1951 Beatty Belly Tank Lakester Land Speed Race Car

As automobile racing speeds increased, repurposed dirt horse tracks became inadequate. In the 1910s promoters turned to wooden boards, which provided a smooth road surface and were less expensive than bricks or concrete. But rotting wood required frequent replacement. Improvements in concrete and asphalt made board tracks obsolete in the 1930s. The 1.25-mile board track at Altoona, Pennsylvania, operated from 1923-1931.

Biomimicry involves innovation inspired by nature--imitating biological designs or processes in human endeavors. In this expert set, our curators select artifacts from our collections that were inspired by the natural world.

Scotsman Jim Clark won the Indianapolis 500 with this rear-engine car in 1965. After his victory, a traditional front-engine car never won that race again. The Lotus-Ford combined a European Formula One-inspired lightweight chassis with a big Ford V-8 engine. The Lotus-Ford's success effectively killed the traditional Indy roadster and established a new design for American race cars.

Go behind the scenes to Michigan's Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, which this year featured two of our vehicles: Tom Beatty’s 1951 Belly Tank Lakester and our 1928 Cleveland 4-61 motorcycle.