As an employee of Ed Rinke Chevrolet in Centerline, I was given free tickets to the 1976 Detroit Auto Show which I attended with my friend Dan. Both of us were 18.
I recall looking at a display for a Cutlass, perhaps the 442. I leaned over the velvet ropes to look at something more closely just as a well-endowed model turned. This placed her ample bosom about 2 inches from my nose. As with most 18-year olds when one of their dreams becomes a reality, it scared me! LOL.
An hour later, I fell in love with a model on the Cadillac turntable. I stood about 30 feet from her and stared quite obviously as she went through her script.
My friend Dan, in a loud voice, told me to move along and quit staring.
I moved but didn't stop staring, since she was now looking straight at me. I walked right into a freestanding ashtray, knocking it over and dumping a pile of ashes on the carpet. About as smoothly as I could, I picked up the ashtray, moved the ashes together with my foot, and placed the ashtray over the pile. This brought a wide smile from the model -- and was, perhaps, the first time I ever impressed a beautiful woman. Some of my "friends" would say it's been the only time.
Tom Branch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fortunately, the manager for Ford had a great sense of humor. In his letter to each of us at the end of the show, he jokingly indicated that any resulting offspring would be ours. Because we enjoyed a great relationship, I took advantage of it.
I placed an ad in the London Times and a Tel Aviv newspaper saying, "Cougar Cubs" and listing his name, address and phone number.
One day he called saying he'd received a call from a reporter in London asking about cougar cubs. Did I know anything about this? That gag sealed our relationship. He's probably still laughing.
So, where do old announcers go when the gig is over? Well, if someone had told me 20 years ago that I'd be cleaning bathrooms and making beds, I'd have put money against it. But life can be strange and mysterious. My wife and I now own Insel Haus, a B&B on Bois Blanc Island in the Straits of Mackinac, where I tell stories of the Detroit
I knew.
Shelby Newhouse
Bois Blanc Island MI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My orchestra, "Jocelyn and her Gypsies," was hired to play the Auto Show in the 1960's. I was wearing a traditional Gypsy costume and the show's director placed me on a revolving platform beside a car. I was working with a bass violin, two violins (the lead violinist being very overweight), and an elderly violist. The Gypsies did not follow directions and get on the platorm with me. The car and I started to revolve, and the Gypsies who were still standing on the floor, began to run to keep pace with me as I revolved with the car! With the bustle of the show, it took ages before anyone took note of the problem. Finally the turntable stopped to allow four Gypsies, by now all gasping for breath, to join me beside the car. Amazingly, we were booked the following year!
Jocelyn Krieger
Boca Raton, Florida
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I remember one of my first Auto Shows. There were two unknown bands: Bob Seger System and Amboy Dukes. The cars were excellent to see and the entertainment was always just as good.
Mark Fisher
San Francisco, CA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I not only attended the Auto Shows, I worked at them. I was a model and we wore clothes made out of the fabric that the car was upholstered in. We had to sit in, or on, the cars as they rotated. It was fun meeting and greeting everyone, but...those clothes were so scratchy we couldn't wait to change out of them.
Karen Lewis
Sandwich, MA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was attending Redford High School when the Auto Show moved to
Cobo Hall in October of 1960. We were actually given time off from school to attend the show, and while we were there, we got a glimpse of President Eisenhower.
Sharon Borden
Hanover, IN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As certified Car Nuts, in the middle 1970's, friends and I would go to the Auto show at Cobo Hall. All of us either worked in dealerships, part stores or gas stations as ways to pay our college tuition. At the Lincoln-Mercury display, they had what was called "The Lincoln-Mercury Sports Panel." It consisted of Al Kaline, Gordie Howe and Jessie Owens. At least these sports greats made up the panel that night. I still have their autographs and was very impressed with how well those HOFers interacted with fans, fielding questions, shaking hands and signing programs and pictures.
Afterwards a trip to either the American or National Coney Island (whichever guy out front hawking their resturaunt was most persuasive) was a treat.
Fred Fisher
Troy, MI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a great memory of my brother and I attending the 1971 Auto Show. He was a junior at Grosse Pointe South HS and I was a freshman. Both of our hair styles were mopheads and I was wearing one of those green jackets with the fake fur around the hood (anyone still have one of those? - I have pictures!!) The cars were a sight to see. I think it was the last model year before the mandatory 5 mph bumpers were added. There was a beautiful orange Dodge Charger Daytona with the super high back wing -- coolest car I remember.
Dan Coe
Greenville, SC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I worked as a dealer representive for the National Bank of Detroit from 1953 until I retired in 1979. I remember all the pleasant times I had seeing all my dealer friends. It was such a great way to pass along our services.
I have nothing but very fond memories of the many years I covered the Detroit Auto Show.
Lloyd Kaufman
cheetamo@msn.com
Scottsdale AZ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The year was 1966. I worked at Dodge Main in Hamtramck in the Sales Distribution and Programming Dept. We had all worked hard preparing information for the Dodge Dealers for their Preview Show and we were all invited to attend, even getting out of work early to do so. It was very exciting and we were wowed with the likes of platters of shrimp and flowing champagne. A little different than the public auto show.
A time to remember ...
Peggy Wille
Oscoda, Michigan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
