I’m pleased to report that the Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) has named Ate Up With Motor the winner of the 2012 E.P. Ingersoll Award.

The SAH explains the award like this:

The E. P. Ingersoll Award is given for the best presentation of automotive history in other than print media. The award is named for E. P. Ingersoll, founding editor and publisher of The Horseless Age, the first American periodical devoted to the automobile. … The award has in the past been given for films, television productions, and internet websites. They must have been released for distribution not longer than three years prior to the date of the award or, in the case of internet websites, have been active during the year prior to the date of the award.

… The [E.P. Ingersoll] Committee recognizes that nominations may include both presentations intended for the general public and others whose focus is the professional automotive historian. Standards and criteria for these two types will of necessity be different. In both cases, the work must serve to advance the knowledge of automotive history of the group to which it is addressed. The script shall be historically accurate and internally consistent, reflecting the most recent knowledge and avoiding clichés. Illustrations shall be correctly identified and chosen to support the argument of the script. Works addressed to the professional audience should provide new information not previously known or a compilation of information in a format that may serve to advance the researches of others. The limitations of film and electronic media are such that they are not usually considered to be suitable for the presentation of original research. For works where it has been included, special credit will be given.

The Committee also assesses a work in terms of its technical quality. … For internet websites, in addition to visual quality and the orderly arrangement of materials, facility and ease of use will be an important consideration.

The award may not be presented if, in the opinion of the Committee, no work submitted meets the standards and criteria described above.

[excerpted with permission from the Society of Automotive Historians’ official award description, rev. 5 September 2005; special thanks to Tom Jakups]

Past winners of the award include Coachbuilt.com and Yann Saunders’ remarkable “The (new) Cadillac Database” — honorable company indeed.

I was not able to attend the awards ceremony this past weekend, but this is the message I sent to the Society:

When we talk or write about automotive history, it’s easy to become wrapped up in the minutiae of the cars themselves: the technical details, the year-to-year changes and the inevitable collector debates over value and originality. However, automotive history is also a lens through which we can examine broader sociopolitical and economic issues that might otherwise be too big or too broad to easily engage. Studying the cars of a particular time period offers invaluable insights into the concerns of that era, from its technological developments to its cultural obsessions.

My fascination with the multifaceted nature of automotive history is what led me to create Ate Up With Motor several years ago and has shaped the approach I’ve tried to take in the articles I’ve written. My hope is that the work I’ve done on the website will be of value to other historians and perhaps give automotive fans new perspective on their favorite cars.

I want to thank the Society for this honor — it’s gratifying to see the response I’ve gotten to what began as a labor of love and an admittedly not very lucrative business venture. I am sorry that I am not able to attend the ceremony, but I extend my congratulations and best wishes to all the other honorees.

Aaron Severson
Founder/Editor
AteUpWithMotor.com

For more information and a list of previous winners, check out the SAH website at https://autohistory.org/.