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.
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 and more. You'll follow the twists and turns of American racing history, and you'll see how passionate people engineered world-changing innovations through the likes of racing icons such as A.J. Foyt, Lyn St. James, Dan Gurney and Bobby Unser. Learn about the racing world’s most dynamic personalities, ranging from Barney Oldfield, driver of Henry Ford's "999" 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. And the sport of auto racing is especially good at bringing this sequence to life, as vibrantly illustrated throughout the exhibition. Feel the energy and emotion as you immerse yourself in the stories, images, thrills and sounds of auto racing.
Your Experience Includes:
| 50+ RACING PERSONALITIES |
24 INTERACTIVES |
22* RACE CARS |
|---|---|---|
| 225 ARTIFACTS |
6** DRIVER SIMULATORS |
24,000 SQUARE FEET |
| 15 MINUTE FILM EXPERIENCE |
1 MULTISENSORY THEATER |
125 YEARS OF RACING |
**Additional fee required.
Exhibit Zones
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Dawn of RacingThis exhibit area immerses you in an exploration of the early days of racing, using period settings, images and authentic artifacts. It features two of America's most significant early race cars — Henry Ford's "Sweepstakes" and the Locomobile "Old 16." |
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Igniting the PassionThe things we do when we're young often inspire a lifelong passion, and this exhibit area showcases many stories from people who've had gasoline in their veins since they were kids. There are countless ways to become enchanted with competition – including soap box derbies, spindizzies, slot cars, Lego kits, video games and Quarter Midget racing. |
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In the Winner's CircleThe Winner's Circle sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. puts five remarkable race cars on an honorary pedestal, showcasing cutting-edge hardware. These cars, their drivers and teams achieved record-setting victories and introduced innovations that fundamentally changed auto racing. It's a celebration of success. |
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Sports Car Performance CenterThe processes of research, design and optimization are all on display in the Sports Car Performance Center presented by Multimatic with support from Ford Motor Company and Brembo. You'll see a full-size clay model of a Ford GT and compare the similarities of race cars with consumer cars thanks to a one-of-a-kind Ford GT that’s half of each. You’ll also see the car that took the 2016 Le Mans title and learn how race team engineers monitored the car’s telemetry data in real time during the race. |
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Motorsports Performance TrainingRace car drivers are athletes, and rigorous fitness routines are a crucial part of any driver's training. This section of Driven to Win uniquely illustrates the physical and mental exercises drivers use to prepare for race day. Test your motor skills and ability to make the split-second decisions that are often the difference between winning and losing. |
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ShowmanshipIn racing, a skilled driver means everything, but if the driver is also blessed with charisma and an ability to attract attention, the fruits of promotion are close at hand. Two exceptional examples are featured here — one from the early days and one current — along with their cars. |
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Fueled by PassionImmerse yourself in a 180-degree multisensory theater experience that ignites the drive we all have to power our passions. This 15-minute film shares the stories of five people who have empowered themselves to push their personal limits. View the trailer here. |
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In the Driver's Seat presented by Brembo**Buckle up for high-octane racing with six interlinked, full-motion simulators that feature the latest technologies – just like the modern pros use for training. This 15-minute experience offers you the chance to drive the world's fastest cars on the most challenging tracks.**Additional fee required. |
Types of Racing Within Driven to Win
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Land Speed RacingIn this area of Driven to Win, you'll experience the sights and sounds and feel a surface that simulates Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. Vehicles in this area were record-setters and laser-focused on answering the question, How fast can it go? |
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Hill Climb RacingBobby Unser is probably the best-known racer to conquer Pikes Peak. He won a record 10 times, which earned him the title "King of the Mountain." In this area, you'll learn about the driver, his car and the course. |
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Indy Car RacingIn this area, contributed by Team Penske, we exhibit three notable race cars — including crashed remnants from the 1972 race — and showcase lessons in speed and safety. Don't forget to check out an authentic Indy brick. |
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Sports Car RacingHigh-performance sports cars originally raced on public roads, but now the competition is on purpose-built tracks with hills, turns and straightaways. Here we explore the strategy and endurance behind a European style of racing where American cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford GT have excelled. |
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Stock Car RacingThis area of Driven to Win features race-winning cars and highlights from the pit crew, plus your own opportunity to change the tires and work the gas can. This form of racing is a spectacle of roaring engines, ultra-close racing and long-standing rivalries. |
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Drag RacingDrag racing looks fairly simple, but in the top professional levels, the cars are ultra-sophisticated and have incredibly awesome capabilities. The cars and interactive experiences in this area showcase a sport that isflat-out fast. |
Experience Partners:
Innovation Learning Partner:
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.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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, driver George Robertson and mechanician Glenn Ethridge took this car to victory in the Vanderbilt Cup, America's first great automobile race. It was the first time an American-built 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.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
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.
2012 Ford Fiesta Rally Car, Driven by Ken Block in "Gymkhana Five"
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
2012
Summary
Rally driver Ken Block redefined motorsport with his wildly popular Gymkhana films. Each of the ten videos featured Block performing elaborate tire-shredding stunts in exciting locations, and together they racked up hundreds of millions of views online. Block drove this modified Ford Fiesta in Gymkhana Five: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco, released in 2012.
Keywords
United States, California, San Francisco
Object ID
2019.122.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
Related Objects
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
2012 Ford Fiesta Rally Car, Driven by Ken Block in "Gymkhana Five"
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.
1901 Ford "Sweepstakes" Race Car
Artifact
Racing car
Date Made
1901
Summary
This is Henry Ford's first race car. After his first auto company failed, Ford turned to racing to restore his reputation. He raced "Sweepstakes" against Alexander Winton on October 10, 1901, and, to everyone's surprise, the novice Ford beat the established Winton. The victory and resulting publicity encouraged financiers to back Ford's second firm.
Place of Creation
Object ID
00.136.123
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driven to Win: Racing in America
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
1901 Ford "Sweepstakes" 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.
