Every year around this time, Lexus runs a version of its ‘December to Remember’ Christmas commercial. Originally designed as an end-of-year promotion, the spot features a ‘heartwarming’ holiday story, which invariably ends with the unveiling of a shiny new Lexus wrapped in a big red bow. Considered a ‘cornerstone of Lexus marketing,’ the campaign has run for over 25 years; its obsequious presence has been parodied to great effect on Saturday Night Live. Although the commercial has never encouraged me to put a Lexus on my gift list, it did make me wonder if not a Lexus, what automobile would I love to find under my Christmas tree?
I have been fortunate in my later years to be able to own the automobiles I admire. But that wasn’t always the case. When I was younger I used to imagine myself behind the wheels of cars that were very much unattainable, which made them all the more desirable. So I thought it would be fun, in the spirit of the holiday, to remember the cars that I would have loved to have received for Christmas, or any other time of year.
When I was in college, driving my rusting VW Beetle, I would gaze longingly at the occasional Triumph TR6 convertible that passed me on the highway. With its distinctive wedge shape and Lichfield Green exterior, it was, to my mind, the iconic sports car. Its impracticality for Michigan winters never crossed my mind. I only imagined my younger self with the top down, leaving beat up VWs in the dust. Unfortunately my infatuation with the Triumph led me to eventually purchase a similar vehicle – a Fiat Spider convertible – which was a disaster of a car. So much for that dream.
The 1960s and 70s romanticized the vagabond hippie life. Although I was as straight arrow as they come, I thought it would be fun to own a VW Westfalia Camper and spend the summer touring the USA. Since I had to work to put myself through school that was never an option, but it didn’t stop me from thinking about the possibility. I had an opportunity to drive a VW bus when visiting California, and with the engine in the back, the lack of a hood coupled with the right-on-the-road experience of driving took some getting used to. Unfortunately I got in a bit of an accident with the bus which put a bit of a damper on my desire to own the ‘box on wheels.’
As a fan of Volkswagens, I always imagined trading in my Bug for a sporty Karmann Ghia. One of the single female co-workers at my first full time job had one, and it seemed to represent freedom and fun, something that was lacking in my newly [and short lived] married life. As noted on a classic car site, the Karmann Ghia was an instant success when it was first introduced, especially among ‘starry-eyed Americans who wanted to cruise around in something cool.’ As I was neither stylish nor cool, nor did I have the funds to achieve such status, I continue to pine after my co-worker’s Karmann Ghia as I watched my VW slowly rust away.
The 1978 Vietnam drama Coming Home featured Jane Fonda driving a 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster. Fonda’s character, Sally Bender, acquired the Speedster while her US Marine husband was deployed. When in California on a commercial shoot around the same time, I had the opportunity to see a similar vehicle up close and personal. As one of the crew members pulled up in the classic vehicle, I was star struck. by its simplicity and timeless design. Nearly 60 years later, my heart still goes a flutter whenever I come across a Speedster at a car show.
Christmas has come and gone, and unsurprisingly, there was no gift-wrapped automobile waiting for me. But it’s fun to remember the cars that I wished for so very long ago.
Happy Holidays, and may your car wishes come true.
In a recent article in Curbside Classic – a popular automotive blog for devotees of older cars – a contributor creates an ‘auto’ biography out of the cars of his childhood. The author, who could be described as a bona fide auto aficionado – not only recalls the make, model, year, and color of each car that made its way into his driveway, but calls upon the family automobile to recall the everyday events of his young life. This recollection cause me to think about my own family automotive history, which, as it turns out, couldn’t be further removed of that of the man who ‘grew up loving cars.’
Although I grew up in Detroit during the Golden Age of Car Culture, I was aware of cars in only a general sense. I remember being able to recognize the makes of cars quite easily; the ‘planned obsolescence’ of the 1950s, which resulted in new and distinctive designs every model year, made it possible distinguish one auto manufacturer from another without having an extensive automotive background. Games of ‘I spy’ during family road trips also gave me an awareness of the different car makes and models. However, in terms of our family cars, my memory is quite shaky, most likely because there was a significant amount of time when we as a family didn’t have a car at all.
