Winter-Spring 2023 OpenRoad Magazine

OPENROAD OPENROAD

Presenting Sponsor

Sustaining Partners

Official Providers

AFFILIATE INSTITUTIONS:

5 BEHIND THE WHEEL

Thoughts

24 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, AMERICA ON WHEELS

AOW celebrates fifteen years, with exciting developments on the horizon.

32 AAT STAFF INTRODUCTIONS

Let’s meet Gary Yamamoto, Gabriel Mosse, J. Pandora Paúl and Tim Willard.

10 BEHIND THE SCENES: THE DRIVE HOME TO THE MUSTANG STAMPEDE

16

TEN YEARS OF LEMAY—AMERICA’S CAR MUSEUM

Celebrating a decade of America’s Car Museum.

26 MY FIRST CAR

AAT board member Al Ruozzi shares memories of his first automotive love.

34

FUEL FOR THE FUTURE

Best of Both Worlds: Highlighting the wonderful ACM vehicle donation from Brian and Randy Pollock.

28 RPM FOUNDATION: DRIVING MISS GRACIE

The RPM Girls take on the Great Race.

36 FUEL FOR THOUGHT

FIVE YEARS ON: The Significance of a Tesla in Space.

COVER: The Gen-7 Ford Mustang prototype on The Drive Home to the Mustang Stampede, early morning in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. THIS PAGE: AAT leads the night of 1,000 Mustangs in downtown Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.

from AAT CEO David Madeira

An insider look at AAT’s role in the reveal of the 2024 Ford Mustang.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

By David Madeira, AAT CEO

As we begin 2023, America’s Automotive Trust is celebrating two important milestones: last year’s 10th anniversary of LeMay – America’s Car Museum, and the 15th anniversary of America On Wheels Museum, coming in April of this year. Not only have these great automotive museums survived where others have failed, but they are both poised to thrive in a new era of innovation, participation and collaboration. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Anniversaries give us a chance to reflect on our accomplishments, and this is where OpenRoad excels. A quick look through back issues offers a roadmap of our successes and growth from a local institution to a regional player, and now a national force for the preservation and celebration of America’s automotive heritage.

AAT shone in that national spotlight in assisting Ford Motor Company in the rollout of their much-anticipated Generation-7 Mustang at last year’s Detroit Auto Show. The Drive Home to the Mustang Stampede was a nine-day, cross-country trip curated by AAT to represent each generation of the iconic Mustang and designed to generate images, stories and narratives to fuel the passion of Mustang faithful worldwide. Moreover, it showed the Big Three automakers the power of packaging heritage in their marketing efforts, and the resources and expertise of AAT to deliver it.

We welcome more expertise with the addition of new team members Gary Yamamoto, Gabriel Mosse, Pandora Paúl and Timothy Willard. Filling vacant positions with these dynamic leaders makes AAT even stronger than we were pre-pandemic, and I look forward to working with this new staff. The bios within this issue are merely introductions to learning more about these interesting folks.

For anyone who thinks the appeal of classic cars is limited to middle-aged men, read student Kinzie Wilson’s entertaining tale of competing with the all-female RPM Foundation team in last year’s Great Race. The passion of these young ladies to learn and overcome adversity showcases both the ideals and mission of the RPM Foundation and the Great Race. As of press time, we learned that one of Kinzie’s RPM co-drivers, Sabré Cook, has been selected to race in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, which is quite a step up from rallying a 1966 Mustang.

There’s also breaking news in the effort to introduce an ACM specialty license plate for the state of Washington. The potential revenue generated by the registration fees of this distinctive plate could be a significant and vital source of annual funding for the Museum. The bill was hurriedly scheduled to appear in front of both houses of the state legislature on February 20th, which prompted a last-minute trip to Olympia by AAT envoys Drew Weyerhaeuser, Alan Granberg, Paul Miller, Gary Yamamoto and Steve Boone, where they saw the bill advance to the next stage. This whole effort was initiated by AAT Board and Steering Committee members and provides a perfect example of the power of an active and engaged Board in a non-profit organization. I cannot thank them enough for their dedication and perseverance in this process. We have a lot of people to acknowledge in this effort, which we hope to do – alongside good news of the bill passing – in a future issue of OpenRoad. Check in for updates at our website, www.americascarmuseum.org

Lastly, please make an effort to join us at AOW in Allentown, PA, as they host the AAT Board Meeting June 9-10. This special weekend will include a Club Auto Drive, Cars and Cigars, tours of AOW and other opportunities to learn about the exciting new developments at AOW, the RB Collection and the Automotive Corner of America.

America’s Automotive Trust OFFICERS

CHAIRMAN: Michael D. Towers, Ambassador Wines of Washington – Seattle, WA

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN: B. Corry McFarland, Cedar Management Company – Fife, WA

VICE CHAIR: Gary Gartner, NB Center for American Automotive Heritage – Briarcliff Manor, NY

VICE CHAIR: David L. Madeira, Emeritus, America’s Automotive Trust – Tacoma, WA

VICE CHAIR: William T. Weyerhaeuser, Director/ Chairman – Tacoma, WA

SECRETARY: Sam E. Baker, Jr., Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker, LLP – Seattle, WA

TREASURER: Trevor Cobb, Avantia, A Multi-Family Office –Seattle, WA

BOARD MEMBERS

Rod Alberts, North American International Auto Show –Detroit, MI

John D. Barline, Emeritus, Harlowe & Falk LLP – Tacoma, WA

Dale Bloomquist, DDS, MS –Seattle, WA

Stephen Boone, Retired Ford and Harley-Davidson Dealer –Olympia, WA

Nicola Bulgari, Emeritus, BVLGARI S.p.A – New York, NY

Frank Chang, Flying Fish Partners –Seattle, WA

Doug Clark, Hagerty – Traverse City, MI

Ike Eisenhart, Ike’s Service Center – Coopersburg, PA

Dawn Fisher, MFD Classic Motors, Inc. – Traverse City, MI

Keith Flickinger, The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage – Allentown, PA

Alan Granberg, Auto Enthusiast –Lakewood, WA

Dr. Gerald Greenfield, Retired Dentist – Lake Tapps, WA

Alan F. Gross, America On Wheels – Bethlehem, PA

McKeel Hagerty, Hagerty –Traverse City, Michigan

Michael Holmes, Holmes Electric – Kent, WA

George Ingle, The Ingle Company – Spanaway, WA

Marwan Kashkoush, Retired, Parker Hannifin Corporation –Seattle, WA

Doug LeMay, Emeritus, LeMay Investments, LLC. – Tacoma, WA

Nancy LeMay, Emeritus, LeMay Investments, LLC. – Tacoma, WA

James Gary May, Hopewell Land Partners – Windemere, FL

T.G. Mittler, Auto Enthusiast –Santa Fe, NM

Tom Nault, Middlerock Partners, LLC. – Kirkland, WA

Continued on page 7

IN THE HEADLIGHTS

The popular television show My Classic Car has just posted a past episode with LeMay – America’s Car Museum founder Harold LeMay on their YouTube channel. (youtube.com/@MyClassicCarTV)

The video was recorded September 13, 1999, when ACM was just in the planning stages. In it, Mr. LeMay is prescient about the challenges of running a national automotive museum, with wisdom worth reflecting upon as ACM celebrates it’s 10-year anniversary.

