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Continued.
At the Hyatt the 75th anniversary of the 1933 Ford was being celebrated. I purchased the special book produced for the occasion and for owners with their cars at the meet more special meals etc.! also hand picked 1933 cars on display right outside the hotel entrance each day. Next Tour was to the Piquette Avenue Ford Plant. It amazed me the plant still existed. In England it would have been flattened. The plant was operated by Ford from 1904 until 1911 and was where the Model `T` was designed and first produced. Apparently the plant was sold to Studebaker who operated it until 1933. Ford Moved to Highland Park in 1911. After 1933 it was used for warehouse and storage. The Model `T` Club now own it and are restoring it to the 1904 condition. I could go on but it was not a V8 Plant so I will leave it there. Back to the Hotel and another big meal in the evening `The Grand National Buffet`. During the meet there were also all sorts of seminars if you wanted to attend. Columbia overdrive, Ford Script Glass,1932 Ford etc, etc. It was impossible to do everything you had to choose!
Thursday was the big day. Out on the concourse to see all the show cars being judged.
I should explain that every car has to have a prior safety check and be able to drive
into the show area under its own power. No show cars that can`t actually drive here!
No shortage of volunteers to check and judge the cars. In fact dedicated teams of
people to judge each year 1932-
Cars and commercials on display from every year 1932-
After the big day, Friday saw more bus tours. One to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Home at Gaukler Point, Grosse Point Shores on Lake St Clair. Quite spectacular
To imagine Edsel leaving this beautiful house and parkland each morning and going down to the Rouge plant belching all kinds of fumes in those days is food for thought. Remember though that it was the profits from the factory that built the beautiful house! Friday evening was the awards Banquet. This is always done well with a photo of every car at the meet on a screen. An excellent speech from Tom Johnstone who made special mention of the 27 foreign visitors. A vast amount of awards handed out and of course an excellent Dinner. The meet being officially over after the awards it was time for people to say goodbye for another five years in some cases! As for the English contingent it was off on Saturday morning to view more cars and parts at the Ford Mercury Restorers annual swop meet at the Wayne State Fairground.
Your roving reporter in the U.S.A.
Chris Sanders.
