The Henry Ford museum

[Travis Butler]

About the Ford Museum, they had one of my company's very early 3D printers on display for quite a while. It was one of the first 3D printers, and I spent lots of time in Dearborn back then working with their engineers. Ultimately 3D printing was able to significantly speed up automotive design by quickly making prototypes and tools and fixtures. That 3D printer is still at the museum, but it is off in a warehouse and not on display.

Huh... very cool! I really hope they do put it back on display; it is an important part of history.

Glad to see another person who's been to the museum... for those who have been there, how is this thread matching your memories?

 

[Travis Butler]

Part VI: Seriously, it took you this long to start talking about cars?

Yes, it is what Henry Ford is most known for...


20250527-SDIM6296 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Part of it is that a large part of the collection was very familiar to me, so I skimmed through it. (Which is probably why I missed the Tucker Torpedo.) Even 1960s models older than me, like the Corvair above, I could see fairly often when doing my newspaper delivery route as a young teenager; heck, even the 1950s model in the background wasn't unknown.


20250527-SDIM6299 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
Ersatz!

The Dodge Omni was notable to me mostly as a bad memory; a fairly obvious knockoff of the VW Rabbit, and as it later developed, a pretty bad knockoff.


20250527-SDIM6297 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And land whales like this were in their last throes of extinction.


20250527-SDIM6295 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The Mustang, everyone knew, and I also saw them fairly often growing up.


20250527-SDIM6303 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And I was never that interested in the very early automobiles.

 

[Travis Butler]

They did have some cars that interested me, though...


20250527-SDIM6277 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This is about the era where I did start getting interested in older autos.


20250527-SDIM6187 by Travis Butler, on Flickr


20250527-SDIM6190 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And this era, I absolutely love. (...was that the Tucker in the background? Augh!)


20250527-SDIM6194 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This Cord was notable for being owned by Amelia Earhart, something of a local connection as her hometown is about an hour's drive from me. According to a staffer there, I got lucky, as this was the last day it was on display before being swapped out for something else.


20250527-SDIM6196 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And now for something completely different... the Goldenrod set the land speed record for wheel-driven cars (as opposed to jet cars like Spirit of America or Art Arfons' Green Monster), which stood for more than 25 years.


20250527-SDIM6185 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And something else completely different: The Warrior, a concept car designed for cheap, reliable transportation in developing nations. The chassis and drivetrain were from the Renault 10; the body was a plastic composite designed to cross occasional waterways in rough backcountry.

Which leads in to the next bit...

 

[Travis Butler]

Part VIa: Experiments in Power


20250527-SDIM6279 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The Chrysler Turbine always struck me as So Cool when I first read about it. Instead of the complicated machinery of a piston engine, the turbine was like a jet engine - conceptually simple, compact and smooth, capable of burning just about any fuel, from gasoline to peanut oil.


20250527-SDIM6293 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
The styling leaned into the futuristic vibe.

Sadly, while conceptually simple, the turbine took a lot of expertise to produce, with high-quality alloys required for things like the turbine blades. Worse, power was somewhat lacking and fuel economy was poor. Chrysler ended the program in 1979.

Another technological dead end (well, mostly) was the Wankel Engine.


20250527-SDIM6285 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

While not quite as conceptually simple as the turbine, Wankel (a.k.a. Rotary) Engines had fewer moving parts than a piston engine, and also promised compact power with smooth operation. They first appeared in cars in the mid-60s, and looked like a coming thing with several models released in the next decade. Unfortunately, they didn't work out (famously, the AMC Pacer was originally designed for a rotary engine); engine seals were an ongoing problem, and emissions/fuel economy never got up to spec. Mazda delightfully used them to power its RX line of sports cars, until emissions standards finally ended production in 2012.


20250527-SDIM6280 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

GM's EV1 was another famous flop, introduced in 1996 and discontinued in 1999, with barely 1000 cars produced.


20250527-SDIM6282 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The ending is happier, though, as the EV1 pioneered the electric models we're seeing on the roads today.


20250527-SDIM6265 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

We'll end the auto tour with a couple of classic models. (Keep an eye on the Holiday Inn sign...)

 

[Travis Butler]

Sidebar: Exploding Model T


20250527-SDIM5919 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Couldn't really decide where to put this one. It's a car, but was in the section on industrial production...


20250527-SDIM5923 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Oh, well. It's cool wherever it's placed.


20250527-SDIM5922 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

 

[CharlesH]

Exploding Model T

The Model T looks like a really good display, and a good photo.

 

[RuleOfThirds]

Such nice pictures Travis. Really enjoyed them. I saw some fisheyes, but which other lenses did you use?
If all goes as planned, I will travel with my son to Italy this Friday for a two week road trip. And on the 3rd stint we have planned a visit to the Ferrari Museum In Modena and Maranello.

 

[Travis Butler]

Such nice pictures Travis. Really enjoyed them. I saw some fisheyes, but which other lenses did you use?

Whoops, sorry!

Aside from the fisheye, I used the OM Zuiko 24/2.8 and the Minolta MD 35-70/3.5 Macro. The OM was easier to frame, but I started noticing problems with flaring partway through; I switched over when I was in the aviation section (between pics 6127 and 6131 if you look at the Flickr album; the lens used is also tagged on Flickr).

Henry Ford Museum

Explore this photo album by Travis Butler on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

There should be three or four more posts coming: car travel, history, civil rights, and a general review.

If all goes as planned, I will travel with my son to Italy this Friday for a two week road trip. And on the 3rd stint we have planned a visit to the Ferrari Museum In Modena and Maranello.

Sweet! Good luck and have fun.

 

[Travis Butler]

Part VII: On the Road Again

When I was a kid, dad had to travel a lot for work, and our family often went with him. Road trip!


20250527-SDIM6267 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

We got pretty familiar with the motel (motor hotel) style rooms at the rightmost end; doors opening to a walk along the outside, large glass windows, two beds for the parents and kids. The cinderblock walls weren't universal, but still fairly common.


20250527-SDIM6271 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Camping was also an option. We had something in between these three choices - a 'pop-up' camper that traveled as a flat-top trailer that was then raised like a tent to provide living room.


20250527-SDIM6275 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Camper-buses like the VW were cool, but I shudder to think what it would have been like for a four-person family to try and use one.

So if you're on the road... where are you going to eat?


20250527-SDIM6306 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

While diners were common at the start of the American road-trip experience...


20250527-SDIM6305 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

They were overtaken by the fast-food chains. White Castle was arguably the first, but the golden arches of McDonalds soon dominated the roadways. Neon became the language of the highway. (If you've ever seen the Pixar movie Cars, the scenes in Radiator Springs brought back a lot of memories of our family's road trip days.)

 

[Travis Butler]

Sidebar: Presidential Rides

Another one I'm not sure where to put; since the exhibit's right next to McDonalds, I'll put it here.


20250527-SDIM6318 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

In 1963, JFK was riding through the streets of Dallas when shots rang out, killing him.


20250527-SDIM6321 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This is the car he was riding in.


20250527-SDIM6322 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

It seems kind of stylized to my modern eyes, particularly when compared to its successor in the Reagan years:


20250527-SDIM6324 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

But both of them look apart from most anything else on the roads. The current presidential limo is built even heavier, but isn't as long and doesn't fill the road in the same way.

 

[RuleOfThirds]

Sidebar: Presidential Rides

Another one I'm not sure where to put; since the exhibit's right next to McDonalds, I'll put it here.

View attachment 13283
20250527-SDIM6318 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

In 1963, JFK was riding through the streets of Dallas when shots rang out, killing him.

View attachment 13284
20250527-SDIM6321 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This is the car he was riding in.

View attachment 13285
20250527-SDIM6322 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

It seems kind of stylized to my modern eyes, particularly when compared to its successor in the Reagan years:

View attachment 13286
20250527-SDIM6324 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

But both of them look apart from most anything else on the roads. The current presidential limo is built even heavier, but isn't as long and doesn't fill the road in the same way.

But why does the jfk car looks different from the photograph behind the car? The grill and lights are at least.

 

[Travis Butler]

But why does the jfk car looks different from the photograph behind the car? The grill and lights are at least.

According to:

Presidential state car (United States) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The JFK car was extensively retooled after the assassination; that's probably when they made the changes.

Or if you're thinking of the leftmost photo in the second picture, that was this car's predecessor:

1950 Lincoln Presidential Limousine Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower - The Henry Ford

This massive convertible Lincoln was built for President Harry S Truman in 1950, but it is most associated with Truman's successor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who used the car from 1952 until 1960. Eisenhower added the distinctive plastic "bubble top." Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...

www.thehenryford.org

 

[Pete_W]

Part VII: On the Road Again

When I was a kid, dad had to travel a lot for work, and our family often went with him. Road trip!

We got pretty familiar with the motel (motor hotel) style rooms at the rightmost end; doors opening to a walk along the outside, large glass windows, two beds for the parents and kids. The cinderblock walls weren't universal, but still fairly common.

Camping was also an option. We had something in between these three choices - a 'pop-up' camper that traveled as a flat-top trailer that was then raised like a tent to provide living room.

20250527-SDIM6275 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Camper-buses like the VW were cool, but I shudder to think what it would have been like for a four-person family to try and use one.

So if you're on the road... where are you going to eat?

While diners were common at the start of the American road-trip experience...

They were overtaken by the fast-food chains. White Castle was arguably the first, but the golden arches of McDonalds soon dominated the roadways. Neon became the language of the highway. (If you've ever seen the Pixar movie Cars, the scenes in Radiator Springs brought back a lot of memories of our family's road trip days.)

Many thing I really liked in this set of photos - the split-window VW camper, old-style motels, old neon signs. Great stuff!

 

[Travis Butler]

Part VIII: Your Eye on History


20250527-SDIM6060 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

I've seen several of those 'People who were born in [this date range] grew up with [this set of cultural artifacts]'; I think the one at the Henry Ford is one of the better ones.

I was starting to feel some time pressure at this point, so I just skimmed most of the eras; a couple did catch my attention, though.


20250527-SDIM6048 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This was the era just before I started linking in to the world at large...


20250527-SDIM6049 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And these were some of the electronic games I grew up with.


20250527-SDIM6053 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This I just thought was kinda cool. (I've always had a soft spot for that era of industrial design.)

Mostly, I paid attention to the larger historical displays and dioramas:


20250527-SDIM6062 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Early movie culture...


20250527-SDIM6056 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The War of the Worlds broadcast was a major cultural event, but their display seemed kind of underwhelming.


20250527-SDIM6054 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Home front in WWII.


20250527-SDIM6057 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Duck and Cover on the right, if you zoom in. On the left... well, it's interesting.


20250527-SDIM6051 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

At first glance, it reminded me of Disney's Carousel of Progress, a scene out of the late 19th or early 20th century... but a closer look is more interesting. "Back to the Land" is a purported representation of a hippie commune from the early 1970s - geodesic dome enclosing a hodgepodge of counterculture symbols. The linked article suggests it's a phony sanitized display, a theme park version of the true history, and it's hard to argue - but I'd answer that it's better to give people some exposure to the ideas, however bowdlerized, if they've never seen or heard of the history.


20250527-SDIM6050 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Meanwhile, this was a little before my time... but only a little, the computer being a bit earlier than the one I had. The biggest difference for me is the musical taste; I grew up on my parents' collection of 60s music - like Peter, Paul and Mary or Simon & Garfunkel.

 

[RuleOfThirds]

Or if you're thinking of the leftmost photo in the second picture, that was this car's predecessor:

I was referring to the 3rd picture, where you can see the car and JFK standing in the car waving. The front in the picture has double headlights an extra set of reds below. I like that original layout more... the white and red light together as it is in the current museum car is not.... my thing

 

[Travis Butler]

Part IX: ...And Justice for All

Honestly, I didn't take a lot of pics in this area. Most of it was signs and images, and one of the major artifacts - the chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated - creeps me, even compared to the JFK limousine.

This one was beautiful, though:


20250527-SDIM6326 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And then there's this...


20250527-SDIM6328 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

"Nah."


20250527-SDIM6332 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Rosa Parks had been involved in the civil rights movement for many years before she famously refused to give up her seat on this Montgomery bus. But it was that one act that made her a part of history, sparking the bus boycott that changed the face of segregation in the United States.


20240620-SDIM1436 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
(She's just one of two people to have statues in the United States Capitol that were not sponsored by a state.)


20250527-SDIM6336 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

What did it feel like, to take a stand like that?


20250527-SDIM6343 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Today, she is remembered. (Something I wasn't aware of, she moved to Detroit several years after the famous bus boycott.)


20250527-SDIM6351 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The Henry Ford put some effort into making sure the bus (and yes, it is the actual bus she sat in, as verified by serial number) visible from outside the exhibit area. Good for them.

As I said in an earlier post, this area has some complex overtones. Henry Ford was a strong anti-semite. He famously paid his workers well and shortened the work week. He was also strongly anti-union; and wanted a paternalistic say in how his workers lived, judging by his actions in Fordlandia. And he greatly respected Abraham Lincoln - the chair I mentioned above was part of his personal collection. In the 1920s, Ford treated Black workers well, before unionization disputes in the 1930s put them in opposition. So when I look at this exhibit, I have to wonder how much of it reflects Ford's views?

 

[CharlesH]

And then there's this...

It is extremely hard to do what Rosa Parks did, impossible for most people, to protest as an individual. She deserves our greatest respect.