Mobility
Curated sets
Mobility
- 49 Artifacts
Americans are often described as a restless people on the move--crossing the vast continent, pursuing new opportunities, and reinventing themselves under new circumstances. They developed a range of transportation modes--carriages, locomotives, bicycles, automobiles, airplanes--to carry them forward. Here are some significant vehicles in The Henry Ford's collections.
Article
What If Bicycles Held the Secret to Human Flight?
Despite any formal training in physics or engineering, Wilbur and Orville Wright brought an utterly original and successful approach to the problem of human flight.
49 Videos
-600x600%2Fmario_andretti_thf_video_1064x798_1.png%3Fsfvrsn%3Dd8b590bd_1&w=3840&q=75)
video playlist
Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti personified the American dream. Born in war-torn Europe and immigrated to the United States, he fantasized about a life in racing. With hard work and unwavering focus, Andretti conquered everything from NASCAR to Formula One, and earned a place near the top of any list of racing's all-time greats.
Curated sets
Cars Inspired by Racing
- 28 Artifacts
Auto racing pushes drivers and cars to their limits, advances new technologies, and entertains loyal fans. It also sells cars. Manufacturers have applied racing-inspired names to brands and models for more than a century. Some of these cars had horsepower and speed worthy of their lofty labels, but others simply suggested a connection to a great racing track, series, or personality. For many buyers, that was enough.
Article
From Work to Play: Industrial Locomotives and Park Trains
Many of the locomotives that now shuttle tourists and pleasure seekers at theme parks and tourist destinations like Disneyland and Greenfield Village once hauled commodities like ore, coal, sugar cane and limestone.
Article
The Allegheny Locomotive
Key facts about the Allegheny Locomotive, an H-8 class train designed to pull heavy loads in the Allegheny Mountains in the mid-19th century.
Curated sets
Bicycles
- 25 Artifacts
In the 19th century, bicycles introduced Americans to the power of personal transportation. Early two-wheel vehicles set the pattern. High-wheelers carried riders faster and farther. Chain-driven safety bikes fueled a late-century bicycle boom. When that boom went bust, children kept riding until adults rediscovered biking's benefits in the late 20th century. This set features highlights from The Henry Ford's collection of bicycles.
01
Henry Ford
A visionary innovator who shaped America.
Article
What If Henry Ford Never Finished Building His First Automobile?
Lessons about the trials and triumphs of innovation from the days just before Ford finished building his Quadricycle.
-600x600%2F431-extractor-1024x708.png%3Fsfvrsn%3Dcaef991b_1&w=3840&q=75)
Article
Soybeans: Henry Ford’s Miracle Crop
Learn how finding industrial applications for soybeans became one of Henry Ford's big ideas at Ford Motor Company, in Greenfield Village, and showcased in world's fairs.
Curated sets
Henry Ford’s First Car
- 25 Artifacts
Henry Ford built his first automobile with friends while working as an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. For more than a century, the Quadricycle has symbolized the foundation and success of Ford Motor Company.
28 Videos
video playlist
Henry Ford
Retired curator of transportation at The Henry Ford, Bob Casey admits that he is fascinated with the way Ford approached life. "He was one of these people who didn't take a job because he knew how to do it," says Casey during this lengthy video interview. "He often took jobs because he didn't know how to do them, and they were opportunities to learn. It's a very gutsy way to learn."
Article
Ford’s Five-Dollar Day
On January 5, 1914, Ford Motor Company announced a groundbreaking decision to double its workers' wages to five dollars a day. Learn more about it here.
Article
Before the Model T: Henry Ford's Letter Cars
At this year's Old Car Festival, we'll celebrate Henry Ford's 150th birthday by bringing together examples of all of the pre-Model T Fords, known as the letter cars. Find out more about them on our blog.
Article
Camping with Henry Ford and the Vagabonds
In the early 20th century, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs, calling themselves "the Four Vagabonds," embarked on a series of summer camping trips.
Curated sets
Henry Ford: Model T
- 19 Artifacts
This Expert Set was compiled in 2013 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Henry Ford’s birth.
02
Driven to Win
The thrilling history and innovation behind American racing.
Article
1967 Ford Mark IV Sports Car Racing: An American Way of Doing Things
The Ford Mark IV was the first all-American car to win the Le Mans 24-hour race. Explore our digital artifacts and see the Mark IV in person at The Henry Ford.
Article
1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car
Learn how Ford Motor Company and Lotus teamed up throughout the 1960s to eventually win the 1965 Indianapolis 500.
Article
Wendell Scott: Breaking NASCAR’s Color Barrier
Wendell Scott overcame obstacles, including the insidious challenge of racism, to become the first African American driver to compete full-time in NASCAR’s top-level Cup Series. Learn his story on our blog.
57:58
video
Winning at Le Mans: Exploring Ford's Return to the Le Mans with the 2016 GT
As we continue to celebrate the opening of Driven to Win: Racing in America, presented by General Motors, join curator Matt Anderson for an exciting conversation honoring the 2016 Ford GT’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Winner’s Circle, 50 years to the date of Ford’s 1966 victory. Accompanying Matt will be three people who had a direct hand in its success, Ford Performance’s Mark Rushbrook, Multimatic Inc.’s Raj Nair and the driver who took it on its final lap across the finish line, Joey Hand. During this THF Conversation, the panel will explore what it took to return once again to victory and why the 2016 Ford GT has earned its own place in American auto racing history.
