Met with disdain by the “real” engineers, the trio of Georges Boillot, Jules Goux and Paolo Zuccarelli were nicknamed The Charlatans by Peugeot’s production-engineering staff when they moved into a space in the company’s workshops.
But as detailed in the latest episode of Inside the 59, the video series produced byThe Brumos Collection museum in Florida, the hands-on racers were able to turn their strange ideas into vehicles that revolutionized not only motorsports but changed the powerplants in roadgoing vehicles as well.
Ironically, the French trio would have a counterpart on America’s West Coast in the form of Harry Miller, Fred Offenhauser and Leo Goossen.
Watch and learn about the museum’s 1914 Peugeot L45:
‘Body by Fisher’ at Detroit museum
The Detroit Historical Society museum has opened an exhibit, “Body by Fisher,” about the family-owned business that produced car bodies for so many decades. The exhibit is scheduled to run through 2022.
Lawrence Fisher, like his father a skilled blacksmith who built carriages in Norwalk, Ohio, and his wife, Margaret, had 11 children, including seven sons. The two oldest, Fred and Charles, moved to Detroit in the first decade of the 20th century, joining an uncle to work at carriage-builder C.R. Wilson.
“The brothers realized that bodies for engine-driven vehicles needed to withstand different types of strain and sought to perfect their product,” the museum reports. “The Fisher Brothers also recognized that an enclosed car body would be more convenient for driving in inclement weather and cold seasons – a truth that the industry was hesitant to capitalize on.”
By 1920 the other brothers had joined Fred and Charles and the Fisher Body Company was supplying bodies to Detroit automakers, including Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile.
Japanese car exhibit in Sacramento
The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento has opened its Japanese car exhibit, which includes vehicles from the Toyota S800 to the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32). Among the cars in between are a Subaru 360, Datsun 240Z, Isuzu Impulse, Mazda Miata race car and more.
Corvette museum adds a C7
The National Corvette Museum now has one of each C7 model, thanks to the donation of a 2016 Z06 by Tim and Christine Ann. The gift completes the full set of seventh-generation Chevrolet sports cars — Stingray, Grand Sport, ZR1 and Z06
Special events this weekend
The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany offers a special tour of its new SL exhibition November 22 on its Instagram channel.
The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, opens its “Winter Wonderland” holiday lights show from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on November 24, featuring classic cars in snow globes, rides in vintage vehicles, a maze of holiday inflatables, a visit to Santa’s Garage, outdoor artwork, a vintage Christmas tree lot with Shasta camper trailer, and more.
The Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Turin, Italy, presents a program on artist and Mille Miglia competitor Caty Torta on November 25 featuring Torta’s son, Cesare Denoye, and Piergiorgio Dragone of the University of Turin.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, hosts Zoom presentation at 2 p.m. on November 27 featuring author and Barn Find Hunter host Tom Cotter talking about driving a 1926 Model T Ford Speedster across the country.
Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts Chris Lennon and his book The Peak of Racing: Pikes Peak through The Racers’ Eyes from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on November 27.
Mark your calendar
Brian Redman will be presented the 2021 Spirit of Competition award December 1 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. The annual award goes to someone who has made significant contributions to motorsports. Redman is a nine-time sports car racing champion and continues to be an ambassador for the sport and for vintage racing.
“Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance” will be presented by author Mia Bay at 7 p.m. December 2 at the Lars Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts. On December 9, the museum will feature “The Hack Mechanic” with Rob Siegel, columnist for the BMW Car club magazine Roundel.
Former General Motors design director Ed Welburn will present “The Golden Age of American Automotive Design” from noon until 3 p.m. December 4 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.
Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts Don Emde and his book Freddie Ludlow: His Life on Two Wheels, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on December 4.
The new Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, midway between Chattanooga and Atlanta, has announced December 8 as its opening day for visitors. The museum is on a 35-acre site and includes three buildings with 65,000-square-feet of display space and a cafe. It is part of the Georgia Museums Inc., which includes the Booth Western Art Museum, Bartow History Museum and Tellus Science Museum.
Beaulieu, England, home of the National Motor Museum, and Palace House, will host a new outdoor Christmas Fair from December 10-12.
The National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, hosts the “Run, Run Rudolph 5K” at 5 p.m. December 11. The run travels through 3.2-miles of holiday lights and supports Toys for Tots.
The Motor bar and restaurant at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee will host ugly sweater parties from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on December 11 and 18. It will feature Breakfast with Santa events on December 12 and 19 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The Canadian Automobile Museum in Oshawa, Ontario, offers its Third Thursday lecture at 7 p.m. December 16 on Zoom with Dumaresq de Pencier featuring “Early Electric Cars of Canada: 1897-1927.” The museum also is working on its next exhibition, “Wires to Wheels: Electric Vehicles in Canada and Beyond,” scheduled to open in July 2022.
The Montagu family Palace House, which shares its grounds with the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, England, offers a trip back to 1889 with its Victorian Christmas event from December 18 to January 2.
The grand opening of the Segerstrom Shelby museum and event center has been rescheduled for January 20, 2022, in Irvine, California.
The Canadian Automobile Museum in Oshawa, Ontario, has announced its Third Thursday lecture topics for January and February. “Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights” will be presented January 20 at 7 p.m. on Zoom by Gretchen Sorin of the State University of New York College at Oneonta, and “The Death and Legacy of Sam McLaughlin – Looking Back After 50 Years” will be offered by Samantha George of the Parkwood National Historic Site on February 17.
Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected] .