“I’ve always tried to not just stick to Fords, or Chevrolets, or Cadillacs or Duesenbergs, or Cords; but to have what may appeal to another party, another person, or another age,” said Mr. LeMay.

“A museum, contrary to a lot of people’s belief, has to be self-sufficient. They give you so much time to get it going…there is limitations on it – it’s not all roses, and it’s not like people think. They have to work at it, and it has to be self-sustaining after a period of time.”

At 11:58 in the video, the camera comes to rest on Harold’s red 1957 Chevy Nomad wagon, a car that has subsequently logged thousands of miles on The Drive Home events, appeared on the front page of major newspapers and publications, and was displayed on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show. If Harold only knew how just one of his cars could touch so many people.

But mostly, the video makes us wish Harold were still with us to share his genuine love of old cars, and the people that drive them: “I like the cars. I like the people I meet. I’ve met and made many, many friends. I can say that I can’t think of anybody I’ve bought a car from that I couldn’t go back and talk with or meet them, because it’s always been a pleasure.”

BOOK SHELF

The cars and drivers of AAT’s The Drive Home to the Mustang Stampede are set to appear in Robert M. Kennedy’s upcoming book, Unbridled: The Passion, Performance & Politics Behind America’s Favorite Pony Car. For more on this past year’s The Drive Home, see our feature on page 10.

OPENROAD PUBLICATION CREDITS

Managing Editor & Head Writer William Hall

Friend of AAT, journalist and historian Kyle Yarber tells the automotive history of Kansas City in his book, A Car-Crazy Town, 150 pg., ISBN 978-0-692-29224-2, available on Amazon. Kyle and his fellow enthusiasts at the Kansas City Auto Museum have welcomed the Drive Home crews as they pass through the Midwest.

William “Kid” Hall is an automotive journalist based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, whose work has appeared in Hemmings Motor News, Classic Car Journal, RM Shift and Prancing Horse magazines, among others. His personal collection of cars skews classic Italian, with a few ‘70s era Muscle Cars and a growing collection of vintage motorcycles for good measure.

Contributors: Thanks to Michaela Chiconas Ristaino for the back-cover family shot, Jake Welk for his sharp lens throughout the issue, and Jeff Malin and Lauren Stoney for help with The Drive Home feature. Travis Gallatin covered the huge opening of ACM’s Porsche at 75 exhibit. Vivian Hsu helped out with photos for the Concours Club gathering.

Art Direction & Graphic Design Jennifer Weitzman, jamgd: jamgd a design firm located in Madison, Wisconsin — having a long history working with the RPM Foundation — they now bring their talents to this publication. jamgd.com

ALONG FOR THE RIDE

By William Hall Managing Editor

The Broccoli Effect

Blame it on the pandemic lockdown or too much media surfing, but my latest mechanical obsession is early-1970’s Harley-Davidson “Ironhead” Sportsters. A motorcycle that I couldn’t stomach in my youth is rather unexpectedly consuming all my attention. Isn’t that one of the great things about the collector vehicle hobby? No matter what your age, there are still surprising areas of interest that emerge and demand a second look, like revisiting a childhood disdain for certain vegetables. Let’s call it The Broccoli Effect.

I’m fascinated by my own psychology at play here. Sportsters lived hard lives, neglected and dubiously personalized by their owners. The healer in me wants to fix that, to return them to the glory of showroom-new condition as seen in those period advertisements. But there are lots of cars, trucks and motorcycles in need of love. Why obsess over these lowly Sportsters?

I trace that imprinting back to youthful visits to the Brooks Stevens Auto Museum in Wisconsin. Stevens was a legendary industrial designer who applied his futuristic vision to everything from kitchen appliances to Harley-Davidson motorcycles. HD icon Willie G. Davidson, scion of the founding family and the company’s former chief stylist, cut his teeth as an employee of Stevens’ design firm. So you see, a long-dormant part of my brain lights up when I gaze at a Stevens/Willie G.era motorcycle, because those museum visits left such an impression upon me many years ago.

Nowadays, I’ve got the world-class HarleyDavidson Museum in Milwaukee as an inspiration and reference tool to help me return my Sportster to the exact look and feel that I carry in my mind’s eye. The museum is both a living shop manual, a gathering place for like-minded obsessives, and a key for unlocking a repository of cherished feelings and recollections.

Isn’t that the irreplaceable role that auto museums play in our hearts and minds? They are at the very center of the collector vehicle hobby. Good ones, like the member entities and affiliates of America’s Automotive Trust, simultaneously evoke fond memories while creating new ones. They offer an opportunity to both learn, and teach. They engage you through intellectual and prosaic approaches, through static displays or kinetic experiences. They summon the five senses to illuminate new realizations about preconceived ideas.

I recently observed a sale of an ultra-low mile car on the online auction site BringATrailer. The commentors derided the idea that it would “probably end up in a museum somewhere,” as if that were some horrible fate. On the contrary, when a vehicle is placed in an institution like AAT’s LeMay – America’s Car Museum or America on Wheels, it becomes bigger than its mere four wheels. It becomes an idea; a seed that germinates in the fertile minds of young and old alike. And the museum? Well, that’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet, where the broccoli never ends.

BOARD MEMBERS

Continued from page 6

Michael J. Phillips, Altaira Wealth Management – Clyde Hill, WA

Al Ruozzi, RB Car Collection –Allentown, PA

Paul Sabatini, Lincoln of Troy –Troy, MI

Steve Saleen, Saleen Automotive –Corona, CA

Manfred Scharmach, BMW Northwest, Northwest Mini, Seattle Mini, Northwest PreOwned Center – Fife, WA

Jonathon Shaw, Hemmings –Bennington, VT

Jason Wenig, The Creative Workshop – Dania Beach, FL

James M. Will, Emeritus, Titus- Will Enterprises, Inc. – Tacoma, WA

STEERING COMMITTEE

Sandra Button, Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance –Carmel, CA

Jiyan K. Cadiz, Ford, North American Enthusiast Vehicles –Detroit, MI

Gill Campbell, Aero Marketing Group – Monterey, CA

John Carlson, National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation – Belcarra, BC, Canada

Rick Dore, Rick Dore Kustoms –Carlsbad, CA

Nicolle Girard, Hagerty – Traverse City, MI

Alan Grant, LARGE Architecture –Los Angeles, CA

Peter Hageman, Suite 200 Automobile Collection – Kirkland, WA

William Hall, Auto Journalist –Elkhart Lake, WI

Lindsey Harrell, Hilton Head Island Concours d’ Elegance & Motoring Festival – Hilton Head Island, SC

Andrew Hogan, Auto Enthusiast –Gig Harbor, WA

Paul Ianuario, Retired Curator of the BMW Zentrum – Duncan, SC Rock Jenkins, State Farm –Tacoma, WA

Al McEwan, Suite 200 Automobile Collection – Redmond, WA

Glenn Mounger, Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance –Bainbridge Island, WA

Diane Parker, Elevation Consultants, LLC. – Potomac, MD

Administration:

AAT CEO: David L. Madeira — America’s Automotive Trust — Tacoma, WA

ACM President Ex Officio: Paul E. Miller — LeMay-America’s Car Museum — Tacoma, WA

ACM Excecutive Director Ex Officio: Gary Yamamoto — LeMay-America’s Car Museum — Tacoma, WA

AOW Executive Director Ex Officio: Linda Merkel — America On Wheels — Allentown, PA

RPM Executive Director Ex Officio: Nick Ellis — Chicago, IL

Please Address Correspondence to America’s Automotive Trust/OpenRoad 2702 East D Street Tacoma, WA 98421 Phone: 253.779.8490 Toll Free: 877.902.8490 Fax: 253.779.8499 Website: americasautomotivetrust.org

Please note: Not all of the automobiles depicted in OpenRoad are on display or part of the ACM Collection. Some of the photographs were chosen in order to illustrate or enliven a featured story while others were selected purely for their artistic merit.