I remember the first car that we owned was a 1950ish Kaiser which was dark green in color. At some point it was traded in for a 1951 or 1952 light green Oldsmobile. I don’t recall much about these cars other than they were roomy enough to hold two adults and three squirmy kids. We took this car on trips to Camp Dearborn for picnics and to a rented cottage on Lake Avalon, one of Michigan’s many inland bodies of water. However, the car I remember most from this era didn’t belong to us at all, but to my oldest brother. When we ventured on a road trip to Texas, with my cigar-smoking grandfather in tow, my brother allowed us to use his brand spanking new fire engine red 1957 Oldsmobile. That was a fun ride.
In the winter following the Texas trip, my father died, leaving us carless as my mother never learned to drive. Consequently we spent the next five years bumming rides and relying on public transportation until my brother turned 16. My mother purchased a 1960 white Ford Fairlane – why and from who I don’t know. My brother drove the Fairlane until he totaled it driving down our neighborhood street. My mother replaced that car with a 1960 Corvair which was the car I learned to drive on. I was able to get a driver’s permit at 15 with the stipulation that an adult was present in the car while I was driving. This requirement made absolutely no sense, as my non-driving mother and very nervous was appointed to make sure I was competent behind the wheel. I remember my mother grimacing and holding onto the door handle tightly whenever my gear shifting was less than perfect. It is no wonder that I never became a confident driver.
At some point the Corvair was replaced with a 1964 Pontiac Tempest, no doubt selected by my brother for its resemblance to a GTO. That was the car I shared with my brother until he purchased a 1967 VW Beetle on his 21st birthday. My mother knew nothing about cars; consequently, she concluded if she paid for insurance and gas we were good to go. The cars were never maintained properly; the muffler on the Tempest was replaced only after I received a ticket for excessive noise.
My younger sister and I shared my brother’s VW while he was off at school. The car was a bit beat up; my brother had repeatedly smashed in the front end. He didn’t get it repaired until I ran into something and paid for my damage [and his] out of my own pocket. When I turned 21, I purchased my own Beetle and drove it for seven years until it was totaled while parked in front of my apartment building.
It is often said that music is the history of our life. Yet the same could be said for the automobiles that carried us through our childhoods and teenage years. Just as a song often serves as a connection to a particular event from the past, a car can bring back memories of family vacations, sibling dynamics, or a young life on the verge of adulthood.
The Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History was started in 2015 as a joint effort between the IMRRC [International Motor Racing Research Center] and the Society of Automotive Historians. Other than a break during COVID, the symposium has been held annually, and has grown exponentially from three presenters in 2025 to 20 in 2024. The symposium has been traditionally held at the Watkins Glen International Speedway Media Center. This year the conference was scaled back; it was held in a new venue – the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel – and limited to 14 presentations. This revised setup eliminated the ‘run over’ presentations and provided ample time for questions. Although the Speedway location was an interesting place to visit, it involved a long drive out of town on very hilly roads. Having the symposium in the hotel also provided a better environment for networking and camaraderie. The two-day conference also included a film festival and reception at the Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce. Despite its historical significance as the origin of road racing, Watkins Glen is a sleepy town, especially during the off season. Being from the western part of the Eastern time zone, I was not used to darkness falling before 5PM which made for interesting walks around town.
Presenter Jim Miller
I became involved with the Argetsinger when I travelled to the IMRRC to conduct some research for a paper on women-only racing a number of years ago. I presented at the conference the following year, and subsequently became part of the SAH contingent that organized the event. I presented a paper in 2024, but attended this year as a spectator. Although I am quiet and have often felt invisible at the gathering of so many motorsports experts [of which I am not], there was a perceptible difference in how I was regarded this year, no doubt due to my new role as SAH President. I received a dinner invitation for the first time in five years! But my new position allowed me to connect with many of the attendees in interesting ways, which I ultimately enjoyed. The only downside to the two days in Watkins Glen was the 3:15AM wake up call for my flight out of the two-gate Elmira airport.
