N.Y. hosts first sanctioned U.S. auto show, in 1900

The first major automobile show in the U.S. opens at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 3, 1900.

It wasn’t the first automobile show held in the U.S. and it wasn’t even the first held at Madison Square Garden. But it is considered the first modern automotive show to be sanctioned. The weeklong event, sponsored by the Automobile Club of America, featured 66 exhibitors displaying 31 new cars and a variety of accessories.

Winton, Haynes, Packard and B.F. Goodrich were among the exhibitors. It was an happening for Manhattan’s wealthy to see and be seen.

In addition to the cars — powered by electricity, steam and “internal explosion” engines — there were brass bands and elaborate decorations.

It cost 50 cents to attend what was known as the “horseless horse show,” and some 40,000 people attended.

Besides the latest models, the show featured demonstrations of braking and acceleration. A special wooden ramp was built to demonstrate the hill-climbing prowess of different cars.

Among the show’s highlights was the appearance of Ransom Eli Olds’ prototype for a new model known as the “runabout.” The Olds Motor Vehicle Co. of Lansing, Mich., was the first U.S. automaker to build cars in volume, churning out 425 Oldsmobiles between 1897 and 1901. The brand was acquired by General Motors in 1908 and discontinued in December 2000.