ROANOKE, VA.- Some call them rolling sculptures, others the shape of speed. Ever since the first Model T rolled off Henry Ford’s production line, Americans have had an undeniable love affair with all things automotive. They are far more than forms of transportation; they are transformative works of art. Few can imagine Steve McQueen without his fast cars and motorcycles, after all.
Beginning this fall, guests can fall in love again with the cars and motorcycles that defined the first half of the 20th century with the opening of DRIVE! Iconic American Cars and Motorcycles, presented by Advance Auto Parts and on view at the
Taubman Museum of Art through Feb. 3, 2019.
The nearly two-dozen vehicles featured in the exhibition span over a half-century from 1912-1965 and include one-of-a-kind concept cars and celebrity-owned roadsters and motorcycles.
Organized by well-known guest curator Ken Gross, former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Ken said he is no longer surprised when an automobile exhibition in a fine art institution attracts both art aficionados and automobile enthusiasts.
“Visitors are very excited to see these important cars and motorcycles, beautifully displayed and interpreted in galleries, in an artful way that they’ve never before considered.”
Vehicles on view in DRIVE! Iconic American Cars and Motorcycles include the following:
1912 Mercer Raceabout Model 35C
A light and nimble model, the Mercer is considered America’s first real sports car. This car was very fast for its day, a regular racing champion, according to Gross. The car was designed by Finley Robinson Porter, and built in Trenton, N.J., by the Roebling family, who made their fortune supplying the steel used to build the Brooklyn Bridge.
1920 Anderson 6 Convertible Roadster
The 1920 Anderson was built in Rock Hill, S.C, and is considered one of the most successful automobiles ever produced in the southern United States. It was added to the National Historic Vehicle Register, which documents America's most historically significant automobiles, motorcycles, trucks and commercial vehicles.
1921 Stutz Series K Bearcat
First created in Indianapolis, Ind., the Stutz rivaled the Mercer as a performance car. Soon after completion, Harry C. Stutz sent the prototype to compete in the 1911 inaugural Indianapolis 500 race. The untested car did remarkably well, finishing the race and beating many established brands, earning the slogan "The Car That Made Good in a Day".
1925 Pete DePaolo Duesenberg Special
The Duesenberg Brothers were very successful racers—and big rivals with designer Harry Miller—before they started building cars. This particular Duesenberg won the 1925 Indianapolis 500 with Pete DePaolo at the wheel. He qualified second behind Leon Duray, one of the most winning Indy racers of all time.
1927 Leon Duray Miller Front Drive Special
The creator of this vehicle, Harry Miller, pioneered front-wheel-drive, supercharging, dual overhead, camshafts and intercooling. His race cars won the Indianapolis-500 several times in the 1920’s and ’30’s. The car in this exhibition was campaigned by Leon Duray, who insisted on driving black cars to project a more nefarious image. It was sold to Ettore Bugatti, who copied its dual overhead camshaft cylinder head for his Type 50.
1934 Edsel Ford Model 40 Speedster
Designed by Eugene T. “Bob” Gregory for Edsel B. Ford, president of the Ford Motor Company, this aluminum-bodied speedster was hand-crafted at Ford’s Aircraft Division. Edsel Ford reportedly spent about $100,000 to build this car, and during the Great Depression no less!
1934 Packard Twelve Model 1106 Sport Coupe
Packard, Pierce-Arrow and Cadillac were America’s finest luxury cars in the 1930’s. They all had massive 12-cylinder engines and they offered limited-production special editions for the very wealthy. This stunning Packard, with its prominent "tombstone” grille, impossibly long hood and aerodynamic fastback rear, was the property of a successful Wall Street banker who supplemented his conservative dress with a stylish personal statement on wheels.
1936 Stout Scarab
Considered a forerunner to the Chrysler minivan, the Egyptian-themed Scarab had a reconfigurable interior with movable passenger seats, a divan and a fold-down table. William B. Stout, the former aerodynamicist for Henry Ford, invested his own money to build a custom, streamlined, rear-engine automobile. Less than 10 were ever produced.
1937 Tom Mix Cord S/C Phaeton
Designed by Gordon M. Buehrig, the streamlined front-drive Cord 810/812 was the hit of the 1935 New York Auto Show, but mechanical and production troubles hindered the sales and distribution of the car. Still it remains an iconic figure in the history of American automobiles, dubbed “The Single Most Beautiful American Car” in 1996 by the American Heritage magazine.
1938 Crocker “Small Tank” Motorcycle
The rarest, most desirable American motorcycle is the Crocker, built in Los Angeles from the 1930’s until 1942. They were very fast and some had engines as large as 1500-cc. Only about 100 examples were ever made before the company failed in WWII. Albert “Al” Crocker was the chief designer and engineer.
1939 “Slick Patterson” Ford Custom
A sheet metal worker for Reynolds Metals, Clarence “Slick” Patterson customized this 1939 Ford convertible coupe in Richmond, Va., practically from the ground-up. It took two years and eight months to complete, with Slick working on the car during his free time between work and trade school. It would go on to win many awards at hot rod and custom car shows. Lost for decades, it has now been completely restored.