Tech wiz Eric Monteraselli
The symposium was live streamed and converted to youtube for future viewing. If you have any interest in motorsport history, I suggest you check out the videos from this and past years. The presenters come from many disciplines – from academics to motor racing enthusiasts – so there is certain to be something for everyone.
A number of years back, as I pulled up to a stop light, I noticed a long line of vehicles in the next lane – four or five at least – that were almost identical in appearance. Although the cars represented different manufacturers, they were all small SUVs, and they were all black. Black, as it turns out, is the second most popular car color in the United States, representing 22% of the automotive market. White cars constitute one quarter of cars sold, with grey and silver contributing another 34%. During the golden age of car culture – the 1950s and 1960s, cars were not only bigger, but came in a wide variety of hues. The muscle cars of the 60s and 70s introduced us to colors that were bright and bold; Panther Pink, Vitamin C Orange, Grabber Blue, Plum Crazy Purple, and Rallye Red described the car, and the person who drove it, as outgoing, outrageous, and fun.
On the road today, cars that are not white, black, silver, or grey stand out, not just because there are so few of them, but because it makes one wonder what makes an individual go against the grain with such an unusual or bold color choice. Arm chair – and legitimate – psychologists have often contributed to stories that ask “what does your car color say about you?” 40 years ago, psychologists Peter Marsh and Collett discussed car color [as well as other automotive characteristics] in Driving Passion: The Psychology of the Car. The pair argued that the economic climate – booms and recessions – often affect the color of cars on the road. Booms feature cars of primary tones and bright colors – yellows, light blues, and reds – whereas when the economy is in decline, there is a tendency for people to select somber colors like greys, browns, and dark blues. Marsh and Collett also suggested that the aspect of personality a car reveals most accurately is “the person’s need for achievement.” Those with a high need for achievement will select cars with subdued colors; folks with relatively low levels of ambition will opt for bright colors including red and yellow.
The connection between car color and human personality remains a subject of interest today. In a recent article, Jaloponik notes how many people consider red to be an exciting color that lets others know “you’re passionate, intense, and ready for adventure.” The Today show goes a step further, asserting that the person who owns a red car is “sensual, dynamic, and outgoing.” Yellow cars, states Jalopnik, is associated with happiness, as it inspires people to “feel happier and more optimistic.” Today attests that the owner of a yellow car is likely to be joyful, has a sense of humor, and is young at heart. Today also suggests that an individual who chooses a dark blue car is confident, credible, and authoritative. If you find yourself attractive to blue cars, writes Jalopnik, “there’s a good chance you’re trustworthy, reliable, and calm.”
In my own car history, I have owned a lot of red cars. My first car was a red Beetle; other vehicles have included a maroon Fiat convertible, burgundy Sirocco, bright red Rabbit, and a brilliant red Audi. In this regard I go against stereotype, as I am anything but outgoing and ready for adventure. It is likely I chose red vehicles to project the persona of who I would like to be, rather than the shy and reticent individual that I am. Of my most recent cars, two out of three – both Golf Rs – have been Lapis Blue. Blue has always been my favorite color. I suspect I choose blue not only because it matches my eyes, but because it projects the confidence and authority I lack. Perhaps by choosing colors that are so against type, some of the qualities associated with them will rub off on me.
I have owned a couple of silver cars, and the only positive thing I can say about them is that they were less likely to show dirt. Although they were attractive in their own right, such color conformity was never something I wanted to embrace. Although I am what you would call an older woman, I am not yet ready to succumb to the neutral, unimaginative, and dare I say boring, black, white, and silver cars that populate the roads today. I’ll continue to enjoy surprising folks when they see me, a small, silver-haired woman, behind the wheel of a rumbling Lapis Blue-Black Edition, hot hatch Golf R.