Pamela Chavez Rosen, External Advisor, Shell Oil Company –Houston, TX

Ken D. Ross, Auto Enthusiast –Detroit, MI

Blake Siebe, Northwest Auto Salon, Right Away Tire – Lynwood, WA

Jeff Stumb, The Great Race –Chattanooga, TN

Kristen Wells, Avants – Seattle, WA

Drew Weyerhaeuser, Auto Enthusiast – San Francisco, CA

Gina Zinn, State Farm – Tacoma, WA

membership and above. America’s Automotive Trust is a

your gift towards membership and sponsorship are tax deductible.

AROUND THE TRUST

1 AAT’s John Carlson (right), acting as Chief Judge for the 2023 Arizona Concours, awards Best of Show to a 1947 Talbot Lago T26 Record Cabriolet. AAT’s Collections Chairman Dr. Gerald Greenfield (not pictured) also served as the event’s Honorary Chief Judge.

2 Dapper gents Ian MacNeil (left) and Drew Weyerhaeuser enjoy an evening of fine food, bourbon, cigars and camaraderie as part of the inaugural Oldfield Society dinner held at the Detroit Athletic Club.

3 Dan and Nick from the Avants-Drive Everything podcast moderated a Q&A with car builder Rick Dore of the James Hetfield: Reclaimed Rust exhibit this past November at ACM.

4 ACM paired with Northwest Harvest and KING 5 News for the Home Team Harvest food drive, held at Seattle’s Lumen Field in December.

5 Staff helped unload ACM’s 1946 Ford Pickup filled with donated gifts for military families from Joint Base LewisMcChord collected through Santa’s Castle-Washington’s “Toys for Troops” campaign in December.

6 AOW’s Linda Merkel received a wonderful donation from the Lehigh Valley Timing Association in December towards ongoing operating expenses.

7 ACM’s terrific volunteer corps were celebrated with a party in November.

ROAD WELL TAKEN

By William Hall

BEHIND THE SCENES: The Drive Home to the Mustang Stampede

In 2015, America’s Automotive Trust chairman David Madeira and North American International Auto Show executive director Rod Alberts came up with the idea for The Drive Home, a cross-country classic car road trip to the Detroit Auto Show. For AAT, it was the chance to celebrate the automobile, but to also show the Big Three automakers the marketing value of America’s automotive heritage. In 2022, that idea came to full fruition when Ford Motor Company partnered with AAT to help tell the story of the Mustang, with a cross-country trip featuring seven generations of America’s ponycar; a journey which would lead to one of the largest and most anticipated product reveals in Ford history.

Seven teams set out from the LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma on September 6 for a nine-day caravan to Detroit. Included in that group was Martin Mosakowski, Ford’s Project Launch Leader, in a heavily camouflaged Gen 7 Mustang that would remain cloaked until the Detroit Auto Show and its global unveiling.

What happened next is the stuff of legend…

AAT board member George Ingle generously hands over the keys to his 1971 Mach 1 Mustang at the kickoff to the Drive Home to the Mustang Stampede held at LeMay – America’s Car Museum. George’s Mach 1 served as the ACM entry into the six-car group, and ultimately would lead a “stampede” of hundreds of Mustangs from Ford headquarters to the North American International Auto Show in downtown Detroit.

At ACM in Tacoma, Allen McLaughlin applies sponsor decals on the vehicles. Ford provided two brand-new, $100k GT500 chase cars, which swarmed like drones around a queen bee, flanking the Gen 7 Mustang to protect it on the road to Detroit. With 760 hp on tap, we could easily accelerate ahead of the pack to set up for camera shots or scout locations (or lunch!) Many of the privateer cars still wear their decals today as remembrance of this special event.

Anderson “Andy” Jolly drove a 1993 Mustang GT convertible in The Drive, and was a star of the event from the beginning. He had all the confidence of a self-made immigrant entrepreneur, and it really came across on camera. He loves Mustangs, and early-on committed to having the convertible top down on his Fox-body Mustang for the whole way, which he accomplished. As a long-distance driver he was the real deal, and a lot of fun to be with on the trip. Ford picked up on his personality and he was featured heavily in the video for the 2024 Mustang reveal.

Photo: Jake Welk

Photo: Jeff Malin, WPP/Mindshare/Ford

Photo: Jake Welk

In media, the best content is made from organic stories about real people. This trip had lots of that. When we met Cody Dvorak outside our hotel in Kearney, Nebraska, he and his dog Crew were all set to go fishing that day. They had the boat hooked up, a jar full of worms, and a tube of sunscreen. That is until Cody saw our cars, then ran home to get his red 2017 Mustang GT/CS and follow us for 300 miles to Missouri. Brenton Tobaben and Michael Bower drove through the night from Omaha to follow us to Missouri, and Brenton was texting me until Chicago about dropping everything and driving to join us in Detroit. Few consumer products inspire such passionate stories as Ford’s Mustang, and it was left to America’s Automotive Trust to find and tell them. All three guys were featured in Ford’s Gen 7 rollout reel in Detroit.

Bill “Billy” Smallwood is an independent insurance agent in Washington, and one of Hagerty’s top selling agents in the region. He is also a Mustang fanatic. Through his business and personal relationships, he was instrumental in helping to assemble examples of each of the six generations of Mustangs, and some great people to boot. Fun fact: Billy’s kryptonite is chocolate milk. He cannot pass a gas station without trying the local variety, and could seriously write a book about the best chocolate milks across America.

Photo: Jeff Malin, WPP/Mindshare/Ford

Our group pulled over in a scenic overlook, and that’s where I saw the tire marks, and decided to stage what would become “that photo” of the Gen 7 Mustang appearing to drift. I discussed this with Marty beforehand. I didn’t want to get him in trouble – or worse, break the car – but he was game. He called back to Ford and spoke with his immediate boss who basically said, “Well, we want you to test all the features, and a drift brake is a feature, so go for it.” So, we set the shot up, and it sure looked like he had left all those tire marks, but he didn’t exactly. I was conscious of us not being disorderly or leaving vandalism behind. We ran the photo as the lead in Hemmings Daily that next morning, and all the engineering guys at Ford saw it and absolutely loved it. It isn’t a fake photo. The car was certainly capable of that, and more.

The Allen family from Kansas City, Missouri, saw our TDH coverage in Hemmings Daily and decided on a lark to follow us along to Detroit. They just missed catching up to us in Auburn, Indiana, where dad Sean had to sleep in the family’s “Bus-tang GT” Ford Transit van, while his wife and seven kids slept in the last hotel room available. By the time we arrived at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, they were the media darlings of the event.

