Explore the world's premier auto exhibit showcasing an unparalleled collection of historically significant vehicles.
Daily Activities at Driving America
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From the 1865 Roper, the oldest surviving American car, and Henry Ford’s first gas-powered vehicle to the hybrid 2002 Prius, our Driving America exhibit helps to tell the story of how automotive innovations have changed our lives and influenced American culture. On your journey, you’ll also encounter more than a dozen interactive kiosks that will engage, inform, and inspire.
Highlights
1896 Ford Quadricycle Runabout, First Car Built by Henry Ford
Details
1896 Ford Quadricycle Runabout, First Car Built by Henry Ford
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1896
Summary
The Quadricycle was Henry Ford's first attempt to build a gasoline-powered automobile. It utilized commonly available materials: angle iron for the frame, a leather belt and chain drive for the transmission, and a buggy seat. Ford had to devise his own ignition system. He sold his Quadricycle for $200, then used the money to build his second car.
Creators
Ford, Henry, 1863-1947
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Detroit
Keywords
United States, Michigan, Detroit
Automobiles
Ford automobile
Firsts
Inventions
Cars
Henry Ford Quadricycle (Automobile)
Ford, Henry, 1863-1947
Object ID
00.2.93
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Henry and Clara Ford.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
1896 Ford Quadricycle Runabout, First Car Built by Henry Ford
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
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Details
1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible
Details
1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1931
Summary
Longer than a Duesenberg. Twice the horsepower of a Rolls-Royce. More costly than both put together. The Bugatti Royale was the ultimate automobile, making its owners feel like kings. Not only did it do everything on a grander scale than the world's other great luxury cars, it was also rare. Bugatti built only six Royales, whereas there were 481 Model J Duesenbergs and 1,767 Phantom II Rolls-Royces.
Creators
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Weinberger, Ludwig
Place of Creation
France, Molsheim
Germany, Munich
Keywords
Canada
China, Shanghai
Germany
Switzerland
United States, Michigan, Flint
United States, New York, New York
Bugatti automobile
Automobiles
Convertibles
World War, 1939-1945
Cabriolets (Automobiles)
Cars
Chayne, Charles A., 1898-1978
Fuchs, A. Josef
Object ID
58.86.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Charles and Esther Chayne.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
Texaco "Fire-Chief" Gasoline Pump, circa 1940
Details
Texaco "Fire-Chief" Gasoline Pump, circa 1940
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Gasoline pump
Date Made
circa 1940
Summary
By the 1940s, drivers watched "computing" pumps like this Texaco Fire-Chief pump automatically calculate the amount of gasoline and the price. This type of pump did away with price charts used by service station attendants. Internal, calibrated gear sets turned numbered wheels allowing quick and easy fill ups and payments.
Creators
Wayne Pump Company
Place of Creation
United States, Indiana, Fort Wayne
Keywords
Gasoline pumps
Automobiles
Gasoline
Service stations
Cars
Texaco, Inc.
Object ID
87.196.25
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Fletcher Oil Company.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
Texaco "Fire-Chief" Gasoline Pump, circa 1940
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
Douglas Auto Theatre Sign, circa 1955
Details
Douglas Auto Theatre Sign, circa 1955
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Advertising sign
Date Made
circa 1955
Summary
The first "auto movie theatre" opened in Camden, New Jersey, in 1933, but it took time to perfect the new technology. In the 1950s, a new market of families and teenagers embraced the informality and privacy of in-car movie-watching. This sign stood at the entrance to a drive-in theatre that held 800 cars when it operated between 1955 and 1985.
Creators
Mulholland Sign Company
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Kalamazoo
Keywords
United States, Michigan, Kalamazoo
Advertising signs
Shop signs
Drive-in theaters
Douglas Auto Theatre
Douglas Drive-In
Object ID
87.84.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Kalamazoo College.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
Douglas Auto Theatre Sign, circa 1955
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
1965 Ford Mustang Convertible, Serial Number One
Details
1965 Ford Mustang Convertible, Serial Number One
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1964
Summary
It's an old auto industry cliche -- "you can't sell a young man an old man's car, but you can sell an old man a young man's car." It's also true. The sporty Mustang was a young man's -- and woman's -- car. The under-30 crowd loved it. But older people also bought them, often as a second car. The Mustang hit a sweet spot in the market, appealing to a wide range of buyers.
