Greater Detroit area view through the eyes of a foreign car geek...

Wanted to share some of the photos I took during my one week stay in the Detroit area. There are hundreds of photos if you want to scroll down past the Chicago area and MoPar Nationals part. A word of caution though, this is a several pages long thread mostly about cars and old buildings so it is not for everyone. Here's some of the stuff I covered;

Woodward Dream Cruise
Most Chrysler Plants in the area, past and present including Highland Park archeology
A tour of the Warren Truck plant aka Dodge City
The WPC Museum
Packard Plant
Packard Proving Grounds
Meadowbrook Hall
Several old Chrysler dealerships and a few current ones
Architectural sights in downtown Detroit and New Center area

Non Detroit stuff includes;
An old Chrysler dealership that reopens as a performance car dealer in Rockford, IL
MoPar Nationals
Miller Motors Hudson in Ypsilanti
Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, IN
Studebaker Museum in South Bend, IN
The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, TX
US Nationals Drag Racing in Indianapolis, IN
Grand-Spaulding Dodge in Chicago, IL

and a lot more! I was really impressed by Detroit even with its problems and I love the area! I hope to be back soon! Hope you car guys and history buffs like the pics!

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/...page=0&fpart=1

I enjoyed taking your tour. The buildings were especially interesting to me. I worked in Cadillac Place, but before that, many family members worked in the GM Building. The inside, to me, looks better than the old half glass cubicles that were in the working part of the GM Building. I don't know what happened to Mahogany Row, though. You have the tank plant, where my mom worked during WWII as well. There were some purely gorgeous machines you featured too. Thanks!

Glad you liked the pics! If anyone wants to add some thoughts, photos etc please do so! Next time I really want to spend a few days driving around with someone who knows the history of the city, I did see a lot but I am sure I also cruised by a lot of places that would have been cool to know more about.

Kiitos!! I'm half Finnish, so welcome! Looks like you missed 2 of the Ford mansions, The Rouge plant tour and the Ford Piquette Avenue plant. Kiitos for the pictures!

Stromberg2

Hello Hans:

Thanks for all the kind words on the Moparts website about your 4 week trip to the US and especially your enthusiasm for Detroit.

I had the pleasure of meeting Hans this past August and introduced him to 56Packman and other members of the local Packard Club at our annual ice cream social.

It would be great if all visitors to Detroit had his positive attitude.

Good on you Hans.

On your next visit, I suggest the Gilmore Car Museum outside Kalamazoo. It's one of the best auto museums I've seen.

Amazing tour. Great stuff; thanks for sharing.

Wow, you even found the Daytona building at 10 MIle and Brittany in East Detroit.

[[Later Tocco's Mafia hangout)

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Originally Posted by East Detroit

Amazing tour. Great stuff; thanks for sharing.

Wow, you even found the Daytona building at 10 MIle and Brittany in East Detroit.

[[Later Tocco's Mafia hangout)

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Uhh...had no idea that the place used to be [[I hope USED is the operative word here) a wise guy ang out...The Detroit Partnership? Care to share more, what was going down there?

Thanks everybody for the kind words...I will surely see the Ford mansions, Rouge and the Ford museum as well as the Gilmore Museum, next time. I had to leave something out as there simply wasn't enough time. It was great meeting you Packard fellows, thanks again!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Forwardlook

Uhh...had no idea that the place used to be [[I hope USED is the operative word here) a wise guy ang out...The Detroit Partnership? Care to share more, what was going down there?

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Tocco owned the place in the later 70s and they would fill the parking lot with Cadillacs about once a month and have a meeting inside. Guys [[including locals) were posted outside the doors making sure nobody came in and warning if the cops came [[which they never did).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by East Detroit

Tocco owned the place in the later 70s and they would fill the parking lot with Cadillacs about once a month and have a meeting inside. Guys [[including locals) were posted outside the doors making sure nobody came in and warning if the cops came [[which they never did).

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Wow, that must have been quite a sight...glad that is in the past, I bet a guy taking pics all over wouldn't have been very well received in those circles...

Forwardlook,

Thanks for these, sometimes it takes someone from afar to fully appreciate some of the things we locals take for granted.

I'm glad you made it out to Rockford, too...and I'm wondering if your contacts in the Illinois Mopar Clubs can help place a business I drove past just south and west of Antioch...roughly an hour or so due east and slightly north of Rockford. Big town nearby is Gurnee, known for their mall and Six Flags terror park.

This joint had more vintage orange Mopars in their parking lot than I'd EVER seen in one spot since they drove off the dealership lot!

Looking at the map, it is probably in Fox Lake, Long Lake, or Island Lake...on the north side of an east/west street...just south of Antioch.

That place had at least three of the Super Vs...full-blown with the nose cone, and at least one spoiler. Had some 'Cudas and Darts and Roadrunners, too...all in that factory orange [[which is what caught my attention)! If I wasn't already late for my appointment out there, I'd have stopped to take a few pictures, it was that impressive.

It'd be fun to have this mystery solved.

Cheers,
John

Hi John, thank you for your interest and nice words. I think I can answer your question without local help. My bet is that you are talking about Hans Luedtke Auto Group [[www.hlpag.com) that is nowadays known as http://www.truemusclecars.com/ I don't know if you went through all the photos but towards the end of the thread there are actually several photos of this place, maybe it is the one you are talking about? They are "famous" for all the General Lee Chargers but I strongly suggest that one goes through a car very thoroughly before buying from them. They have a "reputation" which you can check out if you do a search with "HLPAG".....

Hans

As a fellow car/Mopar enthusiast I enjoyed all the pics! Your trip must have been awesome and well worth it! I think you seen more during your trip than I have seen in my 34 years growing up here!
The Woodward Dream cruise is something ALL car enthusiasts should experience at least once in their lifetime! I go every year.
Thanks for sharing! :cool:

One Shot, I hear you! Woodward Dream Cruise is a totally American thing that every one should see once in a lifetime, car nut or not. I did see a lot but I want to come back for more, Detroit is THE place for me! Thanks again for the praise!