The Drive Home 

Rod Alberts, president of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, and David Madiera, executive director of the LeMay: America’s Car Museum came up with this inspired project over cigars and scotch in a bar one night. The idea was to take three old cars out of the museum in Tacoma, Washington – one from each of the Detroit Three automakers of the day – and drive them to Detroit in time to be part of the North American International Auto Show . . . in January. The mission was to show that it could be done, and should be done. After all, even old cars beg to be driven. We had a 1957 Chevy Nomad, a 1961 Chrysler 300G and a 1966 Mustang. I drove the Nomad and the 300G intermittently from Boise, Idaho to Denver, Colorado in some treacherous conditions on some parts of the journey, including across Wolf Creek Pass at 11,000 feet on a snowy road. Year two was a New England to Detroit route and I drove the Mustang from Grand Rapids to Traverse City, Michigan and back to Detroit. The next Drive Home will start in LA heading for Detroit and feature station wagons.