Preview the upcoming Route 66 documentary “100 Greatest Miles” featuring Oklahoma
“100 Greatest Miles,” a four-part documentary series from Oklahoma and UK-based production company Coleman Television, was shown at Edmond’s Route 66 100th Anniversary Kickoff.
- Route 66 was first established in 1926.
- The 2026 Detroit Auto Show will feature an exhibit celebrating the route’s history and displaying the vehicles that made the voyage.
- The exhibition features photos and stories from their travels.
The upcoming Detroit Auto Show may feel more like Illinois. Or Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California.
That’s because the auto show will feature an exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of Route 66, the historic Americana journey first established in 1926, from Santa Monica, California, to Chicago. The exhibit will feature nine classic and modern Route 66-inspired vehicles, and the show will be the final destination for a cross-country convoy of nine historic vehicles traveling Route 66.
The morning radio show “Big Jim’s House” on Detroit’s WCSX-FM (94.7) has drivers calling in from the road every day. The trip will also be shared on the car show’s social media channels.
Route 66 did not originally include Detroit, but to commemorate the 100th anniversary of that journey, vehicles will travel from Santa Monica to Chicago, then drive hundreds of more miles to Huntington Place in the Motor City. Some of the vehicles that participated in the trek will remain on display during the exhibition. Short films and photos taken during recent trips to historic and classic landmarks, diners, motels and gas stations will also be on display.
The show, titled “Detroit Auto Show: Route 66 Centennial Exhibition,” has been designated an official Route 66 Centennial Project by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Committee.
“We look forward to the opportunity for show goers to experience this rare piece of Americana on the show floor,” said Sam Clemmett, executive director of the Detroit Auto Show. “We look forward to sharing the story of this historic milestone with our visitors and previewing the new products and technologies that will be available to the public in the coming days.”
Bill Thomas, chairman of the Route 66 Centennial Committee, said the exhibit will celebrate Detroit’s place in the nation’s long automotive history that Route 66 represents, even if it is not a stop along the route.
“Route 66 is more than just a road; it’s a journey of discovery, freedom and innovation. By designating the ‘Detroit Auto Show: Route 66 Centennial Exhibition’ as our official Centennial Project, we invite people to experience the Mother Road through the lens of the cars that made this road legendary,” Thomas said.
The Detroit Auto Show opens to the public on Saturday, January 17th, and the show runs through Sunday, January 25th. Tickets can be purchased online.
Liam Rapley covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
