Story of the Week

The 1949 Nash was an Entirely New Postwar Design

by Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher 

The newly designed 1949 Nash models were styled by Holden Koto and Ted Pietsch, along with engineer Nils Erik, the first new generation of vehicles produced after World War II. The Nash Motor Company was an American automaker based in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

For many years, some called the 1949 Nash a bathtub on wheels. They were totally different than any other automotive design on American roads at the time. Nash referred to their 1949 line as the “Airflyte” models, and they were received with mixed reviews from the public. 

To learn more about the 1949 Nash line of cars and to see more images, click below.

This Week's Story

Michigan Auto Heritage Day is Thursday, October 9!

MotorCities National Heritage Area is teaming 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. 

For 2025, the public can get involved in the celebration of Michigan Auto Heritage Day by visiting any one of 15 museums or attractions around the state offering special discounts or giveaways starting Thursday, October 9 and continuing through Sunday, October 12. 

Museums participating in Michigan Auto Heritage Day include the following: 

• Detroit Historical Museum: 20% discount on everything in the Museum Store October 9-12;
• Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores: Free grounds admission;
• Ford Piquette Plant Museum in Detroit: 10% discount on purchases from their museum store;
• Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners: 20% discount on the total purchase from gift store;
• The Henry Ford in Dearborn: Mention Michigan Auto Heritage Day at the Rouge Factory Tour Oct. 9-11 & receive a Rosie the Riveter key chain;
• Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester: Buy one, get one free guided house tour using an online code (see our Michigan Auto Heritage Day webpage for details);
• Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti: $1 discount off admission if you mention Michigan Auto Heritage Day at the door;
• Michigan Flight Museum in Belleville: Free admission for all guests October 9-12;
• Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe: Buy one, get one free admission for October 10-12;
• Plymouth Historical Museum: Alter Car (made in Plymouth) bookmark giveaway for all guests;
• Pontiac Transportation Museum: Free admission for all guests October 9-12;
• R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing: Free admission for kids 17 and under for October 9-12;
• Roush Automotive Collection in Livonia: 15% off merchandise in the gift shop;
• Sloan Museum of Discovery in Flint: 50% off general admission and 10% off gift shop merchandise October 9-12;
• Stahls Motor and Music Experience in Chesterfield Township: Free sticker to guests mentioning Michigan Auto Heritage Day. 

For more information on Michigan Auto Heritage Day, click here.

This Week in Auto Heritage

On October 1, 1908, Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model T to the world at its Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford built 15 million Model Ts, the longest production run of any car until the Volkswagen Beetle surpassed it 45 years later.

As the ad below states from the October 1 issue of Life Magazine, the Model T initially cost $850 (about $18,000 in today’s dollars) and was built for ordinary people to drive daily. It had a 22-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and could reach a speed of 40 miles per hour.

Ford kept prices low by building just one product, meaning the company’s engineers could develop interchangeable parts that reduced waste, saved time and made it easy for unskilled workers to assemble the car. By 1914, the moving assembly line in Highland Park made it possible to produce thousands of cars every week and 10 years later, workers at the Rouge plant in Dearborn could cast more than 10,000 Model T cylinder blocks a day.

As American tastes evolved, the popularity of the Model T waned and the last one rolled off the assembly line on May 26, 1927. (Ad image from the collections of The Henry Ford)

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Did You Know? 

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

Events Coming to the MotorCities

Tonight: Muscle Car Lecture at the Pontiac Transportation Museum

Tonight at 7 p.m., the Pontiac Transportation Museum presents the latest lecture in their Wheels of Time Series, entitled "The Birth of the Muscle Car."

Pontiac historian Tim Dye discusses the early 1960s, a very exciting time at the Pontiac Motor Division. Previously last in sales among General Motors' divisions, Pontiac catapulted to number two with the introduction of an entirely new auto category -- the muscle car! FREE admission.

For more information, click here.

Friday - Sunday: The Annual American Speed Festival at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac

This Friday through Sunday, the M1 Concourse in Pontiac presents the American Speed Festival.

This 5th annual event is a celebration of motorsports. The program will include three days at the speed ring and a salute to legendary driver Al Unser Jr.

For more information, click here.

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