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Photo
Archive The Battle for
"The Experience" is lost in Michigan November 1, 1998 - Las
Vegas, Nevada - The battle for the yet to be constructed
"Mustang Experience", Ford Mustang Museum complex was
officially lost today, as the remaining two cities in contention
for the museum were announced. Both Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, No real reason was given for Dearborn and/or Detroit Michigan not getting the site. But it is believed the cold climate in the State of Michigan had a major bearing on the museum not being located somewhere in southeastern Michigan, the birthplace of the Ford Mustang. Two of the sites that were offered by the City of Detroit, were the Michigan State Fairgrounds and the "soon to be" former site of Tiger Stadium. It is well known Mayor Dennis Archer made a valiant attempt to get the museum located here. For the museum to be located in Dearborn, Michigan -- it was known that a Museum only complex on the grounds of Greenfield Village was the preferred site. But a complex located at the site of the original Ford World Headquarters building, which was recently torn down was another option. The "Mustang Experience" is planned to be more than just a car museum. The founding fathers are looking to build a self supporting complex, which will feature an outdoor theater (similar to Michigan's Pine Knob theatre) as part of the planned 80 acre complex. It was announced today that the Ford Motor Company will be donating 1.5 Million dollars towards getting the complex built. Both the cities of Orlando and Atlanta are offering sites that draw tourists on a regular basis. Atlanta has offered the committee six potential sites, including property adjacent to the Road Atlanta Motor Sports Center in Braselton, Georgia. Don Panoz (owner of Road Atlanta) would like the museum located close to both Road Atlanta and his luxury resort near the track. With the Mustang's dominance of SCCA road racing back in 1965 and 1966 - it would be fitting to have the museum as part of one of America's premiere road racing tracks. And with Atlanta Motor Speedway not too far away, this could expose a lot of NASCAR fans to the wonderful world of the Mustang hobby. The Mustang Museum effort is being undertaken by a dedicated group of volunteers, including Austin Craig and Jeff Burgy, both active members of our Motor City Region of SAAC. For up to date information on the museum project, follow the link to their web site at: www.mustangmuseum.org
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Georgia are the remaining two sites on the list of hopefuls.
Other finalists at one time were both Dearborn and Detroit,
Michigan. Indianapolis, Indiana was also a site of interest. The
announcement was made today by Museum President Bill Dillard at a
Mustang Owners event held at the Freemont Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas.