We had the pleasure of visiting The Henry Ford Museum today, and it was unexpectedly amazing. Why unexpected you might ask? Well given 2/3 of our fleet is comprised of Chevrolet products (a Camaro and a Corvette), you might guess we’re Chevy guys. Going to the Ford Museum seemed almost blasphemous, but we went; and boy, were we glad we did.
Upon entering the Museum, we were greeted by a plane. A plane? Not a car? Well, that was our wake-up call: this isn’t a museum solely dedicated to Ford and its cars. It’s a tribute to American innovation, and its presentation takes you from the time of one of America’s greatest industrial revolutions to the present day; and, in the process, the Museum weaves political and generational influences into its story.
One of the first exhibits you’ll see is based on Presidential automotive treasures. From Reagan’s 1972 Lincoln, to JFK’s 1961 Lincoln, to Eisenhower’s 1950 Lincoln, to FDR’s 1939 Lincoln, you’ll feel like you’ve transported back to key parts of American history. Seeing JFK’s Lincoln in person was especially moving. If only that car could talk..
Here are some choice photos from the Presidential exhibit:
In addition to its collection of Presidential Lincolns, the Museum took us back to the iconic 1950s. Check out these retro scenes featuring a 1939 Dodge Airflow Texaco Truck, a 1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, and a 1957 De Soto Fireflite:
The racing scene was well-represented at the Museum as well. Ford products were the center of the scene of course, but the Museum also included a really cool Chrysler. Take a look at the 1956 Chrysler 300-B Stock Car, 1967 Ford Mark IV Race Car, 2011 Ford Fusion Stock Car, and 2016 Ford GT Race Car we caught on camera:
No Ford Museum would be complete without some special Mustangs to display. How about the 1962 Mustang I Roadster introduced by driver Dan Gurney at the 1962 United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York? Or Serial Number 1 of the 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible? These are seriously cool!
The innovation displayed at the Museum even included trains. Big trains, all built by hand by hard-working Americans. In light of today’s high-tech, computer-assisted production methods, it amazes me what people back then were able to accomplish through a proper application of “elbow grease”. The star of the exhibit is the Allegheny locomotive, one of the largest steam locomotives ever built. Designed for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1941, the Allegheny locomotive is 125-feet long, weighs about 771,000 pounds, and could pull 160 coal cars, each with a 60-ton load, through the steep grades of the Allegheny Mountains. Imagine this bad boy coming at you:
We will remember our time at the Henry Ford Museum fondly. What an awesome place with amazing exhibits, and good people to help make our experience as good as it could be. Thank you Ford.
