Throughout the 11-plus decades
since the first official show, March
23-30, 1901, visitors to the annual
Chicago extravaganza have witnessed
the evolution of motorized vehicles
from the dawning era of the horseless
carriage to the technologically
advanced 21
st
century vehicles on
exhibit at this, the 108
th
edition. Let’s look back at the
Chicago show from 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
100 YEARS AGO – 16th annual CAS…
January 22-29, 1916
One hundred years ago, all the cars on display in the
Windy City were made in America. The major exhibitors
were housed in the Chicago Coliseum exposition hall
and annex on Wabash Avenue at 15
th
Street, while the
overflow of manufacturers and after-market firms found
space in the adjoining First Regiment Armory and Greer
Building. The Coliseum provided 58,000 square feet
of show floor, and when combined with the auxiliary
buildings, there was a total of 94,000 square feet. On
display that year were seven electric cars and 85 gasoline-
powered vehicles ranging in price from $295 to $6,000.
There was a total of 300 accessory exhibits, with 48 of
them newcomers. Among the debuts were the Peerless
Eight, and the Pullman Coupe De Luxe, a brand touted
as the “Palace Cars of the Road.” A popular mid-priced
make was the Lexington motor car from Connersville,
Ind., powered by Lexington’s “Minute Man Six.”
75 YEARS AGO – 41st annual CAS…
October 26-November 3, 1940
With war raging overseas and apprehension of
America’s entry into the European conflict, the 1941
Chicago Auto Show was a combination of morale
booster and patriotic rally. This marked the 41
st
edition
of the show, and, as it turned out, the final one before
the U.S. entered World War II. There was plenty to see
in the International Amphitheatre, the new home of
the show. The Chicago Automobile Trade Association,
which has sponsored the auto show since 1935, moved
it to the Amphitheatre in late 1935 for the 36
th
annual
edition. With 225,000 square feet of exhibit space, and
for the first time held under one roof, the 18 vehicle
manufacturers had room to spread out to display many
additional models. All totaled, there were more than
400 vehicles on view. This included seven brands
offering the increasingly popular station wagons. A
twice daily free stage show, “Non-Stop America,” was
in the Amphitheatre’s Exhibition Ring, with seating for
12,000. The musical routines included dozens of dancers
and singers dramatizing the history of the automobile,
appearing along with the new cars driven up on the stage,
and closing the performances with rousing songs in honor
By M. J. Frumkin
Chicago Auto Show Historian, Curator
AUTO SHOW THRU THE YEARS –
1916, '41, '66 & '91
Miss Myra Platt smiles for the camera while putting decorative touches
on a car to be displayed at the 1916 Chicago Auto Show at the old
Coliseum exposition center, which was located between Wabash and
Michigan Avenues, and 15th and 16th Streets.
A Pontiac Streamliner “Torpedo” four-door sedan appears on stage during
the 1941 “Non-Stop America” musical spectacle in the 12,000-seat
Exhibition Ring portion of the International Amphitheatre. The young ladies
behind the vehicle are some of the 20 neighborhood and suburban queens,
chosen by community contests.
More Than100 , 000 Veh i c l es Jus t A Cl i ck Away…Dr i veCh i cago. com
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW 2016
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