Packard museum opens annual motorcycle exhibit

The National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio, opens its 18th annual “The Motor” exhibition of antique motorcycles on Saturday. The exhibit runs through May 20.

The 2018 exhibit features 25 vintage motorcycles from nine American, European and Japanese manufacturers, the museum said. Among the bikes is the only known 1902 Sylvester & Jones in existence, as well as a rare 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead and a unique 1957 Ariel “Square 4” with two crankshafts.

In previous years, museum’s motorcycle exhibit has won the Award of Excellence, the highest honors awarded by the Antique Motorcycle Foundation, as well as three consecutive first-place awards in the interpretive exhibits category from the National Association of Automobile Museums.

“The purpose of the National Packard Museum’s annual antique motorcycle exhibit is to educate our visitors about the important and unique role motorcycles have played within the broader story of transportation history,” Mary Ann Porinchak, the museum’s executive director, is quoted in a news release. “Our annual exhibit also promotes the preservation, restoration and collection of antique motorcycles, so that audiences young and old may have the opportunity to learn about and appreciate motorcycle history’s unique story.”

The theme for 2018 traces the evolution of the motorcycle engine, from Gottlieb Daimler’s 1885 single-cylinder powerplant on a bicycle frame, through the first successful production motorcycle, introduced in 1894 by Hildebrand & Wolfmueller in Munich, Germany, with a water-cooled parallel twin.

“Motorcycle production was revolutionized in 1895, when the French manufacturer DeDion-Buton introduced a lightweight four-cycle internal-combustion engine suitable for motorcycles,” the museum noted. “The DeDion-Buton engine design was licensed to more than 150 manufacturers and was copied by many other makers, including Indian and Harley-Davidson.”

During the exhibit, the museum will offer two of its “Coffee & Donuts” Saturday lectures: On January 27, the exhibit curators will do a panel discussion on “The Evolution of the Motorcycle Engine” and on February 17, Charles Ohlin, director of educational services, will discuss “Colonel Jesse Vincent: Packard’s Master Motor Builder.”

Gilmore museum opens winter lecture series

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, launches its annual Lecture Series on Sunday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. with Ruth Wilson of the Kalamazoo Public Library turning back the clock in a talk about the early days of motoring.

The rest of the winter lecture schedule, all presentations planned to start at 3 p.m., include:

January 14 — Discovering Michigan County by County, Barbara Vanderbolen, author
January 21 — Henry Ford’s X Engine: Replacing the Model T, Don LaCombe, automotive historian
January 28 — Can Am Racing: 50th Anniversary, George Levy, author
February 4 — Your Muscle Car Memories, John Lacko, photographer
February 11 — The Relevance of Abraham Lincoln, Cameron Brown, author
February 18 — Automotive Lubrication Testing Seminar, David E. Persell, Ph.D
Feburay 25 — Art, Architecture and the Automobile, David O. Lyon, author
March 4 — Jaguar: From Swallow Side Cars to Victory at Le Mans, Mike Ersspamer, historian
March 11 — Walt’s Pilgrimage: The Walt Disney Story with a Gilmore Connection, Christopher Tremblay, historian
March 18 — Slot Cars and the Kalamazoo Connection, John Lacko, photographer
March 25 — Running on Empty: Abandoned Gas Stations in America, Susan Johnston, photographer
April 8 — 100th Anniversary: Colonel Joseph Westnedge and World War I, Tom George, historian
April 15 — Riding Across the Sands of Time: Dune Rides, Dune Scooters, Dune Schooners, Dunesmobiles, and Dune Buggies, Christine Byron and Thomas Wilson, authors
April 22 — The History of Speedway Design and Construction, Van Walling, historian
April 29 — The History and Evolution of the Country’s Most Unique Aviation Museum — The Air Zoo, Bob Ellis, former Air Zoo director

For more information, visit the museum website.

DeLorean featured in Le May lecture

Le May – America’s Car Museum educator Charles Smith will share the story of John Z. DeLorean and his motor car company in a lecture scheduled for January 9 as part of the “If Cars Could Talk” series at the museum in Tacoma, Washington.

A deep dive into British racing industry

The British Motor Museum will offer a deep dive into the success of the country’s motorsport industry March 3 when experts from the industry share their stories against the backdrop of the world’s largest collection of historic British cars.

“Having succeeded in the industry, these speakers want now to give something back to those aspiring to enter it,” the museum said in its announcement. “This event aims to encourage and support new talent and inspire the next generation to join the industry.

“But with topics including engineering and technical successes, the growth of Motorsport Valley, sponsorship and marketing, this event will appeal to anyone with an interest in the sport.”

Speakers include Kathryn Richards, wind-tunnel engineer for the Mercedes AMG Formula One team; Sadie Wigglesworth, head of commercial development for the Ford India F1 team; Cristianna Pace, motorsports consultant; and Nick Henry, a professor and co-director of the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University. The program will be co-hosted by museum curator Stephen Laing and Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief of Autocar magazine.

For more information, visit the special event website.

Land Rover Legends event at Bicester Heritage

Fans of the Land Rover brand are invited to pay tribute to the British off-roaders May 26-27 when Bicester Heritage hosts the Land Rover Legends celebration on its campus, a former Royal Air Force base just north of Oxford, England.

2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Land Rover marque, which will be celebrated with a showcase that includes original vehicles, including pre-production prototypes, military derivatives, bespoke conversions and more, and ranging from the 1948 Series 1 to the newest models, organizers say.

The Legends event also will features forums and other presentations by marque experts, some of whom will share stories about their adventures and explorations in Land Rover vehicles.

There will be curated displays, Land Rover club corrals, and even a Land Rover concours.

For details, visit the event website.

C2 Corvettes featured at AACA

Now on display in the Williams-Clyne Gateway Gallery at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, are second-generation Chevrolet Corvettes, including the 1963 split-window coupe, a 1965 coupe with a 425 horsepower 396 V8, and a “big-block” 427 1967 coupe.