For Pat and Connie Trine, driving their 2004 Mach 1 Mustang in TDH had special significance. The car had been owned by Pat’s best friend, Mike Zimmer, before he passed away. Now, a picture of Mike accompanies the car wherever they go. “Mike would absolutely love this,” Pat said of The Drive Home. “He’s here with us.”

Liz and Molly Saleen were on hand at Ford headquarters at the start of the Stampede. Molly’s personal Saleen Mustang, Molly Pop, was driven by Tammy Granberg on The Drive Home as a representative of the fifth-generation Mustangs. AAT board member Steve Saleen arranged for the use of the car in the event.

Photo: Jeff Malin, WPP/Mindshare/Ford

Road Boss Diane Flis-Schneider arranged a number of historical photo-ops that traced the route of the original Pony Express. Pictured here are a few tagalong Mustangs that joined us for a portion of the trip in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Photo: Jeff Malin, WPP/Mindshare/Ford

When you think about all the things that have to go right for six vintage vehicles and teams to traverse 3,400 miles over nine days to a global product reveal in Detroit, The Drive Home to the Mustang Stampede was nothing short of miraculous. In truth, it was a combination of experience, hard work and careful coordination between AAT Marketing Director Ashley Bice, AAT Advancement Officer Diane Flis-Schneider and Ford’s Jiyan Cadiz and his team.The police-escorted final leg to the Detroit Auto Show was a thrilling capstone to an epic adventure which elevated the Trust, its entities and our partner Ford Motor Company, fulfilling the vision of its founders David Madeira and Rod Alberts.

Photo: Lauren Stoney OPENROAD 15 OPENROAD 15

Harold LeMay’s passion for cars started with early Fords, not unlike this one which showed up for the 10th Anniversary Wheels and Heels Gala for LeMay – America’s Car Museum. The event capped a series of celebrations commemorating the last decade of ACM’s contributions to preserving America’s automotive heritage.

Photo: Jake Welk

The word “intimate” is usually not applied to the 165,000 sq. foot LeMay – America’s Car Museum exhibition space, but the gathering of friends, donors and Trust leaders known as the Concours Club created just such an environment with the return of their annual dinner and awards ceremony held amongst the cars of Lucky’s Garage on September 9th.

Honored during the elegant evening were Renée Crist, retiring ACM Collections Manager, and Suzanne Hight, ACM Event Coordinator, who were both recognized with President’s Awards for their outstanding service. Also celebrated were AAT Master Craftsman Rick Dore, AAT Master Collector Bruce Wanta, and Bulgari Award winner Miles Collier.

Receiving their Concours Club jackets were Stan Dickison, Robin Durbin, Douglas Howe, Jay and Terry Ackley, Sam Baker, Janice Coogan, Pat and Julie Riley, and Bruce and Peggy Wanta.

Receiving special recognition was the Erivan and Helga Haub family, who attained the membership’s highest level of distinction, Chairman of the Concours Club, for surpassing $1 million dollars in support. Helga and her family members traveled from Germany to be at the event.

“Harold’s dream was to preserve the history and showcase the importance of the automobile in America. Ten years of LeMay — America’s Car Museum existence proves that Harold’s dream has truly become reality.”

—Nancy LeMay

ON EXHIBIT

By Jake Welk

LeMay – America’s Car Museum hosted the official opening of their newest exhibit, Porsche at 75, on February 4th to a sold-out crowd of over 600 enthusiasts, all in attendance to see an incredible assembly of some of the most significant Porsche models created over the world-renowned auto manufacturer’s past 75 years in business.

Fueled with coffee and German-inspired bites curated by local catering company Café Pacific Catering, and after some opening remarks from ACM Executive Director Gary Yamamoto, it was finally time for what everyone came for – to see the vehicles unveiled from their covers. Longtime friend of AAT and ACM and the host of CarsYeah podcast, Mark Green took the stage and officially announced the reveal of the Porsches.

One by one, as Mark narrated in play-by-play fashion, the car covers were pulled back revealing over seven decades of automotive engineering excellence. Crowds gathered around each vehicle as it was unveiled, cameras and phones in hand capturing the moment. After all 20 Porsches in the exhibit were revealed, guests lingered to see each of the cars up close, speak with the exhibitors, and share stories amongst each other. The enthusiasm created by the record-breaking attendance at the event was contagious, and with the Porsches on display until January 2024, this exciting opening looks to carry the momentum for this special exhibit over the next 12 months.

Photo: Travis Gallatin

America On Wheels 15th Anniversary

America On Wheels Museum has enjoyed a fifteen-year road trip. Despite the curves, detours and potholes, we have continued our journey and are now supercharged to be celebrating our 15th Anniversary on April 29, 2023. What started as a community museum has grown into an award-winning cultural attraction that has drawn visitors from across America, as well as scores of international guests. From our first exhibit featuring classic muscle cars, we have enthralled our visitors with hundreds of rare and unique vehicles. Our Changing Gallery has successfully rotated 30 exhibits over the years. We also have outstanding examples of antique and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles on display throughout the museum.

We are very excited about our accomplishments, expansions and collaborations over the past decade and a half. In 2009, we established a relationship with the Lehigh Valley Garden Railroaders and began our annual Holiday Train display. The following year we opened the HubCap Café featuring a fully restored 1953 soda fountain. We also hosted our first Bulldog Beauty Contest, which has been a popular annual event with up to 36 canines strutting their stuff in a unique gallery showcasing the history of hometownfavorite Mack Trucks.

In 2012, we opened the Restoration Learning Center that offers a multimedia presentation in returning a classic vehicle to its original state of grandeur. We opened the Auto Art Gallery in 2013, which has featured numerous works of transportationthemed art, and prototype vehicle renderings from the major auto designers of the time. For the past several years we’ve presented the Heavy Equipment Petting Zoo, where children and adults can view and climb on backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, fire engines and tractors. Families love this annual event, as it’s outside and free!

One of our most exciting and rewarding accomplishments was the establishment of the Kid’s Car Service and Restoration Center for those 12 and under. Children are able to “get their hands dirty” working on a scale model 1956 Chevy Belair. They can change the oil, fix a flat and switch out a muffler using tools with realistic lights and sounds. Through a collaboration with the neighboring RB Collection, visitors are allowed to tour their working restoration shop and view skilled craftsmen restoring vehicles in real time, every Wednesday and Friday. Over the years, we have hosted over 4,000 students via school field trips. Additionally, America On Wheels is now known as a unique and fun venue to host birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and holiday parties.

All the achievements noted above are in keeping with our mission to educate the public about the history of transportation through the restoration, preservation and presentation of classic vehicles. As we drive into 2023, being a member entity of America’s Automotive Trust will help us continue to achieve the principles of our mission, while expanding our exhibits and educational programs. Club Auto will also open at America On Wheels in June of 2023. So, if you are planning a trip, remember that the museum tells a fascinating story, and is certainly a trip worth taking.

