ABSTRACT
Automobile-related heritage is as much about the present and the future as it is about the past. According to Marcin Mazurek, a contributor to this volume, “cars have not only shaped our cognitive environments,” but they also “first and foremost [can] shap[e] the ways we think about ourselves.” Mazurek’s observation underscores how sociologically powerful the automobile can be. The incomparable significance of the automobile to our culture, way of life, and historical development is such that it demands inclusion within any discussion of material culture or intangible heritage preservation. This volume goes some way to creating a thinking space whereby some of the issues around automobile heritage can be explored. It seeks to demonstrate that if automobiles are so deeply implicated in our lives, then they must be factored into our heritage language, procedures, developments, systems, and processes. Moveable heritage must not be forgotten simply because its greatest asset is its transportability; rather this alone is enough to warrant special consideration. We acknowledge that this volume is not the end of the story so much as the conversation starter in automobile heritage, conservation, and preservation.