At the close of the last SAH board meeting, I officially became president of the Society of Automotive Historians. I am not quite sure how this happened as it was never my intention to run for the position. But here I am. I enter my two-year term quite overwhelmed; there is so much to do right from the get go and I am not quite sure where to start. In addition, in the over 50 years since its founding, there have only been two other female SAH presidents, which will no doubt result in additional scrutiny. But I have a supportive board and an excellent vice president, so hopefully together we can develop an approach and agenda that will serve current and future members well.
My overreaching goal is to make the organization more accessible, inclusive, and to encourage more membership participation. Like many automotive organizations, SAH membership has aged without a sufficient influx of younger people with new ideas to make up the loss. Many of the current members have been discouraged by the lack of communication and feel as though they don’t have a voice. I believe that in order to succeed in the near future, the organization needs to be more attuned to the interests of a more diverse population. We need to employ new means of communication to expand our reach. The new members of the board have added youth and different kinds of experiences that can make a difference. Some of the long term objectives, therefore, are to explore going digital with our publications, expand our social media presence, communicate with the membership on a consistent basis, and open communication channels so that folks will be comfortable making suggestions to improve any and every aspect of the SAH.
I am not a natural leader. I am soft spoken, have difficulty taking charge, and am non confrontational. Therefore I am hoping that my strengths – creative thinking and hard work – will be enough for me to become an effectual president of the Society of Automotive Historians. I’ll have the next two years to find out.
During the 1980s I was working in the creative department at McCann-Erickson on the Buick account. Although the import market had been promoting smaller vehicles for a least a decade, American manufacturers were hesitant to enter the compact car market. Buick, especially, was known for its rather large vehicles; in the classic film Annie Hall, Woody Allen’s character Alvie proclaims, “there’s a spider in your bathroom the size of a Buick.” Thus when the 1984 Skyhawk was introduced, the smallest vehicle in the Buick lineup, I thought a unique strategy would be to cite it as the perfect vehicle for short people. As someone who is barely 5’ 2”, I was tired of sitting on cushions to see over the steering wheel or propping pillows behind my back to reach the clutch in behemoth American cars. However, my idea was quickly shot down; perhaps the popular Randy Newman 1977 hit with the lyrics “short people got no reason to live” influenced the creative director’s decision. Or more likely it was because promoting a sporty vehicle as appropriate for individuals of shorter stature, primarily women, was considered a marketing nightmare. At any rate, Buick, like the majority of US car makers, continued to sell the mantra “bigger is better,” which no doubt contributed to their eventual decline.
The 1984 Skyhawk ad that eventually ran. No short people mentioned!
Fast forward forty years, and the automotive site Jalopnik produces an article titled “The Best Cars for Short Drivers.” As auto writer Collin Woodard notes, “sometimes it feels like automakers just completely forget that short drivers exist, too.” The article goes on to provide a list of eleven vehicles that Consumer Reports deems suitable for the vertically challenged. The selection includes not only compacts, but also SUVs, minivans, crossovers, sports cars, and luxury sedans. Woodard explains how each vehicle has the capacity to adjust for shorter drivers, particular in seating and steering wheel positioning. The vehicles run the gamut of automotive needs, including functionality, affordability, roominess, and the elusive “fun-to-drive” vibe.
The Kia Soul. Recommended for the short among us.
Although I have owned a few larger vehicles to accommodate very big dogs, I have preferred smaller daily drivers since I purchased my first car – a Volkswagen Beetle – in 1970. I have stuck with VWs throughout the years and have owned a series of Golf GTIs and Golf Rs, which are easy to park, a blast to drive, and fit my smaller body perfectly.
2025 VW Golf R Black Edition – Just my size!
Yet despite the positive spin on cars that accommodate a slighter frame, the Jalopnik comment section leaves no doubt as to how the automotive population feels about these cars. As one poster snarkily remarks, “Old lady cars are great for short people. Who knew?” As the comments suggest, although cars have adjusted to accommodate all body types, including that of the smaller driver, the disparaging attitude toward women and cars remains, sadly, the same. Proclaims another Jalopnik reader, “short people got no reason to drive.”
