The Henry Ford Museum of Innovation is a must-see if you are anywhere near it in the Detroit area. Despite this being a very long post, we’ve only managed to show a fraction of it here. It’s well worth the admission price, and there’s something for everybody to see. From The Model T Ford, to the actual bus Rosa Parks sat on, it’s all here.
The American Presidential Cars
The Kennedy Car
Let’s start with the big one, located right inside the door – the infamous JFK presidential car
Prior to his assassination on November 22, 1963, the car was open-topped and un-armoured. Afterwards, the car was rebuilt with a permanent roof, bulletproof glass and titanium armour plating. It remained in service until 1977.
The Regan Car
Next up is the Regan car, in use from 1977-1992
Like the Kennedy car, it was outfitted with a step and handle for secret service staff to ride on the back.
The Eisenhower ‘Bubbletop’ Car
Dwight Eisenhower’s ‘Bubbletop’ car. The car was originally a convertible, but Eisenhower had it upgraded to include a plexiglass roof that allowed him to see and be seen in all weathers. Soon the ‘Bubbletop’ name stuck and now is a term used to refer to the whole car.
Roosevelt’s Sunshine Special
Roosevelt’s car of choice was this Sunshine Special.
This was the first car specifically built for presidential use, and had modifications included to help make it more accessible given the Roosevelt’s paralysis from polio.
Teddy Roosevelt’s Circa 1902 Brougham
Teddy Roosevelt was not fond of automobiles, and instead preferred to be seen in public in a luxury horse drawn carriage as was favoured by nobility at that time. Even now, the detailing and the materials used are exquisite.
1950’s USA and the open road
Next up is a collection of items celebrating the newly expanding road network of the 1950s. Roadsters became popular, as did motels for long distance travel across the states.
The Corvette was an iconic car of the time, and styling rivalled any European marque of the day. The Holiday Inn also found it’s beginnings, and used this iconic sign to show travellers where to rest for the night.
Clara Ford’s 1914 Electric Car
Despite her husband creating one of he most iconic cars of all time, Clara Ford preferred to go her own way, and invested in this Detroit Electric Brougham instead. Cleaner, quieter, easier to drive and with no hand cranking. The car is luxurious inside, where passengers socialised and chatted on a chaise-long as they travelled through the countryside.
Rosa Parks Bus
History was made on December 1st 1955 when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a racially segregated bus. This is an important story we’ve all heard many times, but to see the actual bus in person is one of those really poignant moments that is hard to describe.
Daniel and Rory even got to sit in that famous seat. They may not fully grasp the significance of this bus until they are older, but I’m delighted we could share this moment with them.
Having sat outside, unloved and used as a storage container for years, the original bus was carefully tracked down and restored by the Ford museum. The purchase and restoration of the Rosa Parks by the Ford Museum is a story in itself, and well worth a read.
Playtime!
Keeping the kids entertained is always a challenge, and the Ford museum has a large interactive area to keep young minds occupied. Daniel & Rory particularly enjoyed the ‘Design your own speed-racer’ section, and spent well over an hour there designing all sorts of creative inventions to travel down the course.
Other cars
There was such a wealth of other cars there, it’s impossible to give a commentary on each, but they’ve been so lovingly restored, it’d be a shame not to include them. Where possible, we’ve included the info plaque for each vehicle.
Henry Ford’s Kitchen Sink Engine
Ken Block & Motor Racing
An interesting display comparing racing over the decades. Sadly it was a vivid reminder that we lost a racing and entertainment legend when Ken Block tragically lost his life in an accident earlier in 2023.
2012 Ford Fiesta Rally Car, Driven by Ken Block in “Gymkhana Five”
Helmet, Shoes & sunglasses as work by Ken Block in “Gymkhana Five”
Aviation History
The Ford Museum has an extensive aviation history collection, including original aircraft, and hand built replicas.
1925 Fokker F.VII Tri-Motor Airplane
The Josephine Ford
Because Edsel Ford funded Byrd’s trip to the Arctic, the plane was named for his daughter, Josephine. Tony Fokker, the manufacturer, wanted to be sure no one mistook the plane for a Ford, so he painted the giant “FOKKER” on the wings and fuselage. There’s no heater in this plane, so temperatures inside the cabin could have easily reached -50° F/-45C while flying through the Arctic sky.
Wright Brother’s Plane
On December 17, 1903, with five people in attendance, Orville Wright made the first flight in a power-driven, heavier-than-air machine at Kitty Hawk, N.C. The flight lasted twelve seconds, covered 120 feet and soared 2-10 feet off the ground.
The Ford Museum recreates this in a very interesting way. Below, you can see a picture of the original flight. Below this you can see a very accurate recreation of the scene, along with a period-accurate camera, with this picture aligned to the scene.
Apparently The two brothers flipped a coin to determine who would take flight first on the historic maiden voyage . Orville won the toss, and became the one to make history as the first pilot of a heavier-than-air flying machine. The two brothers only flew together on an airplane only once. Their father, who feared losing both of his sons, made them promise they would not fly together.
Plane interior replicas
Another very interesting feature was authentic recreations of plane cabins from the early 20th century. This mock-up of a Douglas DC3, complete with wicker chairs was fascinating to experience – and LOUD!
Industrial Machinery
Henry Ford’s industrial engineering features heavily in the museum. Much like Tesla is revolutionising how cars are produced, the scale of both steam driven and electric driven machinery is unbelievable, especially as they are over a centaury old
Just look at the numbers above. A 6000 horsepower engine producing 4 megawatts of power in 1912 allowed clean operation of numerous machines in Ford’s factories.
It’s very hard to convey the size of this machine in a photo, but it’s BIG!
Also featured is a moving Edison engine, which makes it easy to see how all the moving parts work together to generate power.
We were thoroughly impressed with everything we saw at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. The place is huge, and there’s so much to see. Get there early, and bring comfy shoes – you’re going to cover a lot of ground!
Looking forward to coming back again to see more.
J