Editor’s Note: AAT Chairman Michael Towers has been effusive about the quality and enthusiasm behind the America On Wheels Museum and the exciting Automotive Corner of America development in Allentown, PA. AOW will host this summer’s AAT Board Meeting on June 9-10, offering an excellent opportunity to experience firsthand the museum, the RB Collection, and Allentown’s waterfront

America’s Automotive Trust board member Al Ruozzi was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the youngest of three brothers who immigrated to the United States at the age of 30. Together with his brother Alex, they started in the classic car restoration business in 1994, beginning the RB Collection in 2011. Today the RB Collection sits adjacent to the America On Wheels Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in a 33,000 sq. ft. historic building which employs a staff of eight. The RB Collection is a founding partner in the exciting Automotive Corner of America development revitalizing Allentown’s waterfront.

AL RUOZZI, Schnecksville, PA My First Car

I’ve been thinking about cars as long as I can remember. During my childhood back in South America, I was always reading and watching everything about automobiles, with a special interest in American models equipped with V-8 engines. Attending a German school helped me to get close to German models, reading everything about them. But the passion for the American V-8 engines dominated my heart.

My desire to restore classic cars came through an unpaid internship at 11 years old, working as an assistant at Izzo & Izzo, a still-operating shop, where the owner Milton Izzo – one of the best in the country on carburetors – taught me the secrets of how an engine should breathe properly. It was a fantastic education, and one year later came my first major restoration project: to rebuild a 1964 VW Beetle engine. The engine ran perfectly after the restoration, but my dad said, “No driving around yet!” (Test drives were performed in the large parking lot of a business complex nearby… when dad was not watching.)

As a teenager with my brother Alex, other Volkswagen projects came along. We would improve performance in VW AP-1800 engines, but my eyes and heart were always thinking American V-8s, which were short-produced in Brazil due to expensive gasoline prices, but still had a loyal audience. On my 18th birthday came my first dream car: a fantastic, one-owner, Regio Silver 1978 Ford Maverick Super Luxo – the last production year – equipped with the desired and beloved 302 cid engine.

The Maverick in Brazil was a fancy car! In a market dominated by 4-cylinder engines, a V-8 model was a powerful, sporty, and luxurious automobile. The car was bought new by a successful supermarket chain owner and was in good shape, requiring only cosmetic repairs. It was hard to keep up with the gas costs, but the pleasure and satisfaction of feeling the torque, and listening to the unique sound produced by a V-8 engine was all I needed. Weekends were dedicated to improving the car, from washing the engine bay to disassembling the parking lights for cleaning. After a year of ownership, the Maverick looked like new, grabbing attention wherever it went.

On one beautiful Wednesday afternoon while waiting at a stoplight, the driver of the car to my left asked if the Maverick was for sale. My first reaction was to say no, but his incredible offer and my wish to acquire another car – an outstanding 3,000-mile, red 1973 Ford Maverick GT 302 equipped with a manual transmission – overrode my instincts. Later, I met with the new owner who informed me that he was very happy with my Maverick. He also disclosed that he had to borrow money from multiple sources – including his mother-in-law – to buy the car, since it was the most beautiful Maverick he’d ever seen and would not let it go. I couldn’t have agreed with his statement more.

RPM FOUNDATION

By Kinzie Wilson

Driving Miss Gracie

Rallying across America with the RPM Girls in The Great Race

Hi! My name is Kinzie Wilson, a Motorsport Management student at Belmont Abbey College. I was one of the student navigators for the RPM Foundation X-Cup team. I was so excited to embark on my first Great Race with an all-female team. We drove over 2,000 miles from Rhode Island to North Dakota in nine days, and now I get to share the rollercoaster journey with you!

TROPHY RUN: I signed up for this experience not knowing anyone on my team, and that excited me. I got to meet Olivia Gadjo from Alfred State (student navigator), and Mercedes Lilienthal, a freelance journalist (driver). First thing on our agenda: Rally School. We had the privilege of driving a 1966 Ford Mustang loaned to us by LeMay- America’s Car Museum. In an unfamiliar state, with an unfamiliar car, and three strangers who had never done The Great Race, we did pretty well by only missing two turns! The car had died a few times in the turnaround process, and we knew we would have to fix that before the next day. We rolled into the dinner stop with mixed emotions when we found out we got a score of 12 minutes (how far off of a perfect time for the day).

STAGE 1: The official start of The Great Race! To start the morning off, we got an impromptu lesson in resolving a rich carb fuel mixture (which was causing the car to lurch at idle) from RPM Executive Director Nick Ellis. We got to the park and met other teams around us, sharing tips and tricks as we waited for our start times. To start every day, we had to do a calibration run to make sure our timewise – or official speedometer – was calibrated correctly. To do this, the driver stayed at a constant speed the whole time, while the navigator marked down the time it took to get to each sign on the instructions sheet. At the end, we compared our time to the desired time given by The Great Race to see if we needed to make changes. We went through the instructions as directed and had a pretty good first day, not missing any turns, and thrilled to get our score of 58 seconds for the day. It was much better than the day before, especially for a group of strangers whose “practice” was Zoom call training sessions! No “aces” (perfect scores between checkpoints), but we were content with being only 1 second early on one leg. The Mustang had a new fuel pump put in the night before, but we were still having some stalling issues throughout the day. Teammate Sabré Cook (driver, professional racecar driver, and engineer) had arrived that day and met us at the dinner stop in Windsor, Connecticut. We went over the things we did well, and the things we needed to work on.

STAGE 2: We got to the start hotel early to give us enough time to go through the Mustang and make sure she was good for the day. Our instructions were delivered exactly thirty minutes before our start time. We put in calculations for time lost for accelerating/ decelerating to the directed speeds or through turns. We also calculated stop intervals at stop signs to make perfectly timed stops. Olivia navigated Sabré through the day, with me in the back helping where I could. We arrived in Binghamton, New York, with 63 seconds off; still content with our score but eager to improve. We had fewer problems with the car, so we decided if it wasn’t broke, we weren’t going to fix it. However, Nick had bought a carburetor rebuild kit that day, just in case! This was also a very monumental day as we named our 1966 Mustang: Gracie.

STAGE 3: One of our most difficult days. It was my turn to navigate again for Mercedes. We got our instructions, got through the calibration run, and got to our starting time…10 minutes early! We had done our math wrong, but we wouldn’t find out until the end of the day that we were way off. Gracie was having a rough day and decided to take it out on us by stalling at just about every stop. By the end of the day, we were just as frustrated with our car as she was with us. We weren’t surprised when we received a score of 13 minutes. After dinner, we took Miss Gracie to the parking lot of our hotel and we showed her who was boss, removing the carburetor and soaking it in solvent. As the clock struck 1 am, we had the carburetor back on and Gracie roared to life. Our team lit up as soon as Gracie did, knowing we didn’t give up on our car, and she didn’t give up on us. We felt rewarded, empowered, and most of all, tired! We slept really well that night.

