The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum is hosting its 24th Annual Orphan Car Show on Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti.
The car show will include around 140 pre-registered orphan vehicles, both British and non-British imports. A car is deemed an "orphan" if it either has a nameplate that is retired or if it was manufactured by a company that has ceased business.
Some of the cars that will be present are the DeSoto, Corvair, and Oldsmobile. The '52 Fabulous Hudson Hornet, which is housed at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, will also be brought out to the show.
"[It is] the race car that was sort of brought to life in the movie 'Cars.' The Doc Hudson car in the movie ... that's a car that spans many generations. I took my kids, they've taken their kids, to see the movie ... It is inspirational, you know. Young children love to see it because they've seen the movie, and they identify with it," Ed Souers, manager of the Hudson exhibit at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, said.
At the event, spectators will have the chance to view these vehicles that date back at least 25 model-years. Between the times of 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., vehicles will also have the opportunity to pass by a reviewing stand. There, the cars and their accompanying histories will be discussed and described for onlookers.
"There's just generally a lot of history, local history, because several of these cars were built around Ypsilanti, and it sort of keeps the community alive. It's an education process for younger people to see the changes in the automobile market and engineering," Souers said.
Registration for orphan vehicles to partake in the show closed on Sept. 2. The show costs $7 to attend, and all proceeds will benefit the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum.
