The Society of Automobile Historians (SAH) is dedicated to the preservation and study of automotive history. It was founded in 1969 by people who shared a passion for automobiles and their historical significance. The society’s primary goal is to promote research and scholarship in the field of automotive history.
From its inception, SAH has fostered research, documentation, and publication of automotive history by bringing together scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts.
SAH was founded by G. Marshall Naul and Richard Brigham, who were alarmed at the speed with which automotive heritage was disappearing in North America and around the world. At the same time, they noticed that much of the automobile history being published in books and magazines was inaccurate, and that many researchers were working in isolation, often duplicating work that had already been done by others.
Brigham and Naul thought a dedicated organization might be the answer to these problems. Early in 1969 they mailed a questionnaire to their community to gauge interest. Receiving an enthusiastic response, they published the first newsletter, announcing an organizational meeting to take place in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on October 11 of that year.
The meeting was held in the offices of the Antique Automobile Club of America, generously offered by then AACA president William Jackson (Member #002). Those present at the meeting voted to establish the Society of Automotive Historians and designated its primary objectives — preserving automotive history, rectifying errors in historical records, facilitating information exchange among members, and exploring and recording the history of all types of self-powered road vehicles worldwide, particularly those that were lesser-known.
And with that, SAH was off to the races (pun intended)!
Membership grew rapidly. Much of the early work focused on creating rosters, which are lists of all the makes and models of cars and trucks ever made (pictured here). Even members were surprised to discover just how many early cars and companies there were — over 5,000 in the United States alone, not to mention the rest of the world. This work evolved into the many Standard Catalogs and World Encyclopedias published over the next decade or two, becoming standard tools for automobile historians.
Meanwhile, members continued to research little-known makes and models, often hunting for unusual firsts (and we still do). But once the basics were established, interest shifted to the social, cultural, and economic aspects of automotive history. Numerous articles on these topics have appeared in the Journal and the Review, as one can see by looking at the table of contents for the Society’s publications.
An important organizational step took place in 1975. That’s when SAH formally incorporated in the United States for 501(c)(3) status as a not-for-profit organization. This action reinforced the existing goals of the Society but added an additional “public good” element to SAH activities.
At first, SAH promoted automotive history by providing a platform for publishing articles.
This platform was the Society Newsletter, which kept members informed about events, meetings, and conferences, and also served as an information exchange. Its pages were filled with letters seeking assistance in identifying old makes and models, along with short articles about research conducted by members.
In 1982, the Newsletter was renamed the SAJ Journal. Hundreds of issues and thousands of articles later, the Journal continues to live up to the goals set by its first editor, Dick Brigham: “to preserve automotive history; to rectify as far as possible the errors in existing compilations and articles; to explore and record the history of all types of automotive vehicles, especially the many obscure makes of which little or nothing is known; and to share this information with all members via this and other publications.
In 1974, SAH provided the community with a second place to publish research by establishing the Automotive History Review. This publication allowed members to publish longer articles than what was possible in the Journal.
The first editor Dick Brigham, ably assisted by Grace R. Brigham, emphasized that this would not be just another magazine focusing on old cars. Instead, it would uniquely concentrate on well-researched automotive history, exploring all aspects of the automobile. The magazine format was designed to preserve the research and to promote automotive history to a broader public, effectively serving the Society’s purpose.
The Review continues to publish articles, photo essays, book reviews, and interviews. These contributions capture the diverse and dynamic nature of the automotive industry’s past, appealing to both lay and academic audiences
To encourage research and writing beyond its own publications, SAH presented its first Cugnot Award in 1972. Initially, the Cugnot was awarded for the best book on automobile history published in the previous year. Soon, an additional Cugnot Award was introduced for the best article appearing in a magazine or periodical.
These prestigious awards quickly gained recognition as a high honor among authors, publishers, and the press. They were so successful that SAH greatly expanded its awards program over the years. Today, eight awards are given annually for books, articles, periodicals, student papers, and multimedia, including websites and videos, as well as an award for service to the automotive history community.
The Society has actively sought out and promoted the best in automotive history for more than 60 years.
Awards and publications are just part of what SAH has done to promote automobile research. We’ve has worked tirelessly to build up the research community by bringing people together.
From 1996 to 2018, the Society co-sponsored eleven Automobile History Conferences in association with organizations such as The Henry Ford, the National Association of Automobile Museums, and the Historical Vehicle Association. The Society has sponsored sessions at meetings of the American Historical Association as well as several international conferences.
These meetings and conferences produced an amazing number of papers on a variety of topics, many of which have been published in full or in abstract in the Automotive History Review. Unfortunately, the Automotive History Conferences were brought to an end by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and have not yet resumed.
In the meantime, SAH partnered with the International Motor Racing Research Center to hold the annual Michael Argetsinger International Racing Symposium with presentations given in person and streamed online. The first virtual conferences with the Automotive Historians of Australia was held in 2022, with more to come
More conferences, sponsored sessions, and partnerships are in the works. Stay tuned.
It’s hard to think back to the 1970s, a time without the internet or cell phones, when long-distance calls were so expensive that few people placed calls to another city. Communication was mainly through letters or newsletters or in-person gatherings .
Accordingly, since its founding in 1969, SAH members have continued to meet at the large annual Fall meeting and car show held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is organized by the Antique Automobile Club of America.
In addition, SAH encouraged the formation of regional chapters, where members could meet and connect. The first chapter was established in Toronto, Canada, in 1977, soon followed by chapters in the United Kingdom, the Northeast, Detroit, Wisconsin, California, and Indiana.
While several chapters have come and gone over the years, the internet now provides a means to form virtual communities around any interest. For instance, the SAH Motor Sports Chapter was formed in 2004 in this way. Always keen on building community, the SAH is hopeful that more virtual chapters will be established in the future.
The founding of SAH was a significant milestone in automotive historical research, providing a much-needed central forum for historians, researchers, and enthusiasts. It facilitated a collective approach to exploring and preserving the rich and diverse history of automobiles.
Over the years, the Society has played a crucial role in raising awareness about the importance of automotive history. It has made significant, scholarly contributions to the body of knowledge in this field — contributions that were recognized when the Society affiliated with the American Historical Association in 2003.
Driven by the vision of its founders and the passion of its members, the SAH has made a lasting impact on how we view the history of self-propelled vehicles. It continues to foster a spirit of inquiry and scholarship, ensuring that the rich tapestry of automotive history is not only preserved but also continually explored and expanded.
As always, the biggest challenge facing the society is to build the community. Will you join us?
©2025. Society of Automotive Historians. All Rights Reserved.