STAGE 4: Just when we thought we were in the clear, Gracie had different plans for our team. With Sabré driving and Olivia navigating, Gracie was running beautifully – no issues at all. We started seeing a lot of other rally cars on the side of the road as they were starting to go down. The Great Race is not an easy feat for any car, much less a classic, and by the fourth stage the punishment was starting to take its toll. Apparently, Miss Gracie wanted a little break, so about a mile past the first checkpoint of the day she just stopped. After about an hour of checking fuel lines, we realized that the fuel pump was the problem. The sweep team put Gracie on a trailer, and we loaded up in the truck, thankful for some air- conditioning on the way to our hotel in Perrysburg, Ohio. Mallory Henderson, the only member of our team with Great Race experience, had now arrived, making our team whole. After dinner, and with Nick’s guidance, Mallory and Sabré installed an electric fuel pump while I helped Olivia change all the spark plugs for good measure. Gracie fired right up at midnight, but again we did not get to sleep until around 1 am.

good about our times. Just as our car was being announced crossing over the finish line, Gracie died. We pushed her to a parking spot to let her cool during dinner. We went back to Gracie to evaluate the problem, but she cranked right up, so we determined she was just hot from the long day of rallying. Our score that day was 42 seconds, with our best leg being only a single second off. The exhaustion was hitting our whole team, and car, so we went to bed early that night.

STAGE 5: Redemption Day. We woke up still groggy from the night before. It was Mallory’s first day to drive and I was to be her navigator, with Olivia and Sabré in the back. Gracie was lurching a little bit in the morning, but we didn’t let her take control. By mid-day, Mallory had blown our minds with clarifying how to navigate while she was driving. We were all feeling more hopeful, and it seemed Gracie did too because she was running perfectly. As we were rolling over the finish line, we played the song “American Woman” through the car speakers over the background of our RPM Girls announcement. This became our theme song that we would play at each finish line. The nickname “RPM Girls” would stick –that’s what everyone knew us by, and we were proud of it. We got our best score so far, 47 seconds, and our second ace. We were so proud of ourselves and our car for all the hard work we had put in just to get to that point, while knowing we had four more days to go. We were hungrier than ever to make it to the finish line. Nick stayed in Illinois, and we knew that any problems from here on out we would face on our own.

STAGE 6: Onto Wisconsin! We had another full car with Sabré in the driver’s seat, me navigating, Mercedes as media, and Olivia riding in the back. Gracie was running great that day, with some surging here and there. We kept adjusting the fuel mixture, eventually finding her sweet spot. We had no major mechanical issues all day, and we were feeling

STAGE 7: That morning, we ran into the Hemmings guys and told them about the car dying as we crossed over the finish line the day before. They suggested we either put a new thermostat in or take ours out all together to keep our car cool. We checked to make sure that diagnosis would fix our issue, and instead found a bigger issue. We had fuel spewing from our carburetor due to stripped screws, which could ultimately start an engine fire. We had 40 minutes until start time, but we wouldn’t be going anywhere if we didn’t fix the problem at hand. The only solution was to tap slightly bigger holes for bigger screws. Sabré took the support car to the closest parts store to get the tools we needed. On her return we had one group fixing the car, while the others got the instructions ready in hopes of being able to compete that day. With only two minutes to departure, we double checked the screws for seepage, started the car up and left perfectly on time for our calibration run. I sat in the back with Mallory driving and Olivia navigating. Sabré would be leaving that afternoon to get back home for work, and Mercedes was media in another car. Luckily, the rest of the day was much more relaxing, and before we knew it we were in Duluth, Minnesota,. We kept checking the screws but they had stayed put, so we were hopeful that we wouldn’t have any more mechanical issues. We ended up getting our best score yet with 18 seconds, and every one of our legs were less than five seconds off! We felt unstoppable. That night we decided to put some Loctite on the screws to keep them in place, and to put our minds at ease.

STAGE 8: The second-to-last day. We knew this was a critical day for Gracie to keep moving as we could be eliminated if we didn’t make it to the dinner stop. Luckily, we experienced all of our car issues in the beginning and middle of the race, so we felt confident she would make it to the end. We started to Detroit Lakes and stopped for lunch at the Brainerd International Raceway. We received our score of 39 seconds at the finish line, no aces. We were disappointed; we’d already had two aces on the race, but we wanted more. We had one more day, and we were not going to waste this last chance.

STAGE 9: The last day of The Great Race. We were all eager to get on course and get to the finish line. I was up to navigate, and my nerves and excitement were increasing with each minute. As we started going through the course, we noticed mazes coming up. Mazes are where the instructions tell you to go in repetitive motions on the same streets, which results in paths being crossed by other rally cars. We had to pay attention and not second-guess ourselves when another car went a different way from where we are supposed to be going. We did just that, and we made it through each maze without any issues. Crossing over the finish line that day, with our theme song “American Woman” playing as the announcer said, “Welcome to Fargo, RPM Girls!” and seeing Nick waving to us with the biggest smile was one of my highlights of the trip. They announced the winners in each class and then the overall winner. We celebrated their victory, and then waited patiently for our scores. Not only had we gotten our best score of our entire race, 17 seconds, but we’d earned two aces that day! We were all beaming with joy and could not wipe the smiles off our faces. We were so proud of how our team had performed from day one, not letting anything stop us from doing what we knew needed to be done.

That night at the banquet, everyone involved in The Great Race gathered in the ballroom of the hotel. A video capturing the whole event was shown, and awards were announced. The RPM Foundation was in charge of the Scott Henderson X-Cup Scholarship, named after Mallory’s father who had gotten her hooked on The Great Race. Nick had Mallory go on the stage and announce the recipients. I was honored to have Mallory call my name and award it to me. I am still very grateful for that moment and the scholarship. Olivia was another scholarship recipient, and deservedly so! The rest of the night was bittersweet. As I stood there watching everyone celebrate, I was saddened thinking about the

fact that I was not going to see any of these people again for a long time. We had only met ten days before, but we had spent every second together forming a bond that is unexplainable. Being a part of the RPM Foundation X-Cup team is something that I will never forget. My teammates showed me how awesome it is to be a woman in the car world. It was not an easy ride, and we had people doubt us along the way, but we proved ourselves and did what women do best: NEVER GIVE UP!

GARY YAMAMOTO ACM Executive Director

I’m passionate about building and leading great teams. I have over 30 years of experience helping private, nonprofit, and public sector organizations successfully manage high growth opportunities.

Prior to joining LeMay – America’s Car Museum and the Trust, I was Chief Operating Officer for the Wing Luke Museum. The museum is the only pan-Asian museum in the nation. The opportunity to lead America’s Car Museum combined with my love of cars provided the perfect next step in my career. I’ve also helped organizations like The Seattle Times launch and operate a new product development subsidiary, direct operations for a multi-state fitness chain, and led all marketing efforts for the northwest division of Nordstrom. As an aside, I’m an avid Bruce Lee fan who helped launch the first official Bruce Lee exhibit in the United States.

I live in Renton, Washington, with my partner Karen and have a daughter named Rachel, who is a graduate of Gonzaga University. I got my love for cars from my father, Craig, who was a future car designer for Ford back in the late sixties and early seventies. I am a graduate of the University of Washington, and a recipient of Dale Carnegie’s Highest Award for Achievement. I’ve also coached Liberty High School’s Boys Soccer team, transforming a last place team into the Washington State Boys AA Soccer Champion in two years. I was voted the AA Boys Soccer Coach of the Year. I am a direct Samurai descendant and in my spare time I enjoy playing soccer and golf.

