Automotive History
Research and Development
General Motors Proving Ground, Milford, MI. Folder
"Automobiles and related." Box 1, Jack Kausch papers.
Click to enlarge.
Cole, David E.
- David E. Cole papers, 1951-2003.
- 48 linear ft.
Chairman of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR); formerly director of the University of Michigan's Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) and professor of Mechanical Engineering; fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) who served on the Board of Directors; chairman of the Automotive Hall of Fame; Management Partner of Altarum; served on the Energy Engineering Board of the National Research Council, the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Pact Select Panel and the NASA Space Systems and Technical Advisory Committee; an automotive consultant interested in manufacturer-supplier relations, vehicle design, internal combustion engines and strategic automotive industry issues.
Professional files relating to his activities as the director of the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) and his consulting work. The collection is arranged in nine series: University of Michigan; Associations and Government; Company Files; Correspondence; Research; Speaking Engagements; Publications, Papers and Clippings; Topical Files; and Audio-Visual Materials. Of particular interest are the Company Files and Association and Government series, which document Cole's consulting activities for various companies and organizations such as General Motors, Johnson Controls and Ernst & Young, and his involvement in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The University of Michigan series documents Cole's involvement in the Traverse City Management Briefing Seminar and the Joint U.S.-Japan Automotive Study. The collection includes Cole's correspondence during his role as the Director of OSAT and materials from his various speaking engagements. The Research series contains materials describing Cole's research on the Wankel engine and his consulting work for Bendix.
Cole, Robert E.
- Robert E. Cole papers, 1982-1984.
- 2 linear ft.
Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan; co-head with Keiichi Oshima of the Joint United States and Japan Automotive Study.
Background files; reports; and records relating to meetings, surveys, and fieldwork of the joint study.
Huebner, George J.
- George J. Huebner papers, 1954-1976.
- 1 linear ft.
Papers of George J. Huebner, Jr., Chief of Engineering Research at the Chrysler Corporation, promoter of gas turbine engine research in the automobile industry.
George J. Huebner points out highlights of the
Chrysler turbine engine. Folder "Chrysler Photos."
Box 1, George J. Huebner papers. Click to enlarge.
Correspondence, speeches, articles by and about him, photographs, and miscellanea.
Jouppi, Arvid
- Arvid Jouppi papers, 1940-1987
- 24 linear ft.
Detroit, Michigan, businessman, researcher and analyst of the automotive and related industry.
Collection includes correspondence, topical files, and other papers documenting his Wall Street career and his management of Arvid Jouppi Associates; subgroups in the collection include: Personal; Chronological; Early Career; Hayden, Stone; William C. Roney and Company; Delafield Childs, Inc.; Arvid Jouppi Associates; and Writings.
Lay, Walter Edwin
- Walter E. Lay papers, ca. 1889-1993
- 2 linear ft. and 2 outsized v.
"Seater meter" used in UM auto lab for seat comfort
tests. Folder "Auto lab equipment." Box 2, Walter E.
Lay papers. Click to enlarge.
Professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, a founder of the Automotive Engineering Laboratory (now the Walter E. Lay Auto Laboratory).
Collection includes examinations; lecture notes; problem sets; research files; files relating to the building and expansion of the department of mechanical engineering and the Automotive Engineering Laboratory; and visual materials.
Marks, Craig.
- Craig Marks papers, 1951-2008.
- 2 linear ft.
Chief engineer for General Motors Corporation; instrumental in the development of the hydrogen fuel cell and GMC's electric vehicles, the Electrovan and the Electrovair.
Files relate to his work on the National Research Council's report on Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and his work with the National Academy of Engineering's intelligent vehicle initiative; also files pertaining to the General Motors and its electric vehicle program.
Parsons, Carl Berger.
- Carl B. Parsons papers, 1914-1975 (scattered dates).
- 9 items.
Typescript and photocopies of papers of Carl B. Parsons (originally spelled Persson), automotive engineer of Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan.
Undated reminiscence of his life with comments on his childhood in Sweden, his emigration to the United States in 1901, and his career in the carriage and automobile industries; copy of letter to his daughter, 1931, also describing his emigration; and poetry, photograph, and miscellaneous.
Dodge test track next to its Detroit plant, ca. 1915.
Folder "Automobiles and related." Box 15,
Frank Angelo papers. Click to enlarge.
Reason, Walter M.
- Walter M. Reason papers, 1909-1914.
- 1 linear ft.
Court reporter for 6th Circuit Court in Pontiac, Michigan.
Correspondence concerning his invention of a puncture proof inner tube for automobile tires.
Reynolds, Robert Albert
- Robert Albert Reynolds papers, 1934 and undated.
- 10 items.
Detroit, Michigan automotive engineer and inventor.
Blueprints of inventions, patent applications, and printed material relating to Reynolds Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan.
Ridgeway, Joseph W.
- Joseph W. Ridgeway papers, [ca. 1930]-1955.
- 30 items
Automotive engineer with Cadillac Motor Car Company.
Notebooks concerning engine tests made in the 1930s, miscellaneous drawings, notes and correspondence relating to development of propeller type flowmeter.
Promotional pamphlet for the Electruck,
an electric vehicle American Motors
marketed to the post office beginning
in 1976. Folder "Automobiles and related."
Box 12, Roy Dikeman Chapin papers.
Click to enlarge.
Smith, Donald N.
- Donald N. Smith papers, 1956-2001.
- 1.0 linear feet.
Donald N. Smith was Associate Director of the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation in the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Smith was interested in the technological innovations of numerical controls in manufacturing and the machine tool industry.
Contains a chronicle of numeric control developments and a compilation of resources and documents relating to the development and growth of the field including Smith's guide "Numerical Control Innovation and Revolution: An Archival Research Aid," and an autobiography of pioneer John T. Parsons.
University of Michigan. Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation
- Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (University of Michigan) records, 1981-1987.
- 1 linear ft.
Research department exploring new developments in motor vehicle safety, transportation policy, and sustainable automotive and transportation business strategies.
Correspondence, newsletters and other published materials, subject files, and other records relating to the automotive industry of the United States, especially to its competition with Japan.
University of Michigan. Solar Car Team.
- Solar Car Team (University of Michigan) records, 1985-[ongoing].
- 13 linear ft.
Solar car at finish line, 1990.
Folder "Misc. slides." Box 10,
Solar Car Team records.
Click to enlarge.
Team of University of Michigan students who designed and built a solar-powered automobile, and who raced it in various competitions.
Videos and photograph album detailing the building and racing of the "Sunrunner" car; group reports; topical files; and binders containing newsletters and bulletins, and administrative and technical information for the cars "Sunrunner" and "Maize and Blue."
General Motors Y-Job Dream Car. Folder
"Automobiles and related." Box 15, Frank Angelo
papers. Click to enlarge.
Van den Broek, John Abraham
- John Abraham Van den Broek papers, 1905-1955.
- .5 linear ft.
Professor of mechanical engineering at University of Michigan.
Correspondence concerning University and departmental business, World War II research projects, the American Society of Civil Engineering, and research projects of the Hamilton Watch Company and Hayes Wheel Company.
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Developed by Rachael Dreyer, Graduate Reference Assistant, July 2009.