The Society of Automotive Historians Banquet has traditionally been held each October in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where the organization was founded over 50 years ago. It took place in conjunction with the AACA [Antique Automobile Club of America] Eastern Division Fall Meet, a massive antique and classic car show, swap meet, and flea market held on the expansive grounds of Hersheypark.. This year, for the first time, it was decided to move the banquet to the historic Durant-Dort Factory One in Flint, Michigan. The Durant-Dort Factory One was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978. Considered the birthplace of General Motors, it is where visionary William C. ‘Billy’ Durant made his first fortune in the horse-drawn carriage business with his business partner Josiah Dallas Dort during the late 1800s. After falling into disrepair over the next century, the building was purchased and restored by GM in 2013; the goal was to preserve an early cornerstone of the global auto industry in Flint and create a modern meeting and exhibition space.
SAH President Kevin Kibbutz welcomes the banquet guests (Photo by John M. Galloway for General Motors)
As it turns out, the Factory One operations manager is the current SAH president, who generously welcomed the organization into this incredible edifice for this special occasion. Moving the banquet to Flint provided an opportunity for Midwest SAH members, as well as those who work during the week, to attend, many for the first time. Somehow, as I didn’t volunteer nor was I asked, I was put in charge of the banquet. This resulted in nearly one year of freaking out, as I had never in my life been responsible for an event of this size. However, eventually it all came together and it turned out to be a lovely weekend of fun, camaraderie, and celebration.
Attendees touring the Sloan Museum (Photo by Mary Elton)
I arranged for a number of automotive-centric activities over the weekend for those coming to Flint. The first was a special tour of the Sloan Museum History and Automotive Collections by Curator of Collections Malcolm Cottle. A video program was offered in the Durant-Dort Carriage Company Building across the way from Factory One. Before the banquet, the Kettering Archives opened its doors for a tour of its impressive collection, guided by interim Director of Library Services Dawn Winans. On Sunday, folks were invited to attend the Golden Memories Car Show on the Flint Cultural Center grounds. While I was uncertain as to whether folks would be interested in these offerings, each was very well attended. In fact, one of the award winners drove his 1954 Nash Ambassador from Milwaukee to the Awards Banquet so that he could enter it into the car show the following day.
Me announcing the Benz Award Winner (Photo by John M. Galloway for General Motors)
The Factory One conference space was an incredible venue for the banquet. The audio and visual capabilities were outstanding, and the members enjoyed socializing among the antique vehicles and vintage signage. As for the guest speaker, I convinced Jim Secreto, a retired automotive photographer I worked with over 40 years ago on the Buick account, to give a presentation focused on his automotive advertising art collection. The audience seemed truly engaged and Jim seemed to be enjoying himself.
Jim Secreto speaking on the history of Detroit automotive advertising art (Photo by John M. Galloway for General Motors)
Although I hadn’t slept for many nights before the banquet, the weekend turned out to be a success. However, as I take over the reins of the SAH presidency later this year, one of my first actions will be to delegate the awards banquet to someone, anyone, else.
In 2014 I wrote an article – “Women Auto Know: Automotive Knowledge, Auto Activism, and Women’s Online Car Advice”– which addressed the growth of women’s car advice websites. The sites, I noted, were developed as a response to the poor treatment women traditionally received at automotive dealerships and service establishments. Although women influence nearly 85 percent of new car sales, their experience at automotive dealerships differs significantly from that of men. Not only are women subject to sexist and patronizing behavior from automotive personnel, but they often wind up paying considerably more for automobiles or automotive services. Women’s car advice websites became popular during the early years of the Internet as a source for automotive knowledge and the acquisition of negotiation strategies and skills.
