Ford seemed to respond to this cry for public tours when it opened the Spirit of Ford in on May 28, 1999, an attraction across the street from the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, in Dearborn, that offered a movie "virtual tour" of auto production. But, Ford ended its Spirit of Ford tourist experiment after nine months and turned the oval-shaped building into a conference center.
 |
| In the past 20 years the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce reported that auto factory tours were the top request of the area's 16.9 million annual visitors. (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
However, borrowing a few cues from the abortive Spirit of Ford effort, the car company teamed with The Henry Ford (the new marketing name for Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village) to recreate factory tours at the Rouge and offer a multimedia experience. Note, while Henry Ford founded Ford Motor and the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village (originally called the Edison Institute), they are now separate legal and financial entities.
 |
| Visitors will experience the past, present and future of American automobile manufacturing. (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
"The earlier tours are now regenerated, reborn and renewed," said Steve Hamp, president of The Henry Ford. "The Ford Rouge factory tour is the history fraction that brings the American automotive manufacturing experience to life. Visitors will be immersed in the sights, the sounds, the feel and the energy of the activity around them as ... they experience the past, present and future of American automobile manufacturing."
The new Ford Rouge Factory Tour will be a highly themed and "immersive auto attraction unlike one that anyone has ever seen," Hamp said. "It begins in its public phase in the spring of 2004."
Next Week: How the Tour Will Run