Seen at the The Henry Ford Museum. 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible. Drop the top, and cruise like a movie star! It sounds like fun. But movie stars live in sunny California -- most of us don't. Convertibles may draw people into showrooms, but sedans take them home. In 1956, only about 2.6 percent of Chevy customers drove home in ragtops. Despite that fact, the carefree appeal of 1950s convertibles has made them a symbol of that era.—Summary from thehenryford.org The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex and a National Historic Landmark in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. It is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the United States and is visited by over 1.7 million people each year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981.—Wikipedia
Seen at the The Henry Ford Museum. 1891 Abbot Downing Concord Coach. The stagecoach is a symbol of the American West, but its origins are in New England. First built in the 1820s, Concord coaches featured an innovative leather-strap suspension that produced a rocking motion over rough roads -- easier on passengers and horses alike. This example carried passengers and mail in New Hampshire and Maine before the automobile made it obsolete. The coach was used from 1891-1898 by the Pitman Brothers of Lower Bartlett, New Hampshire who operated a hotel located in the White Mountains, a popular summer resort area in the late 19th century called the East Branch House. The coach next served as a passenger and mail coach between York, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was known as "The York Mail." After this run was discontinued about 1910, the coach was purchased by the Kearsarge House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from which the name appearing on one side of this coach, "The Kearsarge," is derived. The coach was used by the hotel to meet trains, and for coaching parties. With the advent of trolleys and automobiles, the coach fell out of use.—Summary from thehenryford.org The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex and a National Historic Landmark in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. It is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the United States and is visited by over 1.7 million people each year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981.—Wikipedia
Seen at the The Henry Ford Museum. 1951 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe. By the 1950s, Americans expected to have cars and travel widely. Even people of average income wanted their cars to reflect their personalities. If you wanted to turn heads, then Studebaker was the brand for you. Studebaker competed for customers with Ford, Chevy, and Plymouth, using airplane-inspired styling and radical wraparound rear windows. This model seems to leap forward even when standing still.—Summary from thehenryford.org The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex and a National Historic Landmark in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. It is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the United States and is visited by over 1.7 million people each year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981.—Wikipedia