Looking back to answer the question, Where did the motor vehicle come from? When did it all start?  The first thing you would have to do is distinguish between steam, electric and gas powered engines.

According to records today, the first gasoline engine patent went to Karl Benz of Germany in 1815.  

His three wheeled, four cycle engine single unit machine didn’t look a lot like the so called “horseless carriage” of the past.  

Here in the United States, the first motor wagon was  manufactured by Charles and Frank Duryea in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893.

They hold claim to the first successful 4 horsepower gasoline powered motor.

The word automobile came from an Italian engineer and painter named Martini.

He came up with the word by combining the Greek word for “self” (auto) and the Latin word for ”mobile” which means, moving.  When put together it came out automobile.  

Then the word “car came from a Celtic word “carrus” which meant cart or wagon.

Henry Ford then saw it worthy of mass production and called it the “Quadricycle” a name that didn’t stick.

Of course every time someone talks about the automobile today and where it got it’s start, The Motor City, Detroit, Michigan comes to mind. On Oct. 1st, the very first Ford Model T rolled off assembly plant line 1908.   2008 marked the centennial anniversary of America’s love affair with the automobile. The entire State of Michigan is a living memorial to one of America’s great industries.

A good place to plan your vacation if you are a true car lover and like the old cars would be to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The museum not only shows the first cars made in Detroit but has an observation deck and assembly plant too.

Remember way back when you would turn on the TV and saw the Man from Texaco? Take just a short trip from Detroit in Bowling Green, Ohio and you can stop by Snooks Dream Car Museum and actually see the man wearing the Big Red Star! The museum also is full of vintage Fords, Chevys, Buicks, Pontiacs and Willys, plus many other cars from the 1940’s to the 1960’s along with a completely restored 1940’s Texaco Service Station.

Closer to home, right here in the Smoky Mountain’s in Sevierville TN, well know car person Floyd Garrett opened the Muscle Car Museum in 1996.

There are over seven million dollars worth of cars there including Cuda’s, Camaro’s, 409’s, Mustangs and even some of the rare 70’s  Chevelle. These high performance cars are on display, 90 of them, all year round.

Take a trip to Hershey, PA and you can see The Antique Auto Museum.

This is a place where you can see everything from the antique autos to buses and they even have some of the old milk delivery trucks on hand.

All around us is automobile history that anyone would enjoy seeing. And if you don’t want to travel that far you can see all the antique or classic or muscle cars you want right here in Russell, Adair and Pulaski County at one of the many Classic and Antique car shows in the area.

Now that the season is here, we will be telling you about all the shows that are coming up and where they will be held.

One show we want you to mark on you calendar for sure is being sponsored by Stevens Pipe and Steel. This show will take place Sept. 12th in the old Houchens parking lot. Terry Stevens is changing the old store into a Classic Car museum and hopes to have it open for the show.

This is going to be a fun day with a lot of old cars and activities planned so you won’t want to miss this one.. We will have more on this show as the time draws nearer.

If your Car Club is having an event and you would like us to tell everyone about or someone who you would like to see featured in this article send all information to, djron47@yahoo.com .

All information on upcoming events needs to be in at least two weeks before the event.

If your Club or church or group is having an event and you would like to display some classic cars at that event let me know at least two weeks before the event.

I will put you in contact with one of the clubs that will gladly bring their cars out for display.