The Friend of Automotive History Award recognizes a person who has made a profound individual contribution to the automotive history community and to the historical record.

The Award Panel may select more than one individual for a given year or may not select any individual for a given year.

Nominations

All nominations and enquiries should be emailed to sahawards@autohistory.org. Your email will then be forwarded to the Friend committee chair.

Nominations should include the name of the award, the name of the person being nominated, the name and contact information of individual making the nomination, and one or two lines outlining the reason for making the nomination.

Neither nominees nor nominators have to be SAH members.

All nominations for the Friend Award must be be received by April 15 of this year.

See our other awards

Previous Award Winners

2025

Matthew Short

2024

Ken Gross

2023

Rubén Verdés

2022

Donald C. Davidson

2021

Richard Lentinello

2020

Peter Mullin

2019

Nicola Bulgari

2018

Jeff Godshall

2018

Doug Nye

2017

Robert R. Ebert

2016

Susan S. Davis

2015

Jack C. Miller

2014

James Douglas Muir “Jay” Leno

2013

Frederick A. Simeone

2012

Joseph S. Freeman

2011

Kit Foster

2010

Miles C. Collier

2009

G. Marshall Naul

2008

Thomas H. Brownell

2007

Malcolm Jeal

2006

Bobbie’dine Rodda

2005

Leroy D. Cole

2004

Maurice D. Hendry

2003

Z. Taylor Vinson

2002

Karl E. Ludvigsen

2002

Richard M. Langworth

2001

John Martin Smith

2000

Paul Berliet

2000

Thomas E. Warth

1999

David W. Brownell

1998

Michael Worthington-Williams MBE

1997

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu

1996

L. Scott Bailey

1995

Chester L. Krause

1994

Walter O. MacIlvain

1993

Frederick D. Roe

1992

John A. Conde

1991

David L. Lewis

1990

Michael Lamm

1989

Ralph Dunwoodie

1988

Keith Marvin

1987

Peter Helck

1986

Beverly Rae Kimes

1985

Richard and Grace Brigham

1984

Charles L. Betts, Jr.

1983

Henry Austin Clark, Jr.

Honorary Memberships

Prior to the Friends of Automotive History Award, the following contributors to automotive history were awarded honorary memberships:

George Risley of the Detroit Public Library.

Jerry Gebby of the Detroit Public Library

Duesenberg historian Raymond Wolfe

Automotive artist Peter Helck

Walter Spencer Huffman, who saved the personal papers of Elwood Haynes

Mary Cattie of the Automotive History Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia

Strother MacMinn of the Art Center College of Design

William Harrah of the Harrah Museum

Roy Chapin, Jr. of American Motors

John R. Bond of Road & Track

Owen Bombard of the Ford Motor Company