The first Detroit Autorama was held at the University of Detroit Memorial Building on January 31 and February 1, 1953. It featured only 40 cars, and was hosted by members of the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA), which was created only a year before to "organize small local clubs into one unified body that could raise the money needed to pull drag racing off the streets and into a safe environment". Eventually, the MHRA grew to also include clubs from the customizing and hot rodding scene, such as the "Motor City Modified", "Bearing Burners" and "Spark Plugs", who combined efforts to pull-off the first event, along with other Detroit Car Clubs such as "The Road Kings", "Shifters", and "Milwinders".