Curated sets
Race Cars of Driven to Win
- 23 Artifacts
American racing reflects the very character of the American people. Its diverse forms and settings appeal to our independent spirit. Its sights and sounds satisfy our love of spectacle. And its dangers affirm our identity as a nation of risk takers, forever pushing limits. The cars in Driven to Win: Racing in America Presented by General Motors were made and used by athletes, innovators and entrepreneurs who defined American motorsport.
82 Videos
video playlist
Wood Brothers
Formed in 1950, Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team in NASCAR. Its lightning-fast pit stops helped earn five wins at the Daytona 500 and made a lasting mark on stock car racing.
Article
Trained for the Track: Positioning Racing’s Athletes for Success
Jim Leo of PitFit Training provides advanced fitness training, both physical and neurocognitive, to race car drivers--and helped out with our racing exhibit, Driven to Win.
Curated sets
Women in Racing
- 18 Artifacts
Women have been involved in automobile racing from the start -- on the track, in the pits, and behind the scenes. From pioneering drivers like Vicki Wood and Janet Guthrie, to more contemporary competitors like Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick, women have made their mark on the sport from Detroit to Daytona, and from Indianapolis to Le Mans.
03
Artifacts
Significant vehicles in The Henry Ford's collections
Artifact
1896 Ford Quadricycle Runabout, First Car Built by Henry Ford
The Quadricycle was Henry Ford's first attempt to build a gasoline-powered automobile. It utilized commonly available materials: angle iron for the frame, a leather belt and chain drive for the transmission, and a buggy seat. Ford had to devise his own ignition system. He sold his Quadricycle for $200, then used the money to build his second car.
Artifact
1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor Airplane, "Floyd Bennett," Flown Over the South Pole by Richard E. Byrd
The Ford Tri-Motor was the most popular airliner of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Its rugged dependability led Richard Byrd to choose a Tri-Motor for his attempt to be the first person to fly over the South Pole. On November 28-29, 1929, Byrd and a crew of three achieved that goal in this plane.
Artifact
Pope Columbia Safety Bicycle, 1889
New "safety" bicycles, like this Pope Columbia, touched off a bicycle craze in the 1880s and 1890s. More stable with two same-sized wheels and less expensive than the high-wheeled "ordinaries," safety bicycles allowed many Americans to discover the sheer joy of riding.
Artifact
Allegheny Steam Locomotive, 1941
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's massive Allegheny, introduced in 1941, represents the peak of steam railroad technology. Among the largest and most powerful steam locomotives ever built, it weighed 1.2 million pounds with its tender and could generate 7,500 horsepower. Just 11 years later, C&O began pulling these giants from service. Diesel-electric locomotives proved more flexible and less expensive.
Artifact
1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible
Longer than a Duesenberg. Twice the horsepower of a Rolls-Royce. More costly than both put together. The Bugatti Royale was the ultimate automobile, making its owners feel like kings. Not only did it do everything on a grander scale than the world's other great luxury cars, it was also rare. Bugatti built only six Royales, whereas there were 481 Model J Duesenbergs and 1,767 Phantom II Rolls-Royces.
Artifact
1965 Ford Mustang Convertible, Serial Number One
It's an old auto industry cliche -- "you can't sell a young man an old man's car, but you can sell an old man a young man's car." It's also true. The sporty Mustang was a young man's -- and woman's -- car. The under-30 crowd loved it. But older people also bought them, often as a second car. The Mustang hit a sweet spot in the market, appealing to a wide range of buyers.
Artifact
1914 Ford Model T Touring Car, Given to John Burroughs by Henry Ford
This 1914 touring car is one of several Model T automobiles given to naturalist John Burroughs by his friend Henry Ford. Ford Motor Company experienced a milestone year in 1914. The automaker fully implemented the moving assembly line at its Highland Park plant, and it introduced the Five Dollar Day profit-sharing plan for its employees.
Artifact
1939 Douglas DC-3 Airplane
The Douglas DC-3, introduced in 1936, carried 21 passengers -- enough to fly profitably without relying on subsidies from air mail contracts. While the DC-3's economy appealed to airlines, its rugged construction and comfortable cabin attracted passengers. More than any other aircraft, the DC-3 ushered in the era of dependable, long-distance air travel in the United States.
Artifact
1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine Used by John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in this car on November 22, 1963. The midnight blue, un-armored convertible was rebuilt with a permanent roof, titanium armor plating, and more somber black paint. The limousine returned to the White House and remained in service until 1977. The modified car shows the fundamental ways in which presidential security changed after Kennedy's death.
Artifact
1965 Goldenrod Land Speed Race Car
On November 12, 1965, Goldenrod streaked across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats at 409.277 miles per hour, setting a new land speed record for wheel-driven cars. Builders Bob and Bill Summers powered Goldenrod with four massive Chrysler V-8 engines. Although other car builders copied its sleek design, Goldenrod held the record until 1991.
04
Videos
06
More to Explore
View Articles
Explore stories from the collections of The Henry Ford.
Explore Popular Research Topics
Get authoritative information on key topics related to our collections.