Significant vehicles of the Henry Ford Museum

In 1912, a new European fad took America by storm: the cyclecar....slim, light, cheap and with a motorcycle engine. By 1914, Americans could choose among 80 domestic versions. Most were poorly built and rattled to pieces on America's rough, unpaved roads. By 1917 a durable, five-passenger Model T Ford cost $25 less than this Scripps-Booth. The cyclecar fad was over.Henry Ford did not invent the automotive assembly line but he did perfect it. Model Ts wren't fully produced on the assembly line until 1914. To increase production, it was decided to paint all the cars black. Not because it was fast drying, but because it was faster to use just one color and black was cheaper and more durable.This concept was developed to accomplish a marketing goal.....to make people think of Ford as an exciting, forward-looking company. Designers created a sleek two-seater body with the engine behind the driver. They also made sure the car was as fast as it looked. It was a huge hit with the press and public. Mission accomplished.View the list »
In 1936, the Oscar Meyer Company began to promote their hot dogs on the streets of Chicago with the very first Wienermobile. This 1952 model is in its original design and served as a prototype for the 1988 fleet. It was built by the Gerstenslager Company of Wooster, Ohio. It is on a Dodge chassis and is 22 feet long.The Wienermobile reflects an innovative combination of transportation and product promotion that brings together two of America's greatest loves....cars and hot dogs. Bet you know the song.

Car & Truck Enthusiasts newsletter

Henry Ford Museum began as Henry Ford's personal collection of historic objects, which he began collecting as far back as 1906. Today, the 13 acre site is primarily a collection of antique machinery, pop culture items, automobiles, locomotives, aircraft, and other features such as:

Related topics

Advertisement

• An IMAX Theater
• A model of the nuclear-powered Ford Nucleon automobile
• An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
• The 1961 Lincoln that President John F. Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated
• The chair from Ford's Theatre in which President Lincoln was sitting when he was shot
• George Washington's camp bed
• A ten-person safety bicycle made in 1896
• A collection of several fine 17th and 18th century violins including a Stradivarius.
• Thomas Edison's alleged last breath in a sealed tube.
• Buckminster Fuller's prototype Dymaxion house
• The bus on which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, leading to the Bus Boycott
• Igor Sikorsky's prototype helicopter.
• Fokker Trimotor airplane that flew the first flight over the North Pole
• Bill Elliott's record-breaking race car clocking in at over 212 MPH at Talledega in 1987
• The Newcomen type engine from Cobb's Engine House in England
• The Automotive Hall of Fame is adjacent to the Henry Ford Museum
• A working fragment of the original Holiday Inn "Great Sign"

View the list
  • In 1936, the Oscar Meyer Company began to promote their hot dogs on the streets of Chicago with the very first Wienermobile. This 1952 model is in its original design and served as a prototype for the 1988 fleet. It was built by the Gerstenslager Company of Wooster, Ohio. It is on a Dodge chassis and is 22 feet long.The Wienermobile reflects an innovative combination of transportation and product promotion that brings together two of America's greatest loves....cars and hot dogs. Bet you know the song.
  • This concept was developed to accomplish a marketing goal.....to make people think of Ford as an exciting, forward-looking company. Designers created a sleek two-seater body with the engine behind the driver. They also made sure the car was as fast as it looked. It was a huge hit with the press and public. Mission accomplished.
  • Henry Ford did not invent the automotive assembly line but he did perfect it. Model Ts wren't fully produced on the assembly line until 1914. To increase production, it was decided to paint all the cars black. Not because it was fast drying, but because it was faster to use just one color and black was cheaper and more durable.
  • In 1912, a new European fad took America by storm: the cyclecar....slim, light, cheap and with a motorcycle engine. By 1914, Americans could choose among 80 domestic versions. Most were poorly built and rattled to pieces on America's rough, unpaved roads. By 1917 a durable, five-passenger Model T Ford cost $25 less than this Scripps-Booth. The cyclecar fad was over.
  • This 19th century buggy design disguised 20th century technology. This electric car was favored by city dwellers who took short trips and weren't bothered by a range limit of 20 to 30 miles between charges. For wealthy urbanites who wanted the latest thing, the Columbia fit the bill. Battery technology has apparently not made much progression in the last 112 years.
View the list
Suggested by the author:

, Classic Cars Examiner

Mike is an antique and classic car aficionado who has photographed and written about significant classic cars and classic car events throughout the United States. He is the Director of the Dayton Concours d'Elegance at Carillon Park, a judge at the Ault Park Concours d'Elegance in Cincinnati and...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...