1901: First Chicago Auto Show. A bird's eye view of the Coliseum during Chicago's first official auto show, March 23-30, 1901. Exhibits in the center of the arena were surrounded by a 20 foot wide indoor wooden track used for the 'horseless carriage' demonstrations. About 10 laps equaled one mile.
1901: Motorette Exhibit. Displayed at the first Chicago show was the 1901 Motorette by the George N. Pierce Co. of Buffalo, N.Y. The De Dion Bouton 1-cylinder, water-cooled engine produced 3-hp and was positioned just forward of the rear axle. Weighing 600 pounds, the vehicle had tiller steering.
1902: Roller Racing. Popular exhibits at the 1901-02 shows were the Stationary Racing demonstrations. A device comprised two sets of rollers upon which a pair of anchored automobiles could compete. Amid the vehicles was a dial with different hands. Each circuit of the dial represented 1/4-mile.
1903: Coliseum. The castle-like entranceway of Chicago's Coliseum exhibition hall was located on Wabash Avenue, between 15th and 16th Sts. From 1901 through 1935, it served as the home for the annual auto shows, offering 58,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.
1909: Oakland Display. Carvings of motor vehicles and Hermes, messenger of the gods, framed the 1909 Oakland Motor Car Co. exhibit. E. M. Murphy founded Oakland in Pontiac, MI. By 1926, Pontiac became a companion car to then GM-built Oakland. Oakland was discontinued by 1931, but Pontiac survived.
1912: Auto Show Exhibits. Several manufacturer exhibits are in place and ready for the opening day of the 1912 Chicago Auto Show. In the foreground is the Winton Six display, with Buick directly across the aisle and Reo behind Buick. An exposed Buick chassis and powertrain is in the right corner.
1914: Vehicle Displays. In 1914, the Coliseum was decorated to resemble palaces of Louis XIV. A total of 500 vehicles from 75 gasoline and 10 electric manufacturers were displayed. Exposed powertrains demonstrated the latest mechanical improvements and decorative pedestals marked the narrow aisles.
1930: Samuel Miles. Samuel A. Miles, the father of the modern automobile show, continued to manage the Chicago Auto Show from 1901 until his resignation, three weeks prior to his death on April 25, 1932.
1932: Hupmobile. Workers unload a Hupmobile outside of the Coliseum for the 1932 Chicago Auto Show. The Coliseum was located on Wabash Ave. and held the show from 1901-1935. Built by the Hupp Motor Co., the Hupmobile offered 6-and 8-cylinder engines and was discontinued by 1940.
1935: Giant Goddesses. A portion of the '35 Chicago Auto Show depicts one of the 43-foot giant goddesses on the walls of the Coliseum. A total of 300 vehicles from 24 manufactures were displayed, not including the streamlined automobile of the future rotating on a pedestal in the middle of an aisle.
1936: International Amphitheatre. From 1936 through 1960, the International Amphitheatre housed the auto show. Located on Halsted Ave. at 43rd Street, the 255,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space was used again from 1967-70, due to fire that destroyed the first McCormick Place.
1936: Cord. People attending the 1936 Chicago Auto Show were among the first to view the sensational front-wheel drive Cord 810. Manufactured by the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Corp., the sleek Cord featured hidden headlights, pontoon fenders, and wraparound 'coffin-nose' grille.
1938: Fashion of the World. An overhead view captured the Fashion of the World stage revue during the 1938 show. Held in the arena of the International Amphitheatre, audiences up to 12,000 were entertained by musical skits that featured the new models. In the photo is the 40-foot revolving globe.
1940: Plymouth. General Sales Manager L.D. Cosart watched operation of a 1940 Plymouth's power top with Miss Lithuania, (Anne Davis) and Lucille O'Connell (seated), who were among the costumed attendants with the 'Dame Fashion' stage spectacle.
1941: Pontiac. On stage during the 'Non-Stop America' musical revue was the 1941 Pontiac 4-door sedan. Held in the International Amphitheatre, the '41 auto show was the last before the industry converted to national defense. Chicago's next show was in 1950, the first in the U. S. after WW II.
