Summer is the perfect time to hit the road. This month point your car eastward to Detroit for what USA Today calls one of America’s top five car shows, and Car & Driver considers “one of the best outdoor car events worldwide.”
The 35th annual EyesOn Design is on Father’s Day (June 19) at Ford House, overlooking Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, MI. Originally, the idea was to have a car show in a small office parking lot as a fundraiser for an eye institute in suburban Detroit.
Then the design vice-presidents at Chrysler, Ford and General Motors got involved.
Spread across a large lawn in front of a 60-room National Historic Landmark mansion, the event, sponsored by the nonprofit Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (part of the Henry Ford Health System), this year’s event showcases more than 150 of the best-looking vehicles of their respective eras.
The theme for this year’s show is “Designed for Speed,” celebrating the beauty and design of race cars through the decades. These include early racers of the 1920s, Indianapolis 500 roadsters, classic NASCAR sedans, sports cars, and drag and street racers.
One category features the evolution of the Ford GT, from its debut in 1963 through the 2017 production edition. The Ford GT is famous for winning the 24-hour Le Mans race in France four years in a row in the 1960s.
Several Chevrolet Corvettes that competed at Le Mans will also be shown, along with a one-of-a-kind Corvette, the first to sport a V8 engine in 1955.
The theme for the show is captured in this year’s poster, an impressionistic rendering of a sleek blue 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe. The car was designed by the legendary Peter Brock, this year’s Lifetime Design Achievement honoree.
The show will display a group of Brock-designed cars, such as a replica of the poster car, a 1959 Corvette Stingray, and a spectacular Triumph TR250KR racer, among others.
The car show is the final event of the weekend’s activities, which include a Friday driving tour for enthusiasts on a winding route in southeastern Michigan and the Vision Honored event honoring Brock that evening at the M1 Concourse, a private test track and garage complex in Pontiac.
Saturday, June 18 brings a design symposium at the GM Design Dome in Warren and an evening “meet-and-greet” with Brock and Corvette designers at the GM Heritage Center.
Sunday also features an elegant Private Eyes brunch for designers, car owners and enthusiasts. The show honors its unique mission in another aspect – having a category of cars rated by visually-impaired judges wearing white gloves who select a winner by touch.
The car show is 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Father’s Day. Show tickets are $35. Admission is free to active-duty military and kids under 12 with an adult. All other events are limited capacity and by reservation only.
About the Author: Rob Musial is a freelance journalist who says to learn more please visit EyesOnDesign.com.