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MotorCities National Heritage Area is an affiliate of the National Park Service and is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive heritage of the State of Michigan. It is one of 49 National Heritage Areas in the United States and it is the largest concentration of auto-related sites in the world.

Each week the MCNHA sends out an e-mail to members (I think membership is free) and offers up a quick story related to automobile history. The latest e-mail discusses Michael J. Kollins, a Packard engineer and former test driver.

http://www.motorcities.org/Story+of+the+Week.html?utm_source=MotorCities+Newsletter+Vol.+3+Issue+15&utm_campaign=You+Auto+Know+Newsletter&utm_medium=email

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Kollins and arranged for him to be the guest speaker at Motor City Packards Perrysburg Meet in 2004. Unfortunately, he passed away in December 2003 and we had to schedule another speaker.

As the above story mentions, Michael Kollins liked to create cars from two different manufacturers - like the 1958 Kollins Le Grande Roadster. This was a combination of a 1930 Duesenburg, model J and a special frame built by A.O. Smith and based on the 1950 Packard Super Convertible design.

You can a read about that car here:
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15932/Kollins-Le-Grande-Roadster.aspx

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