Creators
Ford Motor Company. Rouge River Plant
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Dearborn
Keywords
Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saint John's
Automobiles
Ford automobile
Mustang automobile
Convertibles
Firsts
Cars
Tucker, Stanley
Object ID
66.47.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
1965 Ford Mustang Convertible, Serial Number One
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout
Details
1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1903
Summary
When it inspires a song, you know it's popular. This Olds was the bestselling car in America from 1902 to 1905. Automobiles had an emotional appeal. A driver in 1901 said that controlling a car satisfied "an almost universal sense, the love of power." Despite the attraction, cars were not a significant player in the transportation world. In 1903 some 4,000 people bought Oldsmobiles, but more than 900,000 bought buggies and carriages.
Creators
Olds Motor Works
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Lansing
Keywords
Automobiles
Firsts
Mass production
Cars
Runabouts (Automobiles)
Object ID
30.1303.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Olds Motor Works.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
View Panorama
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop
Details
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1955
Summary
Chevrolet turned its image around in 1955. Its new V-8 engine was light modern, powerful and reliable. Combined with a clean, classic new body style it changed customers' impression of Chevrolet from stodgy and conservative to sporty and youthful almost overnight. This car, in fashionable coral and smoke grey colors, epitomizes Chevy's new slogan, "The Hot One."
Creators
General Motors Corporation. Chevrolet Motor Division
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Detroit
Keywords
Automobiles
Cars
Coupes (Automobiles)
Cole, Edward N.
Object ID
86.113.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
1937 Cord 812 Convertible
Details
1937 Cord 812 Convertible
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1937
Summary
The 1937 Cord's swooping fenders, sweeping horizontal radiator grille, and hidden headlights were unlike anything else on American highways. And although it wasn't the first, Cord was the only front-wheel-drive production car available in America for the next three decades.
Creators
Auburn Automobile Company
Buehrig, Gordon M., 1904-1990
Place of Creation
United States, Indiana, Auburn
Keywords
Cord automobile
Convertibles
Phaetons
Automobiles
Cars
Cord, Errett Lobban, 1894-1974
Reeve, Lawrence Lowell
Object ID
57.25.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Lawrence Lowell Reeve.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
1937 Cord 812 Convertible
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
2016 General Motors First-Generation Self-Driving Test Vehicle
Details
2016 General Motors First-Generation Self-Driving Test Vehicle
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
2016
Summary
General Motors tested a series of autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2016. These cars, developed with GM subsidiary Cruise Automation and based on the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle, used a combination of cameras, radar and lidar sensors, cellular and GPS antennas, and powerful computers to drive themselves on public streets in both cities.
Creators
General Motors Corporation
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Detroit
Keywords
Automobiles
Autonomous vehicles
General Motors automobiles
Experimental automobiles
Electric automobiles
Robots
Cars
Object ID
2018.141.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of General Motors Corporation.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
2016 General Motors First-Generation Self-Driving Test Vehicle
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
VIEW CALENDAR
Details
DrivingAmerica
Check out some of the amazing automotive inventions you'll see first-hand when you take a journey through our Driving America exhibit in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
The History of Cars
Explore the amazing variety of style and design of the American automobile.
Roper Steam Carriage
The oldest surviving American-made car, the 1865 Roper was powered by a small steam engine.
Quadricycle
Henry Ford's first attempt at a gasoline-powered vehicle, the Quadricycle was made of commonly available material.
Setting the Standard
As cars developed, they began to include features we recognize today, including headlights.
The Craftsmanship
Cars from throughout American history demonstrate the skill of all who worked on them.
Safety First?
As car culture developed, Americans became increasingly concerned about safety.
Never Sacrificing Style
American-made cars always made style and performance priorities.
A Fast World
From the new world of cars emerged a culture of speed, including fast food.
Lotus
The 1965 Lotus-Ford race car established a new paradigm in racing.
Texaco Service Station
With more Americans on the road, a whole new industry grew to service the cars.
Explore
Interactive exhibits allow visitors to learn even more about American automotive innovation.
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