Route 66 Turns 100, and the Detroit Auto Show Is Taking the Long Way Home

The Detroit Auto Show is doing something special this year to mark a major milestone for one of America’s most legendary highways.

Route 66, often called the Mother Road, turns 100 this year. And instead of just talking about it or showing off some cars who have traveled it, auto show leaders are quite literally driving the point home.

Auto show chairman Todd Szott and executive director Sam Klemet are currently making the full Route 66 journey as part of an event called Drive Home VII: Route 66: A Century of Adventure.

They set out from Santa Monica on Saturday in a convoy of nine classic cars, spending nine days on the road as they follow the historic route back toward the Midwest. The plan is to arrive in Chicago on January 12, then continue on to Detroit.

Route 66 stretches from California to Chicago and has been a symbol of freedom, migration, and road trip culture for a full century. It helped define America’s relationship with cars, which makes this celebration feel especially fitting coming from the Detroit Auto Show.

The drive itself is a collaboration between the Detroit Auto Show, America’s Automotive Trust, and the National Route 66 Centennial Commission. And the good news is you do not have to log thousands of miles to be part of it. You can follow along online via the Detroit Auto Show social media channels.

Also, starting January 14th and running through January 25th, the Route 66 Centennial Exhibit and the legendary cars from the drive will be on display at the Detroit Auto Show. It is a chance to see automotive history up close and celebrate a road that helped shape so many American stories. Check out the auto show, get details and tickets on their website.