GABRIEL MOSSE AAT Director of Development

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and immigrated to Westchester County, New York, when I was just three years old. Growing up in a bilingual family with a constant need to travel, I developed a love for exploring new places, new cultures – and for meeting new people. My love of cars began at a young age as well, collecting models of vintage and exotic sports cars my father would bring back from his many business trips.

I earned a B.A. from Emerson College in Boston, where I double majored in Marketing Communications and Literature. My continued need for exploration led me to a communications role at the Boston Museum of Science, where I first encountered the sense of joyful discovery one can only really find in a museum environment. It inspired me to pursue a career with museums and led me to pursue a master’s degree from Harvard University, focusing on museum studies.

I have worked in museum communications and development for more than 13 years now, in institutions large and small, urban and rural—and always having fun along the way! I have been blessed with the ability to combine my personal passion for cars with my professional appreciation for museums, and I’m very happy to be here at America’s Automotive Trust.

When people meet me as the “Director of Development,” they often ask, “what do you develop?” I tell them that I like to think I develop relationships, develop communities, and help to develop a greater sense of fun wherever I go. I’m so very happy to be doing that here now, with all of you.

J. PANDORA PAÚL AAT Curator of Exhibitry

Whether I was galloping on horseback playing hide-and-seek in the eucalyptus forests of Southern California, or careening up California’s Pacific Coast Highway 101 in my dad’s Red ’59 Convertible Corvette, I have always felt the need for speed. Throughout high school, I cruised beach streets in my bomber 1977 Malibu Classic station wagon, affectionately called “The Moose,” or buzzed around in my mother’s 1970 Opel GT. I had a great appreciation for the freedom the automobile afforded and the adventures to be had, traveling internationally throughout Mexico and Canada in my family’s GMC camper as we competed in international dog shows.

Sharing the excitement of cars through museum education, training and curation over the last ten years has been an epic journey. Be it discovering the delightful Jowett Jupiter or experiencing the rollicking Baja 1000 in a chase truck doing emergency repairs at midnight, I have loved the ride.

I am a curator of experiences, wonder, and awe. Seeking to instill a feeling of discovery and joy. I love showcasing vehicles not seen before or interpreting cars in unique ways – creating conversations between the vehicles and the viewers. Experiential moments last a lifetime.

Cars are more than personal transport. They are also works of art and color, cultural trendsetters, time capsules, technological wonders, and purveyors of hopes and dreams. They are Automotive Snapshots of Culture. All of this, I hope to bring to life with America’s Automotive Trust, LeMay – America’s Car Museum, and America On Wheels Museum.

TIM WILLARD ACM Collection Manager

I remember being a 4-year-old sitting on my father’s lap, steering the family's Pontiac Chieftain down a dirt road near our house in East Tacoma. I remember his joyous laugh – and my mother’s screams! I’ve been a car guy from the beginning. My first car was a 1969 Opel Kadett wagon with a high-performance, twin-carb 1100 cc engine. In high school, I worked at a local Alfa Romeo dealership, learning my craft on Italian marques such as Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini.

I moved on to pursue an interest in racing, working as a mechanic with some of the top teams competing in Formula Atlantic, Indy Lights, and IMSA GTP. Later, I worked with Pete Lovely and Butch Dennison as a mechanic and fabricator, restoring race cars and classic Ferraris, winning multiple Best in Class awards.

Eventually, I burned out by the tight schedules that came with producing Pebble Beachlevel cars year after year, and began working in dealerships writing service and selling cars. I met and became friends with Richard Griot and joined Griot's Garage in 2001, where I started working as their merchandise specialist, testing and developing car care products before being promoted to collection curator. My background as a mechanic, fabricator and restoration technician served me well as I managed Richard’s outstanding collection of cars. I recently left a job managing a car collection in the Seattle area to join LeMay – America's Car Museum in my home town of Tacoma, where I live with my wife Carla.

FUEL FOR THE FUTURE

By Gabriel Mosse

This 1936 Morgan MX2 Super Sports model, chassis number D1716, engine number MX2/665, was dispatched from the Morgan factory on December 30, 1936. The selling agent was Stanfield Staurance. Morgan V-Twin production peaked in 1935 because of the introduction of the new four-wheeled Morgan in 1936. Only 137 V-Twins were built in 1936, with about one-third being MX-2 Super Sports, powered with the overheadvalve, air-cooled engine.

An interesting aspect of the MX-2 engine is that it was produced by Matchless and also used in Matchless motorcycles along with the legendary Brough Superior SS100 motorcycles from about 1935. The main difference between the motorcycle version of the Matchless and the Morgan version are the cooling fins on the cylinder head; they are in line with the engine axis on the Morgan and at a right angle to the engine axis on the motorcycle.

At some time in the trike’s existence, this Morgan was modified for racing in the U.K. The chassis was widened 10 inches and lowered by approximately 3 inches.

— Nigel Matthews, concours judge and historian

ALSO IN 1936:

• The RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York.

• Alan Turing submits a paper to the London Mathematical Society which envisions his Turing machine, a predecessor to the modern computer.

• Jessie Owens and his fellow American athletes won 12 gold medals in track and field events at the Berlin Summer Olympics, challenging the propaganda of Nazi superiority.

• Playboy, entrepreneur, and racing driver Lance Reventlow is born. Writer and Nobel Prize laureate Rudyard Kipling dies.

• King George V dies, Edward VIII ascends to the throne only to adbicate in scandal. George VI, father of Princess Elizabeth, becomes King.

• First test flight of Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft.

Best of Both Worlds

Is it a car, a motorcycle, or a little bit of both? In any case, we at LeMay – America’s Car Museum are proud to accept this impeccably restored 1936 Morgan MX2 Super Sport, a gift from Brian and Randy Pollock, who know a thing or two about three-wheeled vehicles.

A long-time lover of three-wheeled Morgans, Brian came to own this fine specimen through a chance meeting in California while attending the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Pulling up in another three-wheeled Morgan, he and the previous owner of this MX2 found themselves exchanging appreciative glances of each other’s cars. Where it’s nice to meet a fellow autophile, meeting a collector of the same make and model is kismet! They exchanged information, and eventually in November of 2002 – with a few twists and turns along the way – Brian found himself the proud owner of this lovely Morgan.

Following a ten-year restoration with an overhauled engine, the Morgan was ready to drive, and what a unique drive it is! Per Brian, “It fires up really nicely and is really fun to drive…you don’t have to go fast to feel extreme speed.” He adds that Morgans like these are the closest he’s come to owning a motorcycle without actually owning one. When the Morgan was shown at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering in 2014, its air-cooled, 990cc Matchless engine fit right in amongst the motorcyclists and their rides.

Today this car/trike/vehicle is a welcome addition at ACM, thanks to Brian and Randy. They were motivated to donate the vehicle after reading articles like these in OpenRoad, and having appreciated the efforts being made to engage the community. “I’m passing my enthusiasm onto a larger group of people who might enjoy seeing [an] unusual car,” says Brian about the donation.

This desire to support the car community is the driving force behind America’s Automotive Trust and its entities, including America’s Car Museum and America On Wheels Museum. If you would like to contribute to the future of America’s automotive heritage, consider donating a vehicle to ACM or AOW. Donating a vehicle is easy, and a great way to maximize your support. You would only need to transfer the title of the vehicle over to the museum and fill out a “Deed of Gift” provided by our team. Then, deliver the vehicle.