Some twenty years later, women are now taking to social media to seek automotive advice and report poor service to thousands, if not tens of thousands, of online followers. As an aging boomer who is admittedly not fluent in social media, I came upon this phenomenon while looking at automotive feeds to which I subscribe. One of those is Motor1.com, a global digital media company specializing in automotive content, providing car news, reviews, buying guides, and premium videos for car buyers and enthusiasts. One of the features that kept popping on my feed was an almost daily report of the car buying or service experiences of TikTok users. It appears that the Motor1.com staff looked to TikTok for interesting car stories to relay to its reader base. TikTok users are heavily concentrated in younger age groups, with the 18-24 and 25-35 brackets representing the largest segments. What is particularly noteworthy about the automotive experiences reported is that nearly all of them came from women.
This should not, after all, be surprising. The automobile’s longstanding association with masculinity has discouraged women from becoming too familiar with cars. Consequently, it has put the female driver at a disadvantage when attempting to purchase or service an automobile. However, despite the lack of an automotive education, women today are much more forthright about addressing this deficiency. Unlike their male counterparts, who are often reluctant to admit they are unknowledgeable or uninformed about cars, women know what they don’t know. Thus they are using social media to become more informed, to ask whether they have been treated fairly, to find solutions to automotive problems, and to acquire the tools to fix an issue on their own.
In 2014 I wrote, “Although women’s car purchases nearly equal those of men, women continue to experience inferior treatment in most US auto dealerships and service establishments. Dealers often take advantage of women’s uneasiness with the negotiation process to intimidate the female consumer and charge her more than men; service centers profit from women’s presumed lack of automotive knowledge and technological expertise as they pressure female customers to finance unnecessary repairs. Despite women’s increased purchasing power, gender inequities in auto service and repair ensure that women remain on unequal footing when entering the automotive showroom.” As exhibited by the TikTok stories on Motor1.com, these problems continue to persist over 20 years later. However, much like the generations before them, today’s tech-savvy young women have taken matters into their own hands. They have called upon social media to draw attention to the issues not only women, but all young people face and in the process, have become empowered as car owners and consumers.
Being the ‘first’ in any endeavor represents a breakthrough moment – someone or something has crossed a boundary that had not been crossed before. The celebration of firsts suggests possibilities – something that was once considered impossible or off-limits can now be achieved. However, acknowledgement as a groundbreaker also carries the weight of expectations. An individual’s success or failure can influence how others in the same role or field are perceived. While this phenomenon exists in all fields of endeavor, it especially relevant for those whose “firsts” challenge existing power structures and societal norms. Although attention to female automotive firsts may diminish the achievements of those who follow, the determination and tenacity of women who were able to succeed in a culture in which they were not welcomed should not be disregarded. As Nanette Braun, of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, exclaims, “as long as women face barriers, it’s important to celebrate first-time achievements to show other women that such accomplishments are possible” (qtd in Morgan).
Joan Newton Cuneo – first female star of motorsports
It is not surprising, therefore, that in automotive history, many of the celebrated women are ‘firsts.’ Bertha Benz was the first person, man or woman, to engage in a long-distance, internal-combustion-engine, automobile trip. Alice Ramsey was the first woman to drive across the US in an automobile. The ‘first female star of motorsports’ was a title bestowed on Joan Newton Cuneo for her racing acumen. Other female racers have also been honored as firsts – Louise Smith is regarded as the ‘first lady of racing;’ Betty Skelton was known as the ‘first lady of firsts.’ Janet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify at Indianapolis; Lyn St James was the first woman to be awarded the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Not only was Sarah Fisher the first woman drive for her own team, but was the first female owner to earn an IndyCar victory. The first woman to win an IndyCar race was Danica Patrick. Due to her record breaking accomplishments, Shirley Muldowney is often referred to as the ‘First Lady of Drag Racing.’ The three Force sisters – Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney, hold a collection of drag racing firsts. Other firsts include Nellie Goins, the first African American woman to succeed in Funny Car racing, and Cheryl Linn Glass, the first Black woman to race professionally.
