Racing team owner and business man Roger Penske is part of the next induction class for the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Among the countless men and women who have worked in the auto industry since its earliest days, only the rare few have left a truly lasting legacy on the world, and four of them will find a lasting legacy as they’re inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame two months from now.

The four are a diverse group of modern-day legends, such as Roger Penske, Luca di Montezemolo and Ratan Tata, as well as industry pioneer Elwood Haynes – all chosen, the AHF said, because they “moved the world forward through their contributions to the global auto industry.”

“Each made their unique vision a reality through tenacity and creativity,” said William R. Chapin, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame. It is the story of the automotive industry from the beginning and the Automotive Hall of Fame is proud to share that story.”

Based in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, the AHF was founded in 1939 and has since inducted 800 men and women who have been involved in a variety of aspects of the auto industry, from the likes of pioneer Henry Ford to the late Denise McCluggage, who was the first journalist to join the select group.

Former Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is part of this year's class going into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

(Racer, writer, photographer, entrepreneur, role model, Denise McCluggage dies at 88. Click Here for a special tribute.)

The latest class of inductees will be honored at a ceremony at the Detroit Marriott hotel on July 23^rd. They include:

• Elwood Haynes – Elwood Haynes, (1857-1925) – test drove his first car in 1894 in Kokomo, Indiana, two years before Henry Ford’s Quadricycle and less than a year after Charles Duryea’s Motorized Wagon; co-founder of the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company (1898-1925), which produced Haynes-Apperson automobiles until 1905, followed by Haynes automobiles through 1925.

• Luca di Montezemolo – Former Chairman, Ferrari S.p.A., restored the luster of the marque, returning Scuderia Ferrari to international racing prominence, while building the brand into a global powerhouse.

• Roger Penske– Founder and Chairman, Penske Corporation, a leading international transportation services company, who also built Team Penske into one of the most successful automotive racing teams in history, winning 15 Indianapolis 500 championships.
  

  Ratan Tata's impact on the global auto industry earned him a spot in the Automotive Hall of Fame.

• Ratan N. Tata – Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, returned Jaguar and Range Rover to eminent status and profitability, preserving the auto industry in the United Kingdom.

Others, including former Delphi CO Rodney O’Neal, will be honored for their work in the industry, O’Neal named the 2015 Industry Leader of the Year.

(To see why GM won’t make its goal of 500,000 EVs on the road by 2017, Click Here.)

The ceremony will feature remarks by A.J. Baime whose recent work, “The Arsenal of Democracy,” focused on the role of Detroit in the American war effort. Those who’d like to attend the black-tie event can go to www.automotivehalloffame.org or contact Kerry Doyle at (313) 240-4000 or KDoyle@thedrivingspirit.org.