1941: Plymouth Squad Car. Cook County Sheriff deputies G.S. Oehmen and Charles Glimm demonstrated their new Plymouth squad car to the Raush sisters, Elaine and Loretta, at the 1941 Chicago show. The sisters danced in the Non-Stop America spectacle that dramatized the history of the automobile.
1950: Jesse Owens. For more than half a century, sports superstars have been part of the annual show pageantry. One of the earliest was Jesse Owens, in the center of the 1950 photo, with announcer Vince Garrity and show management members. Owens won four gold medals in the1936 Berlin Olympics.
1950: Nash NXI. To test its theory on small cars, Nash designed and engineered the NXI prototype. Exhibited at special events to gauge public reactions, including an unveiling at the 1950 Chicago Auto Show, the experimental NXI lead to the production of the 1954 Nash Metropolitan.
1953 Chevrolet Corvette. The Chevrolet Corvette dream car was displayed March 14-22, 1953 at the Chicago Auto Show. Visually, the concept car was nearly identical to the 1953 6-cylinder production model, but wore a shorter chrome side spear, with the Chevy script below and the little wing reversed.
1954: Ford Thunderbird. A big hit at the 1954 show was the prototype 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Entertainer Cab Calloway posed behind the wheel of the 2-seater while at the show. The display car wore the removable fiberglass top and came with a 292 cu. in. V8, mated to an automatic transmission.
1955: Willys Bermuda. One of the Chicago Auto Show's community beauty queens, 20-year old Ona Lee McDermott, (Miss Edgewater), posed next to a new Willys Bermuda 2-door hardtop, while both were introduced to the crowd during the twice-daily, free musical stage presentation called, Motorevue of 1955.
1955: Lincoln Futura. Making its world premier during the 1955 Chicago Auto Show, the Lincoln Futura dream car mesmerized crowds with a space age electronically operated plexiglass canopy and swoopy fins. The experimental car was the basis for the original Batmobile on the 1966-68 Batman TV series.
1956: Dodge La Femme. In 1955 & '56, Dodge offered the La Femme option created for the modern American woman. Designer accessories included a matching raincoat, rain hat and umbrella. The 1956 hardtop was painted in La Femme's exclusive Regal Orchid over Misty Orchid two-tone combination.
1957: Chicago's Mayor Daley and family at the Chicago Auto Show
1958: Edsel Citation. Promoted as the car that 'steals the show wherever you go,' an Edsel Citation appeared with 5 community beauty queens and Andy Frain usher Jack Gallagher during the 'Motorevue of 1958' presentation. Poor sales doomed Edsel, which ceased production early in the 1960 model run.
1959: Toyota. Toyota Motor Co. made its first appearance at a Chicago Auto Show in 1959. Along with kimono-dressed ladies, just three vehicles filled the small booth, a Toyopet Custom Crown 4-door sedan, Toyopet 6-passenger station wagon and a Land Cruiser 4-wheel drive ultity vehicle.
1961: McCormick Place. Called the Show Place of the World, the first McCormick Place exposition center was situated on 30 acres along the shore of Lake Michigan. It offered 330,000 sq ft of exhibition space and housed the Chicago Auto Show from 1961-67. This rendering graced the 1961 program cover.
1961: Ford Falcon. In 1961, a new era dawned for the Chicago Auto Show with the opening of the first McCormick Place. Over 300,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space gave manufacturers room for additional vehicles and more elaborate displays. Chevrolets are on the right, with Dodges across the aisle.
1967: McCormick Place Fire. Ariel view captured the six year old McCormick Place exposition hall after a Jan. 16, 1967 fire, just before the Chicago Auto Show. Quick work helped the show to open on schedule, Feb. 25, in the International Amphitheatre, with space reduced from 320,000 to 255,000 sq.ft
1968: Oldsmobile 4-4-2. Manufacturers were courting the youth market in the late 1960s with muscle cars like the 350 hp Olds 4-4-2. During the 1968 show, a model described a factory custom 4-4-2 convertible, dressed in an outfit that matched the design and materials used in the car's interior.