If it’s added to the museum’s collection, you’ll be eligible for an income tax deduction equal to the fair-market value of the vehicle. If the value you claim on your taxes is $5000 or more, a licensed appraiser must determine the value. Even if the vehicle isn’t added to the collection, it may be sold, and its proceeds used to fund educational programming, exhibitory, community outreach and more. Either way, you and your vehicle will be champions of America’s automotive heritage.

With your support, you would also be recognized and honored as a member of Club Auto or the Concours Club, where you’ll enjoy exclusive activities and events with fellow auto enthusiasts like yourself. So, consider this the next time you decide to part with a vehicle: even if you’re not behind the wheel, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped to drive America’s auto culture for years to come.

Thank you again, Brian and Randy for your generous gift. And thanks to you, dear reader, for your continued support of the ACM community.

To learn more about the process for gifting a vehicle to us, contact Gabriel Mosse in the Development Department, or AAT’s Curator, Pandora Paúl at 253.779.8490.

Image: Heritage Auctions, HA,com

FIVE YEARS ON: The Significance of a Tesla in Space

On February 6th, 2018, Elon Musk’s SpaceX corporation tested its Falcon Heavy rocket system with a most unusual payload – Musk’s personal bright-red Tesla Roadster, complete with a Starman mannequin behind the wheel. A cheeky egomaniacal act, an absurdist art piece, or the shrewdest product placement in automotive marketing history? Five years and 203.3 million miles from earth on its elliptical solar orbit, the debate continues.

Certainly, there is a lot of symbolism to unpack. Or is there? Alice Gorman, Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies at Flinders University in Australia, took a high-minded approach to interpreting Starman and his Tesla, writing in The Conversation:

In the 1960s, anthropologist Victor Turner argued that symbols can encompass two contradictory meanings at the same time. Thus, the sports car in orbit symbolises both life and death. Through the body of the car, Musk is immortalised in the vacuum of space. The car is also an armour against dying, a talisman that quells a profound fear of mortality. The spacesuit is also about death. It’s the essence of the uncanny: the human simulacrum, something familiar that causes uneasiness, or even a sense of horror. The Starman was never alive, but now he’s haunting space. In a similar vein, the red sports car symbolises masculinity – power, wealth and speed – but also how fragile masculinity is. Stereotypically, the red sports car is the accessory of choice in the male mid-life crisis, which men use to rebel against perceived domestication.

The imagery of a floating car driven by a space-suited pilot has roots in pop culture. The title sequence of the 1981 animated sci-fi fantasy film Heavy Metal portrays an orbiting space shuttle’s bay doors opening to release a 1960 Corvette roadster with an astronaut at the wheel, which re-enters through Earth’s atmosphere to land in a desert canyon. Perhaps Musk’s motivation was nothing more than the actualization of a cool cinematic moment from his pre-teen memories?

As someone behind the scenes during the launch, Alexander Provost of Tacoma, Washington, is among the thousands of SpaceX employees whose name is inscribed upon a placard on the celestial Tesla. A car enthusiast who owns a 2016 Nissan GT-R and a 2012 Porsche Cayenne S, he left the aerospace contractor in 2020 but recalls the project vividly. He suggests that putting a car in space was more an act of happenstance than overt symbolism.

“Usually, they’ll use a big heavy slab of concrete as a payload, but someone suggested to Elon Musk that he use a Tesla, and the idea stuck. They got on the phone to whatever regulatory body approves those things, then modified the car and mounted it to a structure called a PAF (Payload Attached Fitting), which it was my job to inspect. Everything on the car was removed; it was essentially just a shell. No engine. No tires. They were just mock-ups.” The PAF was equipped with two cameras pointing at the Tesla, suggesting that the images of the car set against space was as important as the object itself.

Provost doesn’t consider Musk much of a true car enthusiast. “I wouldn’t send my car to space, although clearly he could get another one. I don’t think he’s a car purist like myself and my friends. Things like the Tesla Cybertruck, in my opinion, are more of a way to troll the car community (than appeal to them).” (continued on next page)

Another former SpaceX employee and car fanatic is Ryan Alford of Van Horn, Texas, who worked on the 1st stage rocket for Falcon Heavy. While still in aerospace, he runs a metal fabricating side business called Ryan’s Sheetmetal Designs, lending his creativity to many custom car and truck projects, including a 1964 Cadillac Sedan DeVille he is customizing for an upcoming SEMA show.

“When I heard that we were going to send up a car, I thought, ‘Oh, okay, seems kind of odd, but I’m glad we’re not sending up a classic.’ Most everyone thought it was a funny thing to do. It was really unique. Elon’s mind is a totally different place, so if there was something more (symbolic) to it, we didn’t know it. I think it was a matter of saying, ‘Well, we have to send something up, why not this?’”

As a technician, Alford’s thoughts towards Starman’s Roadster skew practical, not philosophical. “A lot of us talked about how the radiation would destroy the car before it got real far. I’m interested to know how far it will go. The radiation breaks up the paints, plastics, leathers, composites – until there is nothing left but particles.”

It seems the profound symbolic message – if there ever was any – of Musk’s juxtaposition of a terrestrial consumer product against the heavens was lost on his workforce. But did the pure silliness of the act feed the outsider, rewrite-the-rules type of corporate culture that ultimately made the whole thing possible? Was it all just one big inside joke?

“I think the launch of the Roadster made it fun to be at both SpaceX and Tesla. That had to get them pretty excited that we were sending up one of their cars. SpaceX was a very fun place to work,” said Alford. “You worked a lot, but you enjoyed it. There was pride, a sense of ownership and purpose, and always getting ready for the next big thing, the next milestone.”

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

As a member of Club Auto, you will enjoy the opportunity to be a part of exclusive driving tours to special destinations, regular invitations to Club Auto social events where you will experience the comradery with fellow members, plus the ability to store your classic vehicles on site in LeMay – America's Car Museum's secure and temperature controlled facility.

BECOME A CLUB AUTO MEMBER TODAY!

For more information visit americascarmuseum.org

Together, We Drive Forward.

America’s Automotive Trust was founded in 2016 with the vision of bringing together like-minded organizations through collaboration and shared resources to perpetuate car culture. Today, we are proud to work with LeMay – America’s Car Museum, RPM Foundation, Club Auto and our affiliate institutions of The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage and the Gilmore Car Museum to foster a strong community where all enthusiasts can thrive – from the classroom, to careers, to the open road – and to secure our automotive heritage.

SUPPORT OF:

OPENROAD

Providers

Alaska Airlines, Inc.

Avantia

BMW Northwest, Inc./Northwest MINI

Circuit of the Northwest

Columbia Bank

Detroit Auto Dealers Association

El Gaucho

Ferrari of Seattle

Fresh Northwest Design

Gateway Capital, LLC

Group 2 Automotive

Jackson Marketing

JAM GD

Karl Noakes Photography

Preferred Providers

Nurge Media

Pacific Portfolio Consulting LLC

Prometheus Fuels Road Apparel

Summit Racing Equipment

TriArc Electric Supply, LTD

Thank you to all our current sponsors!