At its annual ceremony in Detroit, the Hall of Fame enshrined GM CEO Mary Barra, Gentex co-founder Fred Bauer, racer Juan Manuel Fangio, Honda co-founder Takeo Fujisawa, Ford designer McKinley Thompson Jr. and Hot Wheels designer Larry Wood.
Industry members and observers filled the Fillmore Detroit theater last week during the Automotive Hall of Fame ceremony.
During the event’s afterglow, tables were stacked with hundreds of Hot Wheels vehicles that attendees could take home as a keepsake. The variety spanned from vintage cars to modern EVs to airplanes.
GM CEO Mary Barra, center, said her award “reflects the outstanding work and determination” of every member of the company.
Hot Wheels designer Larry Wood dedicated his award to an English teacher who told him, “You’ll never get anywhere drawing cars.”
The family of McKinley Thompson Jr., the first Black designer at Ford Motor Co., accepts his award. Said his sister Collette Thompson, third from right: “This award firms my brother’s legacy and his nature as a true servant.”
Gentex co-founder Fred Bauer said, “My main goal was to do some genuine good for the industry and make things that really worked.”