is the Ransom E. Olds “birthday book,” which was compiled by the Lansing Rotary Club and presented to 1968 AHF Inductee and Oldsmobile founder Ransom E. Olds on his 80th birthday in 1944. The book contains more than 600 letters and well-wishes from prominent figures including 1967 AHF Inductee Henry Ford, J. Edgar Hoover, […]
December 23, 2021
The most recent addition to the Automotive Hall of Fame is this charming 1903 Holley Motorette, thanks to the Edelweiss Foundation! This diminutive early car was the work of 1995 AHF Inductees George and Earl Holley and was a successful early effort of 600 runabouts. The company moved into production of carburetors for the Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout, which revolutionized gasoline engine development. Holley‘s fortunes rose with a new Ford contract to produce carburetors that continued for […]
November 17, 2021
In July, we were honored to induct C.R. and Frederick Patterson into the Automotive Hall of Fame. This father and son team were the owners of the only known Black automobile manufacturer in North America. On November 16, 2021, AHF Principal Historian Brian Baker and Alumni Relations Specialist Nick Gargaro visited Greenfield, Ohio, the Patterson’s home town. They spent the day with Tom Smith, who has been collecting and restoring Patterson artifacts for more than 30 years, and Harold Shultz, past president of the Greenfield Historical Society. The […]