will focus on the first steps of the nascent motor industry and the later worldwide assimilation of the motor vehicle as a national icon seen in contrast to the revolutionary events of the early twentieth century. Cleveland has been chosen as conference venue because of its important role in the development of the American industry. Papers may address the beginnings of the automotive industry, the role of independent foundries, machine shops and carriage builders enabling the rapid growth of thinly-financed manufacturers followed by the early consolidation of the industry into a small number of major producers and their efforts to secure control of equipment suppliers and set up financial subsidiaries to facilitate sales.
The
Society of Automotive Historians is "an interdisciplinary
organization devoted to all aspects of automotive history–engineering,
design, economics, the lives of automotive pioneers and innovators, the
history of motorsport competition, the integration of motor vehicles
into modern life, and the culture of cars. In its publications and
conferences, historians of technology, business historians, and social
historians interact to share their knowledge and perspectives."