Driven to Win:
Racing in America
Daily Activities at Driven to Win: Racing in America
While there are no scheduled activities today, be sure to see our complete activities listing for upcoming offerings.
Opening June 2020
From soapbox derbies to open-wheel, stock car and drag racing, Driven to Win: Racing in America guides visitors through the worlds of those who invented their way into the winner’s circle … and often changed the world in the process.
Hear the roar of the engines. Touch the hard-won scrapes and dents. Smell the rubber burned into the drag strip. In this new permanent exhibition, you’ll be transported to the winner’s circle through interactive displays that include historic race cars, a multisensory theater, a pit crew challenge, racing simulators, kids’ gravity racers and more.
You’ll follow the twists and turns of American racing history, from Henry Ford’s 1901 “Sweepstakes” car, all the way to the Le Mans-winning 2016 Ford GT. And you’ll see how very passionate people engineered world-changing innovations and/or feats through the likes of racing icons such as A.J. Foyt, Lyn St. James, Dan Gurney and Bobby Unser. Dynamic racing personalities are also showcased, ranging from Henry Ford’s 999 driver Barney Oldfield in the early 1900s to modern-day gymkhana sensation Ken Block.
Regardless of what your interest might be, the progression from competitive passion to innovation to winning is the same. The sport of auto racing is especially good at bringing this sequence to vibrant life, as illustrated throughout this new permanent exhibit that will immerse your senses in the images, lighting, speed and sounds of auto racing. Immediately, you will feel its emotion and high energy.
Your Experience Includes:
| 28* VEHICLE EXHIBITS |
24 INTERACTIVES |
22* RACE CARS |
|---|---|---|
| 225 ARTIFACTS |
6 DRIVER SIMULATORS |
24,000 SQUARE FEET |
 |
1 MULTISENSORY THEATER |
|
Highlights
1965 Goldenrod Land Speed Race Car
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1965
Summary
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.
Place of Creation
Object ID
2002.103.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1965 Goldenrod Land Speed Race Car
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1958 Moore/Unser Pikes Peak Hill Climb Racing Car. On Loan from Bobby and Lisa Unser.
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1958
Summary
How do you win the Pikes Peak Hill Climb nine times in 13 years? (1) Drive well. (2) Continually improve your car. Bobby Unser had already won the event twice when he wheeled this car to victory in 1959. Over the following years, he made the car lighter by modifying the frame and suspension and switching to an aluminum radiator, transmission case, and fuel tank. Unser drove it to six more wins.
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
IL.221.1
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1958 Moore/Unser Pikes Peak Hill Climb Racing Car. On Loan from Bobby and Lisa Unser.
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1965
Summary
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.
Keywords
United States, Indiana, Indianapolis
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.)
Object ID
77.21.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
2016 Le Mans Class-winning Ford GT Race Car, On Loan from Ford Motor Company
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
2016
Summary
Drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Joey Hand, and Dirk Muller won their class at Le Mans with this Ford GT in 2016 -- fifty years after Ford Motor Company's first victory in the French endurance race. The GT's carbon-fiber body, direct fuel injection V-6 engine, and flying buttress features were all state-of-the-art, but the car's look recalled the original GT40 of the 1960s.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
IL.274.1
On Exhibit
On Loan - Petersen Automotive Museum (Los Angeles, CA)
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
2016 Le Mans Class-winning Ford GT Race Car, On Loan from Ford Motor Company
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1956 Chrysler 300-B Stock Car
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1956
Summary
Mercury Marine founder Carl Kiekhaefer formed his NASCAR team with top drivers, first-class equipment, and fast cars like this powerful Chrysler 300-B. Kiekhaefer taught rivals a lesson, dominating the 1955 and 1956 seasons. But he learned something too: success breeds contempt. When fans began to resent Kiekhaefer's dominance, he disbanded the team in 1957.
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
2003.13.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Related Objects
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1956 Chrysler 300-B Stock Car
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1933 Willys Drag Racer
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1958
Summary
When machinist George Montgomery started racing in 1953, all drag racers were amateurs with "real jobs" supporting their hobby. This car helped change all that. Montgomery bought an old Willys in 1958 and built a dragster so successful that promoters started paying him to run at drag strips nationwide. In 1966, Montgomery became one of drag racing's first full-time professional drivers.
Keywords
Object ID
2003.20.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1933 Willys Drag Racer
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
1906 Locomobile "Old 16" Race Car
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1906
Summary
In 1908, George Robertson drove this car to victory in the Vanderbilt Cup, America's first great automobile race. It was the first time an American car won a major international road race in the United States. The Locomobile competed while wearing race number 16, and it's been known as "Old 16" ever since.
Place of Creation
Keywords
United States, New York, Long Island
Riker, Andrew L. (Lawrence), 1868-1930
Robertson, George H., 1884-1955
Object ID
97.9.1.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1906 Locomobile "Old 16" Race Car
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
