RPO83

In the spirit of their founder who put the world on wheels, Ford Motor Company executives are fanning out to 100 North American cities this spring as part of Ford’s 100th anniversary celebration. Henry Ford was one of the first to tour the great American landscape regularly with friends, including fellow historical figures Thomas Edison and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The tour will stop in downtown Providence on Monday, June 2, with Ford Vice President – Finance Malcolm Macdonald and owners of classic Ford automobiles. A press conference and Ford car display will take place at 1 p.m. across from the Providence Place Mall. The historic cutting of Ford’s 100th birthday cake will follow.

Providence area dealers will bring some of the best-loved Ford cars of recent times, including the race-car/street-car built by Ford's Special Vehicle Team, the 200 Mustang Cobra R; the limited-edition 2003 Mustang Mach 1 with its "shaker hood" evocative of the 1960s; the 2003 Ford Thunderbird, and the Lincoln Navigator Kitty Hawk, built to honor the centennial of human flight this year.

That same evening, Ford collectors from throughout Rhode Island will bring their classic vehicles to the Garden City Mall in Cranston, R.I., for a special edition of B101 Radio "Cruisin'" Bruce Palmer's Cruise Night. Macdonald and guest judges, including former Providence Journal automotive editor Alan Kerr and The Boston Globe automotive correspondent Jerry Morris, will award trophies for excellent examples of historic Ford automobiles and trucks. The owners will display their cars from 6 to 9 p.m. to sounds of Palmer's favorite car tunes featuring Ford names. More than 200 classic cars are expected.

“These road trips are fitting way to mark the 100th year of Ford, and they give us a chance to get out of our Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters to spread our enthusiasm about the centennial with people around the country,” Ford's Macdonald said.

During the tour, executives also will meet with Ford employees and retirees, Ford dealerships and suppliers, schools and local media to reflect on the impact the company has had on the world in its first 100 years. That impact includes revolutionizing transportation, starting with the affordable Model A's and Model T's, and redefining industrial processes with the moving assembly line.

The 100-city road show is a prelude to Ford's gala hometown celebration in Dearborn, Michigan. The Road is Ours Centennial Celebration from June 12 to 16 is expected to draw thousands to the grounds of World Headquarters.

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*Retired.