1969: Motorevue. Due to 1967 fire at the first McCormick Place, 4 weeks before the Chicago Auto Show opened, the event returned to the International Amphitheatre through 1970. The final "Motorevue" stage affair, above, was in 1969. From 1971-1996, the show's home was the second McCormick Place.
1970: Dodge Sheriff. Appearing during the 1970 Chicago show was gravel-voiced entertainer Joe Higgins. His portrayal as 'JW,' a Southern sheriff in Dodge commercials, led to near-cult status. Along with signing autographs, Higgins was requested to recite his famous "heap of trouble boy" tag line.
1971: McCormick Place. Built along Lake Michigan in the ruins of the first McCormick Place, the replacement exposition center opened Jan. 3, 1971. Offering more than 600,000 sq.ft. on the main exhibit area, the new McCormick Place served as the home for the Chicago Auto Show from 1971-1996.
1973: Show Floor. Facing south on the upper level of the second McCormick Place, the 1973 Chicago show was captured in full swing. Some 550 vehicles appeared, with 949,826 visitors attending. Lincoln Continental and Mark IV models were across the aisle from the compact AMC Gremlins.
1973: Show Floor. Facing south on the upper level of the second McCormick Place, the 1973 Chicago show was captured in full swing. Some 550 vehicles appeared, with 949,826 visitors attending. Lincoln Continental and Mark IV models were across the aisle from the compact AMC Gremlins.
1980: Pontiac Firebird. Manufacturers strive to display vehicles in imaginative settings and often accentuate them with lovely models wearing the latest fashions. In 1980, colored show banners complimented enormous, illuminated monoliths that seemed to hover over Pontiacs, including a red Firebird.
1987: Walter Payton. Legendary Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton attracted huge crowds to the Buick displays during the 1970-1980s. Payton, always the gentleman, would stay as long as it took so that each fan wanting his signature on the free photos provided by Buick would go home happy.
1991: Vector. Auto shows are often the only place the public can view exotic cars of the world in person. A rare appearance of the Vector W8 took place at the 1991 Chicago show, powered with twin turbocharged 6.0-liter fuel-injected aluminum V8s capable of 600-plus screaming horsepower.
1997: McCormick Place South. In '97, the auto show moved to McCormick Place South. This allowed all manufacturers to display vehicles on one level, tallying 840,000 sq. ft. Since '05, the show expanded across the hall into the North building, for a total of 1.2 million sq. ft. of exhibit space.
1998: Mitsubishi SST. Curvaceous fashion models added eye candy during the debut of the Mitsubishi SST concept at the 1998 show. Created at Mitsubishi's California design studio, the 210 hp SST was built with weight-saving carbon fiber and composite materials and gave a preview of the 2000 Eclipse.
2002: Cadillac Cien. Simon Cox, GM executive director of Advanced Design Studio in England, posed with his award-winning Cien concept car during the 2002 Chicago show. The Cien was created to celebrate Cadillac's 100th anniversary and was equipped with a 750 hp, 7.5 liter mid-engine V-12.
2005: Saleen S281. Manufacturers love to premiere new models in Chicago, including independents. During the 2005 show, Steven Saleen unveiled the Saleen S281 Extreme, based on the Ford Mustang. The S281 offered a 500 hp, Twin-Screw supercharger V-8 that blasted from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
2006: First Look for Charity. Since 1992, the Chicago Auto Show has hosted the First Look for Charity; an evening of elegance that blends gourmet food and drink with the latest vehicles. Over the years, tickets sales to the black-tie affair has raised upwards of $24 million for numerous charities.
2007: Chrysler Test Track. Since 2005, Chrysler has set-up a half-mile indoor track on the show floor for vehicle demonstrations, like the Jeep hill climb from 2007. This is reminiscent of the 1901 show, when a wooden track inside the Coliseum provided spectators rides in 'horseless carriages.