The 10 Most Interesting Vehicles at The Gilmore Car Museum
Nestled midway between Chicago and Detroit, in a
tiny census-designated place called Hickory Corners, MI, a 90-acre
parcel of verdant farmland has been turned into one of the best
automotive museums in the northern U.S. While the Gilmore Car Museum
does have its own personal collection, the Gilmore serves as sort of a
“campus” for other automotive museums. The museum displays over 350
antique and significant cars on its grounds, so picking just ten
important cars is no easy feat. Here are our choices for some of the
stand-out models.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06
In 1963,
following a ban from the SCCA on factory-backed racing, Zora Duntov, the
father of the Corvette and the car's then-chief engineer, decided it
would be best to continue development of high-performance parts and
components so that customers could continue racing their cars. The RPO
Z06 package was born, which allowed well-heeled buyers to purchase a
race-ready Corvette straight from the factory. The 1963 C2 Z06 received a
beefier front anti-roll bar, a vacuum brake booster with a brake master
cylinder, aluminum-finned drum brakes, and extremely stiff shocks and
springs. All Z06s were standard with the 327 cubic inch V-8, which put
out 360 hp. This particular Z06 was a powertrain testbed for GM, before
being sold to its one and only owner in 1964. The car still has the
original prototype fuel-injected engine, "spinner" wheels, and
four-speed transmission with overdrive.
1932 Ford Three-Window “Little Deuce Coupe”
Does this hot rod
seem familiar? It should. This is the car that both inspired the name
and was featured on the cover of the 1963 Beach Boys’ Little Deuce Coupe
album, where it gained international recognition. The bright blue Ford
was originally modified in the late 1950s, with the trademark stacked
headlights, side trim, and front grille installed in Detroit. After
moving to California, legendary customizer George Barris chopped the
car's roof. Now, the coupe makes its rounds to various museums, car
shows, and events.
1931 Franklin Series 153 Deluxe Pirate Sedan
Built for a
display at the 1931 New York Automobile Salon, this Franklin Series
Deluxe 153 wears a strikingly unique two-tone paint scheme. Considered
one of the first concept cars, this Franklin was designed by Walker Body
Co. from Amesbury, MA. Franklins were prized by aviators during their
heyday, with peerless engineering and aircooled engines, mirroring the
powerplants in contemporary planes.
1915 Brewster Country Club Roadster
Fabulously rare
and renowned during their time for their cars' fit and finish, the
Brewster & Company was coachbuilder to esteemed marques like
Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz, and began producing their own vehicles in
1915. Only 500 vehicles were produced until Rolls-Royce purchased the
firm in 1925. Only 13 of the original 500 are still known today, making
them valued collector pieces. This Brewster Country Club Roadster
marketed for $9,700 back in 1915, the equivalent of nearly $230,000
today.
1937 Railton Rippon Special Limousine
Rippon Brothers
of Yorkshire is one of the longest serving British coachbuilders, with a
history stretching back as early as the 1500s when they built and
designed horse-driven coaches for British royalty. When automobiles
became commonplace, they continued their beautiful design work for
wealthy automotive customers. In 1937, Colonel Reginald Rippon
commissioned a special limousine to be built for his personal use. Based
on a Railton chassis and powered by a Hudson eight-cylinder engine, the
Railton Rippon Special Limousine was laden with all manner of luxuries
and amenities. The Limo features two sliding sunroofs, fitted luggage
and tool kit, along with two hidden compartments for his hunting rifles.
A built-in walnut cabinet in the backseat area holds a cognac flask and
corkscrew, as well as custom boxes for chocolates, cigars, and
cigarettes.
1926 Wills Sainte Claire Model T-6 4-Door Phaeton
C. Harold Wills
left Ford Motor Company in 1919, with a pocketbook flush from the hefty
severance package given to him by Henry Ford. At Ford, Wills was
responsible for the introduction of vanadium steel to the Model T, and
even designed the “Ford” script in the ubiquitous Ford Blue Oval. Wills
founded the Wills Sainte Claire company after his departure, and the
first Wills Sainte Claire was completed in 1921. The cars proved to be
durable and strong, but the firm shuttered in 1927 due to Wills'
increasingly perfectionist nature, sometimes halting production when he
discovered some new production method to implement. This 1926 four-door
Phaeton wears special coachwork from Gotfredson Body Company, and is
powered by a 65-hp inline-six engine.
1946 Stout Scarab Experimental
After the success
of the radical 1936 Stout Scarab, William Stout turned his attention to
upgrading the Stout platform following the conclusion of World War II.
He created the first automotive body composed entirely of fiberglass,
predating the Chevrolet Corvette by seven years. This experimental model
also features the world’s first functioning air suspension. While nine
of the original metal-bodied Stouts were produced, this experimental
Scarab remains a one-off.
1948 Tucker 48
Not much can be said about the Tucker 48
that hasn’t already been said. The Tucker 48 is one of the most
revolutionary and forward-thinking vehicles of all time, with creator
Preston Tucker pioneering the first pop-out windshield, padded dash,
passenger crash chamber, and swiveling center headlight. Power came from
a specialized air-cooled flat-six engine mounted in the rear, held up
by a strange and innovative rubber mounting. Unfortunately, bad press
and a load of rumored intervention from the Big Three resulted in the
collapse of the Tucker company, with just 50 production models having
left the assembly floor.
1933 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 Aero-Dynamic Coupe
Created for the
1933 Century of Progress world’s fair exposition in Chicago, the 1933
Cadillac V-16 Aero-Dynamic Coupe was a stunning display of
forward-thinking automotive design that previewed the style to come in
the near future. The Coupe was created with extensive care made to
ensure it was as aesthetically pleasing as possible, with quite possibly
the first instance of a gussied-up engine for pure aesthetic reasons.
With such a radical design, and such an outlandish powertrain, the car
was an instant hit. To meet the incredible amount of demand, the show
car spawned a limited run of just 19 production models.
1963 Chrysler Turbine
The 1963 Chrysler
Turbine Car was an attempt to find alternative methods of propulsion
for the common automotive buyer. The Turbine was initially promising,
with the ability to run on nearly every type of fuel imaginable, from
kerosene, jet fuel, vegetable oil, diesel, unleaded gasoline, and even
liquor, demonstrated when the President of Mexico put this theory to the
test when he successfully ran one on tequila. The Turbine was never
officially put in production, with just 50 units given to a variety of
different customers. The Turbine had a few features that unsettled the
average consumer, including the strange vacuum-like exhaust sound and an
engine that spun up to 44,000 rpm. In the end, all but nine of the 50
of the cars were redacted and sent to the crusher by Chrysler, with the
remaining stock distributed into various museums and institutions.
