Volo IL, January 2008- The 2008 Chicago Auto Show and many participants reach notable milestones this year.  It's the display with strong Chicago area ties, however, that has the most eclectic collection found throughout the expansive McCormick Place complex during the show's  10-day public run.  The Volo Auto Museum exhibit puts the show in perspective-decade by decade.

    This year, the venerable Chicago Auto Show marks the first event of its kind to host 100 total shows.  In 1901, the initial event  took place at the Chicago Coliseum.  The auto extravaganza continued on an annual basis until the early 1940s, when World War II interrupted most automobile production, thus halting the Chicago auto show for seven years.  In 1950, the show began its annual run again and has not missed a beat since. That's why the 100-show mark was reached in 2008 and not 2001.

    "The Volo Auto Museum display, tucked in the North building, includes car representation from every decade in the twentieth century, and the first decade of the twenty first," said Greg Grams, proprietor of the Lake County Auto Museum. "Our educational display illustrates how much progress the industry and this show have made during the past 107 years."

The 11 vehicles and decades spotlighted at the Volo Auto Museum display include:

• 1900-1909- A vintage 1904 Cadillac
• 1910-1919- A 1910 Brush Model D Runabout with wood chassis; a one-cylinder car with two (not just one) mother-in-law seats
• 1920-1929- A 1926 red four-door Ford Model T with four-cylinder engine.  This was the first year Ford sold vehicles in colors other than black
• 1930-1939- A stylish 1932 four-door Duesenberg with dual cowl phaeton
• 1940-1949- A 1942 Packard four-door sedan similar to the one used by Gen. MacArthur during World War II
• 1950-1959- A red 1959 Impala with 348 big block engine and tri-power (three carburetors)
• 1960-1969-a 1968 Dodge Dart coupe with 425 horsepower Hemi V-8 engine developed by the iconic  "Mr. Norm" of Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago fame
• 1970-1979- A 1970 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 convertible now worth a quarter of a million dollars.  This vehicle originally sold for less than $6,000
• 1980-1989-A grey, 1989 Lotus Esprit SE with removable panel top used by Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in the feature film, "Pretty Woman"
• 1990-1999- A 1996 Rolls Royce ordered special for Princess Diane of England during her final visit to Chicago (and the U.S.)
• 2000-Present- A black 2004 Ferrari Spyder coupe with a 3.6-liter engine cranking out 425 horsepower.

 
Also celebrating a milestone this is General Motors. The world‚s largest automakers  celebrates its 100-year anniversary in 2008. Both the Volo Auto Museum and the expanded GM display are found in the North Building of the McCormick Place complex.

Grams is available for interviews about his eclectic display, and has a wealth of knowledge concerning the past 100 years (or 107∑but who‚s counting) of automobiles.   He‚s this year‚s go-to source for colorful, historical factoids. The family owned-and-operated Volo Auto Museum, in western Lake County, is a convenient 50-mile drive from Chicago, Rockford or Milwaukee.
 
2008 Chicago Auto Show quick trip:

Public show days: Friday, Feb.8, 2008 through Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008

Show Hours: Friday, Feb.8 through Saturday, Feb. 16: 10 am to 10 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 17- 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Location: McCormick Place North and South Buildings-Lake Shore Drive at 23rd Street on Chicago‚s near south side

Admission: $10 for adults; $5 for children 7-12, kids 6 and younger with paying adult are admitted free. $5 for Seniors 62 years of age or better

More 2008 auto show information: www.chicagoautoshow.com
 

Volo Auto Museum
27582 Volo Village Road, Volo, IL 60073
www.volocars.com