Indiana Capitol is “Car-City” USA. It isn’t known whether the Hoosiers love of cars came about because of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the racing venue was built because of Indy residents love of cars, but whichever it is the automobile is “king” in Indiana’s capitol city. The Motor Speedway, located on the west side of the city, is home to the greatest race in the world, The Indianapolis 500. It is also home to the NASCAR Brickyard 400, a road-racing course and motorcycle racing as well. The Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue in the world, seating approximately 400,000 people in the permanent stands and in the infield. In comparison, the largest sports stadium in the world seats 220,000 people. Indianapolis is also home to Raceway Park where world-class drag racing occurs.
The State of Indiana has also been the home to more than 72 different auto manufacturers that include: Studebaker, Cord, Stutz, Duesenberg, Auburn, Crosley, Packard, Marmon, Overland and Graham. Currently, Toyotas and Suburus are made in Indiana plants. The American love affair with the automobile is exemplified in Indianapolis and the surrounding state. The classic coming-of-age movie, “American Graffiti” is typical of the scenes in nearly all Midwestern American towns, but most notably in Indianapolis and its suburbs. In that movie, as it is in much of small-town USA, the automobile is the center of the social rhythm of the young people. The car is the center of their universe.
Consistent with their automobile culture, Indiana is the home to a number of major auto auction companies. In Indy, the large auction park on Madison Avenue is the site of a number of weekly events, mostly aimed at dealers. There is a public auction held there on Tuesdays, giving the public access to dealer-style auctioneering and a large volume of cars to be sold. The Kesler-Schaffer Auto Auction is available online, but for dealer members only. Auctions are conducted in Indianapolis by the U. S. Marshall’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Postal Service and local schools and universities.
There is a plethora of new and used car dealers in the greater Indianapolis metro area, representing all brands of cars. Many of the dealers have online access to their inventories, complete with pictures and vehicle data. Most of them offer a Car Fax report on the vehicle history. Whatever a used car buyer is looking for, chances are they can find it in Indy.
Northeast of Indianapolis, up Interstate Highway 69, is Auburn, IN, the original home of Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg auto manufacturing. There is a nice museum there with wonderful displays of fine examples all these brands, plus a lot of classic American Muscle Cars. Kruse International, the classic car auction company, is located on the south side of the city, with a huge lot often filled with cars being readied for auction. The automobile really is “king” in Indiana.
