By William Hall. Photos by author and Derek Klein.
Remember when Dorothy laid down in the poppy field, and later awoke to find herself home? Grey tones were gone, and the screen was awash in color. Magic was the rule, and the road was paved with golden bricks.
Welcome to Oz. Welcome to the new Detroit.
After 11 days and 3,050 miles across the continental United States, The Drive Home has reached its destination. What started out as a crazy idea to take three iconic cars from America’s automotive past and propel them through the winter heartland to the place of their birth has reached fruition. The brainchild of LeMay-America’s Car Museum CEO David Madeira and The North American International Auto Show director Rod Alberts, the idea was to return greatness, literally and figuratively, back to the Motor City. And in the most American of ways: to simply do.
So we set out from Tacoma, Washington, on an overcast winter day. Climbed mountains of snow. Traversed windy plains. Crossed the greatest of rivers. The most incredibly diverse and culturally rich topography in the world. In 50-plus year old consumer products – made by Americans, for Americans – that are as competent now as the day they were created.