Betty Skelton ‘First Lady of Firsts’
Female firsts are also noted in the auto industry. Helene Rother was the first woman to enter the field of automotive interior design at General Motors. Audrey Hodges Moore is recognized as the first full-time designer at an automotive company. The first female industrial designer at Studebaker was Helen Dryden. Betty Thatcher Oros was the first female exterior automotive designer on record. In more recent history, there is no more prominent ‘first’ than Mary Barra, the first woman to serve as CEO of a US automotive manufacturer. Whatever their automotive endeavor, these female firsts stood out as exceptional. They were women that through daring, perseverance, and a little bit of moxie, broke barriers and emerged victorious despite incredible odds. Exceptional women in history, notes Helen Antrobus, are those who lived and worked outside the stereotypical gender norms of the time. They are those “who subverted the conventional role of women, who shouted loud enough to be heard” (56).In automotive history, they are celebrated as pioneers, female heroes, and invaders of the male domain. They appear as long distance adventurers, auto industry interlopers, and motorsport legends.
Cheryl Linn Glass – First Black Female Professional Racer
However as a category of female success, the ‘exceptional woman’ both hinders and helps how women are considered in automotive history. The exceptional label can imply rarity rather than equality; it can suggest an individual’s accomplishments are unusual because of her gender, thus reinforcing the idea that success is the norm for men but not for women. It can give the impression that what a particular woman has accomplished cannot be easily duplicated by others; that she is, in fact, an anomaly, an outlier, a recipient of extraordinary circumstances, relationships, opportunities, coincidences, or luck. It can reinforce gender stereotypes, upholding the idea that women don’t belong in certain areas, and that those who succeed must be ‘special’ rather than talented or learned or skilled; any shortcomings can be generalized as evidence that ‘women aren’t suited’ for the role. It can be condescending, as though the person’s gender is more noteworthy than what she has accomplished. It can isolate rather than normalize, thereby slowing broader acceptance and inclusion.
Audrey Hodges Moore – first full time female automotive designer
However, the importance of female representation in automotive history cannot be underestimated. Research focusing on women’s participation within male-dominated environments repeatedly demonstrates how one woman’s success can serve as motivation and inspiration for those that follow (Lockwood et al). Asking “Do Female ‘Firsts’ Still Matter” in the US judicial system, Frick and Onwuachi-Willig note how the firsts of female judges all over the nation not only held important symbolic meaning for the advancement of women, but also “helped to change societal perceptions about who is and should be a judge” (1531). Female representation is considered crucial to the retention and recruitment of women in male-centric STEM fields. Write Drury et al, “female role models assist in both of these efforts by improving women’s performance and sense of belonging in STEM” (265). One of the barriers that perpetuates women’s exclusion from Formula One, argues O. Howe, is a lack of ‘representation and (in)visibility” (454). The younger generations need to “see it to be it,” Howe argues. “If a team were required to have a woman on their team, it could provide inspiration for the next generation of women race drivers […]” (460).
Helene Rother – first female designer at General Motors
Research, notes Forbes contributor Margie Warrell, demonstrates that “role models have an amplified benefit for women due to the gender biases, institutional barriers and negative stereotypes women have long had to contend with across a wide swathe of professional domains.” As Warrell concurs, ‘”seeing is believing”. In terms of automotive history, attention to the firsts of exceptional women has the potential to inspire young women to think about a future as a designer, engineer, racer, owner, or even, perhaps, CEO.
Helen Antrobus. “Anonymous was a Woman: Collecting Cultures at the People’s History Museum.” Anonymous Was a Woman: A Museum and Feminist Reader, ed. Jenna C. Ashton (Cambridge: Museums Etc Limited).
Benjamin J. Drury, John Oliver Siy, and Sapna Cheryan. “Do Female Role Models Benefit Women? The Importance of Differentiating Recruitment From Retention in STEM.” Psychological Inquiry 22 2011, 265.
Amber Fricke & Angela Onwuachi-Willig. “Do Female ‘Firsts’ Still Matter? Why They Do for Female Judges of Color.” 2012 Michigan State Law Review, 1531.
Olivia Howe, “Hitting the Barriers – Women in Formula 1 and W Series Racing,” European Journal of Women’s Studies 20, no. 3 (2022): 454.
