Located behind the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum in Auburn Indiana is the National Auto & Truck Museum. It is in what was part of the manufacturing plant, where cars were prepared for shipping or delivery to the buyer. The rest of the manufacturing buildings were torn down. It is a unique collection of mostly cars and trucks made in the United States. Some rare, some one of a kind, some are just average production.
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| A Kaiser Daren, the first fiberglass body sports care, it's party trick is the doors slide forward into the fenders. There were only a few hundred ever built. |
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| Hundreds of thousands of Chevettes were built, the unique feature here is this one was diesel powered. I drove a couple of these back when they were new, they were terrible cars. |
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| Great Uncle Dick worked for US Rubber aka Uniroyal. |
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| One of a handful of Future Liners ever built. |
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| I don't know where I would park it, but I love it. |
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| A Cadillac Allante, Cousin Bill had one of these. |
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| Big Ed. |
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| One of only a handful of DeLoreans what left the factory in a paint color. I truly wish that the car had not been featured in the movie "Back to the Future." It was a striking design and a milestone in independent auto manufacturing. Even if John did run out of cash and get caught trying to refinance the company with nose-candy. |
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| Such a cute little thing. I like tiny cars. |
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| A better looking Cyber Truck design. |
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| When I was growing up we had three large trucks on the farm, a green Chevrolet that rusted away by the time I was 10, followed by two big yellow International trucks. The last of those I drove a few times, a six speed transmission and a two speed rear axle - a scream to drive. |
Stick with your convertible. Somehow, I can't picture you driving a land yacht. Unless your prepared to drive it with a head scarf and very wide brim, and huge dark sunglasses.
ReplyDeleteMy little car is so much easier to park.
DeleteI am heaven looking at these brilliant photos. I love the Kaiser Daren and I've never heard of the brand. The little Chev is not nice. Uniroyal tyres used to be available here but I haven't heard of them for years. The headlights and front mudguards of Big Ed is reminiscent of my Humber Super Snipe. The cute little car is as you say, cute. In a Golden Books, I remember an electric car being driven, perhaps in the 1920s. On our farm we had still working but very decrepit International truck and some kind of bulldozer.
ReplyDeleteElectric cars were popular before electric starter, but the lead acid batteries really limited use.
DeleteI love tiny cars, too, but imagine getting in and out of that thing. I remember the Cadillac Allanté and the uproar because it was so ordinary looking.
ReplyDeleteI wore a Mazda Miata once, you don't get into it, you put it on.
DeleteSuch great old cars. I have seen film of the Daren and the doors sliding forward; very cool. And I'm with you on the little car and loving, and kinda missing, the big fins on a Caddy!
ReplyDeleteMy last Cadillac (my only one) had ducks in the badge. They should bring back fins and the the ducks.
DeleteI love the old insignias that cars used to have. So much design thought went into them. Here in England we looked in awe at film footage of those big American gas-guzzling cars of the 1950s and 60s. As with architecture and indeed Art as a whole, vehicle design tends to mirror the particular time in history from which it emerges.
ReplyDeleteCars and now SUVs seem to get bigger and bigger and bigger over time.
DeleteWhat a fun post. My favorite is the Kaiser. That's a great looking car.
ReplyDeletePre-dates the corvette by a couple of years, but NASH went bankrupt.
DeleteMy grandsons would love this museum. They are really into "vehicles" and draw them or make them out of Legos all of the time. There is a car museum in Volo, Illinois. I should take them there some day...
ReplyDeleteThere is a great train museum west of Chicago, we went out there once.
DeleteI saw a bright yellow 2014 Camaro parked on our street. As I was admiring it the owner came by. Engaging in conversation I suggested that he must like to go fast. He said he didn't because the cops would give him a ticket and besides the yellow color attracted them. But he DID say that that color really attracted the girls, too!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that about red cars - the fastest I have ever driven was in a red car - on the Autobahn - that is another story all together.
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