The Jim Dunne collection mostly consists of publications and visual materials from across his career, including articles written by and about him, photographs, negatives, and some digital materials. The series in this collection are: Publications, Visual Materials, Recognitions, and Miscellaneous.
Leo James ("Jim") Dunne was born on December 13, 1931 in Detroit, Mich. He graduated from Catholic Central High School in Detroit and received a bachelor's degree in Industrial Management from the University of Detroit. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
Jim Dunne was an automotive spy photographer and journalist. He is notorious among automobile manufacturers world-wide because he spent forty years taking and publishing photos of future automobile models well before their intended public introduction. His skills stem from his service in the Army where he was NCO in charge of an infantry intelligence and reconnaissance squad. Although his career has led to his photograph being featured on "Wanted!" posters in several proving ground security offices, some places pay ironic tribute to his enthusiasm and skill by making him the namesake for places like "Dunne's Grove" at the GM proving grounds in Milford, Michigan.
Mostly known mostly for his spy photography, Dunne was also a well-established journalist. He was a columnist for Popular Science, writer, and Detroit editor of Popular Mechanics for 21 years, and editor of the Motor Camping Handbook and Road and Track magazine. He was also Director of the Auto Writers League of Detroit (AWL). In 2011 he published an autobiographical book, entitled Car Spy: Secret Cars Exposed by the Industry's Most Notorious Photographer, which details the ins and outs of automotive spy photography and features over 200 images he has taken throughout his career.
Since Dunne's writing mostly focused on the developments in auto industry and business, and their effects, particularly in Detroit, his career also involved automotive testing. For thirteen years he conducted on-track testing of new vehicles to examine differences in performance between models. His methods are still used in most national car magazine track testing reviews.
Throughout his career, Jim Dunne has taken thousands of photographs, and written many articles that have been featured on radios and televisions, and in magazines and newspapers around the world. In 2006, he received the International Automotive Media Award for Lifetime Achievement. He also received the 2007 Road & Travel Magazine's 4th Annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Dunne passed away on August 19, 2019 at his home in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.