Penelope Lockwood et al. “To Do or Not to Do Using Positive and Negative Role Models to Harness Motivation.’ Social Cognition 22 (4) 2004: 422-450.
Gwen Morgan. “The Missing Story Behind Women’s First-Time Accomplishments.” Fastcompany.com Jan 1, 2017
Margie Warrell. “Seeing is Believing: Female Role Models Inspire Girls to Think Bigger.” Forbes.com Oct 9, 2020
Our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair took us home through Wisconsin where we had the opportunity to visit the Dahl Auto Museum in La Crosse. The museum was founded by the Dahl family, who have owned dealerships in the area since 1911, making them the eighth oldest Ford dealership in the country. The museum is attached to their current automotive compound, surrounded by other Dahl auto-related businesses. It is a small museum but very well executed; the exhibits are informative, attractive and well-maintained. There is a lot of historical information on the walls as well as on placards next to the automobiles. The cars are lined up pretty tightly in the museum; the staff member informed us that the 40 cars revolve as there is not enough space to put them all on the floor at once. The museum is dedicated to the history of the Dahl’s involvement with cars as well as the accompanying history of Ford Motor Company. The museum also includes an extensive collection of hood ornaments from various automotive brands.
In terms of women’s representation, it is found primarily as consumers through advertising, symbols in hood ornaments, stereotypes, and as historical markers. There is also one interesting car story attached to a pink 1957 Thunderbird convertible.
1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible, passed down from one Dahl woman to another
The car was originally purchased by Henry Dahl’s aunt Loraine in 1957 and has been in the family ever since. It resurfaced in 2013 when it was restored and presented to Andrew Dahl’s wife Jamie at her 40thbirthday party which took place in the museum. The car is driven only in the summer; it is normally displayed in the museum during the winter months.
Another car of interest was the 1911 Ford Model T ‘Mother-in-Law’ Roadster. The car got its name due to the single spare seat added between the rear fenders. Because the seat was isolated from the passenger and driver, and completely open to the elements, it was dubbed the ‘mother-in-law’ seat, no doubt due to the back-seat drivers jokes of the time. By the 1920s the extra rear seat was repositioned into the body of the car and was thereafter known as the ‘rumble’ seat.
Nash ‘Flying Lady’
The hood ornament collection included the Nash Flying Lady, created especially for the 1950 Airflyte by renown pinup artist George Petty. In the creation of this ornament, Petty combined the popular Petty girl with Airflyte styling. The real life model for the hood ornament was Petty’s daughter Marjorie Petty-Macleod. As noted in Curbside Classic, ‘Nash struck a marketing coupe with Petty’s involvement, and brought some of that known Petty Girls glamour into Nash.’
Other ‘feminine’ hood ornaments in the collection included the 1920s Windswept Girl, the 1926 Butterfly Lady Swirl, the Packard Goddess of Speed, 1920s Diving Nymph, and three versions of the 1950s Cadillac Flying Lady.
Electrics for women
The promotional materials in the museum included a number of ads for electric vehicles that featured women. Women were considered the perfect market for electric cars due to the automobile’s cleanliness, slower speed, and limited range. However, after the introduction of the internal combustion engine, women decided they too wanted to go further and faster which led to the eventual failure of electrics. Ford ads for the Thunderbird and Mustang on display also featured women as consumers and drivers.
I had made a point of visiting the Dahl on this trip. There were a number of posts during Women’s History Month which featured female automotive innovators, such as Florence Lawrence, who developed the auto signal arm extension that influenced the development of turn signals, Mary Anderson who patented the windshield wiper, Charlotte Bridgwood who improved on Anderson’s design by adding an electric component, Helen Rother, the GM designer who was the first hired in such a capacity in Detroit, and Margaret Wilcox, the original designers of the automobile heating system. Unfortunately, as I discovered, the spotlight on these industrious women was apparently limited to the month of March.
The Dahl Auto Museum was a pleasant diversion on the drive home. There are some beautiful cars, much historical information, and a very helpful and knowledgeable staff member to answer visitor questions.
