The Automotive Preservation Project

The Automotive Preservation Project
Name	The Automotive Preservation Project
Type	Nonprofit preservation organization
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan
Mission	Preservation, documentation, and restoration of historic automobiles and related artifacts
Leader title	Executive Director

The Automotive Preservation Project is a nonprofit organization focused on the preservation, documentation, and interpretation of historic automobiles, automotive artifacts, and related material culture. The project engages scholars, collectors, museums, archives, and manufacturers to conserve vehicles, technical documents, and oral histories associated with motoring heritage. Working across museum networks, restoration shops, and academic institutions, it supports exhibitions, publications, and public programming that connect automotive history to industrial pedagogy and technological design.

Overview

The organization operates at the intersection of museum studies, industrial heritage, and archival science, collaborating with institutions such as the Henry Ford Museum, Smithsonian Institution, National Automotive History Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Library of Congress. Its scope spans classic marques like Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen Group, Aston Martin, Jaguar Cars, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bugatti, Dodge, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Studebaker Corporation, Packard Motor Car Company, Hudson Motor Car Company, DeSoto, Lincoln Motor Company, Mercury (automobile), Nash Motors, Hudson Hornet, Corvette, Mustang (Ford), Model T, Model A (Ford), Chevrolet Corvette, Shelby American, Gulf Oil, TotalEnergies, Mobil 1, Castrol, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Michelin and historic racing venues and events like Le Mans, Indianapolis 500, Monaco Grand Prix, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Daytona 500, Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Sebring International Raceway, Brooklands, Silverstone Circuit, Spa-Francorchamps, Nürburgring, Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, Laguna Seca Raceway, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Monte Carlo Rally, Rallye Sanremo, Paris Motor Show, Geneva Motor Show, Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). It maintains relationships with restoration specialists, auction houses, and conservation labs including Sotheby's, RM Sotheby's, Bonhams, Barrett-Jackson, Gooding & Company, Christie's, Fiva, Classic Car Club of America, Automobile Club de l'Ouest, and university departments at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, Cranfield University, University of Warwick, Northumbria University, University of Applied Arts Vienna.

History

Founded in 2010 by a coalition of curators, engineers, collectors, and archivists responding to losses at salvage yards and scrapped prototypes, the project drew early support from figures associated with Henry Ford II, the Packard Motor Car Company archives, and enthusiasts from clubs such as the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain and Antique Automobile Club of America. It organized salvage expeditions after factory closures and coordinated with municipal institutions like the Detroit Historical Museum and the Michigan Historical Center. Milestones include acquisitions of prototype chassis from Chrysler Corporation engineering programs, archival transfers from the Studebaker National Museum, oral history partnerships with retired engineers from Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler, and conservation projects connected to racing legends such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Enzo Ferrari, Carroll Shelby, Soichiro Honda, Enzo Ferrari, Yves Matton and media partnerships with AutoWeek, Road & Track, Car and Driver, Top Gear, Motor Trend, Evo (magazine), Autocar, Classic & Sports Car.

Goals and Objectives

The primary goals are conservation of vehicular artifacts, acquisition of at-risk prototypes, documentation of technical knowledge, and public education through exhibitions and curricula with partners like Smithsonian Institution, Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, Museo Ferrari, Petersen Automotive Museum, and National Motor Museum (Beaulieu). Objectives include creating digital archives with metadata standards compatible with the Digital Public Library of America, fostering apprenticeships with trade associations including International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies and Society of Automotive Engineers, advocating for legal protections in collaboration with legislative bodies such as state historic preservation offices and cultural ministries, and promoting material culture studies connected to industrial design figures like Henry Ford, Enzo Ferrari, Ferdinand Porsche, Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, Ransom E. Olds, LeBaron, Harley Earl, Pininfarina, Italdesign Giugiaro, Bertone.

Activities and Programs

Programs include field salvage operations, conservation workshops, traveling exhibitions, oral history initiatives, digital cataloguing, and technical training. Examples of partners and program sites include the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, AutoMuseum Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz Museum, BMW Museum, Toyota Automobile Museum, Honda Collection Hall, Nissan Heritage Collection, Hyundai Motor Company heritage displays, Kia Motors collaborations, and events at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, Goodwood Revival, Le Mans Classic, Classic Motor Show, and regional car meets organized by SCCA chapters. Scholarship and publications are produced with academic presses and journals including Journal of Transport History, Technology and Culture, International Journal of Heritage Studies, Museum Management and Curatorship and collaborations with institutes such as Smithsonian Institution Libraries and Getty Conservation Institute.

Organizational Structure

The project is governed by a board composed of museum directors, curators, engineers, historians, and private collectors drawn from institutions like Petersen Automotive Museum, Henry Ford Museum, National Museum of American History, Science Museum, London, Deutsches Museum, Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile Turin, Museo Ferrari, Museo Lamborghini, and representatives from manufacturers including Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota, BMW Group, Daimler AG, and Stellantis. Operational staff include conservators trained at programs such as Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, and technicians with certifications from City & Guilds and professional bodies like Institute of Conservation and American Institute for Conservation. Advisory councils feature scholars from University of Michigan, Stanford University, Imperial College London, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Politecnico di Torino, and curators from Victoria and Albert Museum.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding comes from foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, private donations, auction partnerships, and earned income from exhibitions and consulting. Major philanthropic partners have included Knight Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and corporate donors such as Ford Motor Company Fund, General Motors Foundation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mercedes-Benz Heritage, Ferrari S.p.A. and tire, lubricant, and parts suppliers like Goodyear, Michelin, Bosch (company), ZF Friedrichshafen, Magna International, Aisin Seiki, Denso Corporation, Continental AG, Mahle GmbH. Collaborative grants have come through cultural programs administered with UNESCO national commissions and cultural ministries across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Japan, France, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands.

Impact and Legacy

The project has contributed to the survival of rare chassis, prototype engines, bodywork from coachbuilders like Pininfarina, Ghia, Vignale, Scaglietti, Zagato, and archival collections transferred to university archives and museums such as Petersen Automotive Museum, Henry Ford Museum, Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile Turin, National Motor Museum (Beaulieu), Deutsches Museum, Mercedes-Benz Museum and Museo Ferrari. Its oral histories preserve testimony from engineers and designers including figures associated with Enzo Ferrari, Carroll Shelby, Soichiro Honda, Ferdinand Piëch, Lee Iacocca, Bill Mitchell (General Motors), Giorgetto Giugiaro, Sergio Pininfarina, Franco Scaglione, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and racing drivers linked to Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Derek Bell, Phil Hill, Mario Andretti, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso. Educational legacies include curriculum modules used by University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cranfield University, Politecnico di Torino, and exhibitions cited in catalogues from Petersen Automotive Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Category:Automotive conservation