Economics
Detroit’s Devotion to the Car Paved Way for Its Undoing
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In the Detroit Historical Museum, a Cadillac body is lowered again and again onto a chassis. Mannequins represent workers. Nearby murals show bustling streetscapes that have long since disappeared.
Among the institution’s collection of about 65 classic cars are a 1924 Hupmobile Roadster, a 1950 Packard Deluxe Eight and a 1963 pre-production Ford Mustang. Their future is now in doubt: The vehicles are among assets that may be sold to pay creditors in the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy.