HomeCar CultureIndy 500 exhibit to honor 100th running

Indy 500 exhibit to honor 100th running

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Daytona Banking wall with open-wheel racers | World of Speed Museum Photo

The World of Speed Museum in Wilsonville, Oregon, celebrates the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 with its first major exhibit, which opens June 10 showcasing 33 Indy racing cars, including Mario Andretti’s 1981 STP car, Al Unser Sr.’s 1967 car and Al Unser Jr.’s 1984 car.

The exhibit will include memorabilia from some of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest drivers and car engineers, inclduing Art Pollard, Len Sutton, Rolla Volstedt and Parker Johnstone. Suits, helmets, shoes, gloves, models and photos will be featured, along with World of Speed’s complete collection of Indianapolis 500 race programs.

Rounding out the exhibit, the video wall will be transformed into a dynamic display featuring images of all past 500 winners.

On display through September 15, 2016, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum’s traveling exhibit, “The Women Workers of the Auburn Automobile Company,” will be home at the museum in Auburn, Indiana. The exhibit comprises photographs of women working in the Auburn factories and has been traveling around the community for the past 12 months in an effort that focuses on having some of the women in the photographs identified so their legacies could be preserved.

Running through October 15, the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, features an exhibit with vehicles of the Mods and Rockers, two conflicting British youth subcultures of the 1960s.  The exhibit examines the overall culture and choice of vehicles of these two groups.

Recently, the museum also received a trailer full of literature, films and ephemera, mostly about the world of racing. The collection, amassed by former publisher of Speed Age, Don O’Reilly, was donated to the museum.

The Simeone Automotive Museum in Philadelphia opens its 18-car tribute to Subaru on Saturday. The exhibit includes both road-going and competition cars and it runs through May 1. May 1 is Saturday. It’s only open for one day?

Running April 23 through September 11, the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento is a new exhibit, “The Pickup Truck: where utility meets the everyday.” The exhibit looks at the transition of the American pickup truck from a work vehicle to a personal vehicle with examples from the 1920s through modern day.

Car shows (with and without coffee):

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, holds its third annual Carroll Shelby Memorial Car Show on May 7.

The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, plans its annual C4 Gathering at the museum, May 12-14. The gathering features seminars, tours, and other actives that will be specific and appeal to models produced between 1984 and 1996. Online registration is available through the museums website.

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a car show May 21 to honor its founder. The show, “the Donald Gilmore Classic,” showcases cars from 1896-1942 and includes a driving tour May 20 and a swap meet May 21.

The California Automobile Museum plans a Memorial Day car show May 30 featuring Corvettes and other American muscle cars. The museum also hosts “Cruise Fest on Fulton Avenue” on September 10. The show is set to include live music, a beer garden and food trucks.

The British Motor Museum stages its “National Metro & Mini Show” on June 5. The show is set to include a “Car Gymkhana,” allowing participants to match a pre-set time around a track, other highlights include a concours, a non-concours with classes including Most Non-Functioning Accessories, Worst Interior, Biggest Area of Rust, Craziest Engine Bay, and more.

LeMay-America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, has announced its 2016 cruise-in dates. The cruise-ins are free and feature a DJ, food and the option to enter to win prizes and the people’s choice award. The dates are May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8 and October 13.

The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan plans Cars and Coffees on June 18, August 27 and October 15.

Racer memorabilia at World of Speed Museum

And it’s not just cars:

Early registration for the fifth annual Vintage Motorcycle Festival, the MEET, at the LeMay-America’s Car Museum, has opened. The festival is July 30, and early registration is $15 through July 15, after which it will be $20.

The National Corvette Museum hosts the Michelin NCM Bash on April 28-30. Attendees can get up close to the next model-year Corvette as well as hear from the engineers and designers of the car.

On June 18-19, the museum hosts a live feed of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the museum theater with live timing and scoring along with refreshments and hourly updates from the Corvette race team. Registration is $100.

