Michigan Automotive Inspection Services

An early Chrysler ad from the archives for this week’s ‘Sales Ad Saturday’. This week in 1920, Walter P. Chrysler, President of Buick, resigned from General Motors. His resignation represents a pivotal moment in automotive history and the eventual establishment of the Big Three. Chrysler was hired by GM President Charles Nash in 1911 to oversee Buick's engineering and production. Coming from a railroad background but looking to break out into the emerging automotive sector, C

Another ad from the archives for this week’s ‘Sales Ad Saturday’. This week in 1933, Studebaker filed for bankruptcy. The early 1930s was a dark time for Studebaker. The company had evolved in many ways since its founding as a carriage maker in 1852. After securing many wartime contracts, particularly for the British during WWI, the company enjoyed much success through the roaring ’20s. Since 1915, the company had been led by Albert Erskine, who oversaw the transition to auto

From the archive for this week's 'Sales Ad Saturday', a story of what almost never was. It was this week in 1901 that a fire destroyed the Olds Motor Works factory in Detroit. Like other pioneers of the early car, Ransom E. Olds was developing and experimenting with several different horseless carriages he could bring to market. On March 9th, 120 years ago, a fire destroyed most of the factory, with only the foundry surviving. Lost in the flames were almost two dozen differen

Another frequent haunt for stars of the past is featured in this week's 'Sales Ad Saturday'. This ad was photographed at The Racquet Club of Palm Springs, which was founded by actors Ralph Bellamy and Charles Farrell in 1934. The tennis enthusiasts were tired of waiting for court time at the nearby ElMirador Hotel and decided to do something about it. For decades, the private club was a destination for many notable Hollywood A-listers. Many of the earliest professional photog

Another beautiful ad featuring the collaborative talents of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman along with a special announcement for this week's 'Sales Ad Saturday’. Many seasoned automotive enthusiasts have come to instantly recognize Fitzpatrick and Kaufman’s beautiful and idealistic illustrations anytime they see them, and several of my favorite ads in my own collection are marked with that familiar AF VK identifier in a corner of the ad. For almost 25 years, the two artists

For decades, Cadillac was known as the 'Standard of the World', but why? The story has roots going all the way back to the infancy of the automobile industry. I recently had the opportunity to appraise a beautiful 1908 Cadillac for a client. That year was a pivotal one for Cadillac, as the company was awarded the Royal Automobile Club's prestigious Dewar Trophy. The award was an affirmation of Cadillac founder Henry Leland's advancements in precision machining and standardize