The World of Speed Museum holds its 2016 Spark Gala on September 17. The event is an effort to raise funds for the museum’s educational programs.

Educational opportunities:

The final class in the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s 2016 Winter Education Series is set for April 30 at 1 p.m. at the museum, located in Owls Head, Maine. The discussion will focus on the Lafayette Escadrille, with historian, writer and museum professional, Mark Wilkins walking guests through the history of this group of pilots.

The Gilmore Car Museum holds the next class in its 2016 lecture series, “The Earliest and Oldest Automobiles Dealerships in Michigan” set for May 1.

The next speaker-series discussion at the Blackhawk Museum is scheduled May 7 with Allen Grant discussing the 1965 Shelby Team Driver.

On May 7 the California Automobile Museum offers guests the opportunity to learn to drive a Ford Model T. The following day, the museum hosts a Mother’s Day tea and talk on May 8.

The next class in a six-part series on the foundations of automotive photography at Simeone Museum is June 4, followed by July 30, September 17 and October 29.   The museum has announced it was awarded the AACA Plaque Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in the preservation of automotive history.

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Museum’s series of monthly “Sprint Car 101 forums” has scheduled the following events: “An Evening with Duane ‘Pancho’ Carter and Steve Stapp to benefit Racers at Rest,” hosted by Brian Gerster on May 5 at the American Legion Post in Speedway, Indiana. Remaining forums held at the museum in Knoxville, Iowa, on May 21, June 11 and July 16.

Model T Drivers’ Ed registration is open at the LeMay Marymount in Tacoma, Washington. The next class will be May 14, followed by June 4, July 9, August 13 and September 10.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum hosts a number of Children’s Activity Days through June and July. The museums “camp” runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and immerses campers, ages 10-12, in hands on activities, presentations, and interaction with the museums exhibits. The dates are Tuesdays June 7, June 14, and June 21 and Wednesdays July 13, July 20, and July 27.  The price is $50 per student per day.  This not only includes lunch but also includes something each day that campers will take home to share with family and friends.

The next Science Saturday at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, is “Exploring planet Earth” on May 14, followed by “Roving Marz” on June 11, “Journeying to the moon” on July 9, and “food in space” on August 13.

On tour:

The California Automobile Museum has several car-themed tours scheduled. The next trip is May 14-21 and goes to Cuba. Another museum tour goes to France from June 15-24 for the 24 hours of Le Mans, including a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ford’s victory and the 25th anniversary of Mazda’s victory in the race.

“Museum in Motion” tours by the National Corvette Museum have begun. The next tours include the Tail of the Dragon on May 1-4 and the Marble and Glass tour through New England from May 19-22.  The museum holds its seventh annual “One lap of Kentucky” fund-raising event in October over the course of three weeks: October 11-15, 18-22 and 25-29. The event previously has been a one-day Corvette excursion led by the state troopers, but the event this year is open to enthusiasts of all different years, makes and models, and it is a multi-day drive visiting Kentucky’s significant landmarks.

The AACA Museum tours Cuba, October 14-22 with a focus on people to people interaction along with the Cuban car culture. Following Cuba, the museum takes guests on another tour, “Italy and Automobiles,” November 6-13. Highlights of the tour include a visit to the Lamborghini Museum and Factory, the Ferrari Museum, and a tour of several private collections

Nicole James
Nicole Jameshttp://nicoleellanjames.com/
Nicole James has been involved in the automotive world her entire life. Her dream car is a 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe. She currently drives a 2005 Mustang affectionately known as Marilyn and uses the car to participate in track events, car shows, and explore the world around her. Nicole joined the ClassicCars.com Content and Marketing team in 2014. Nicole is an automotive journalist and the creator of Pretty Driven - an online source for car culture and news for millennials, as well as a contributor for ClassicCars.com. Follow Nicole on Instagram and Facebook - @Nicoleeellan

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