Michigan Car Museums
Ethan Wilstermann Posted on 07-05-2024Michigan Car Museums
Despite growing up in West Michigan and being a car person since I could remember—my third birthday party was race car themed—I was surprisingly unaware of some of the fantastic museums Michigan has to offer. All of the museums highlighted in this article have some truly special vehicles in their collections and diligently work to preserve their automobiles for the enjoyment of future generations.
Named one of the top three car museums in the country by many notable publications, the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI, is truly a special place for automotive enthusiasts. Situated on 90 acres of beautifully landscaped land, the museum consists of many buildings connected by nearly three miles of paved road on the property.
While the Gilmore Car Museum has an impressive collection of its own, there are an additional eight collections on the property, making for a total of over 400 vehicles actively on display. Notable museums include the Classic Car Club of America Museum, the Model A Ford Museum, the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum, and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum. The Lincoln, Model A, and Cadillac museums are all housed in recreated auto dealerships spanning from 1928 to 1948. In addition to the dealerships, Gilmore’s collection is housed in a recreated factory building from the turn of the century and is accompanied by an authentic operating diner from 1941 and a 1930s recreated Shell gas station. Needless to say, the environment at the Gilmore Car Museum is unlike any other.
A notable exhibit currently on display at the Gilmore Car Museum is “Born to Perform: The Era of the Muscle Car.” This permanent exhibit boasts 23 vehicles, including a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T HEMI, a 1967 Shelby GT500 Prototype, and an amazing 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaro. Other highlights include a Vector W8 Twin-Turbo, a plethora of modern supercars, a display of Corvettes, and so much more!
In addition to the static displays, the Gilmore Car Museum hosts some fantastic events. Every Wednesday, the museum hosts a cruise-in, and nearly every weekend there is a themed car show with typical attendance of 500+ vehicles! You can also learn to drive a Model T with their Model T Driving Experience class. With a little bit of something for every type of automotive enthusiast, be sure to check out the Gilmore Car Museum if you’re ever in West Michigan.
R.E. Olds Transportation Museum
Opening its doors in 1977, the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum (REOTM) is dedicated to Ransom Eli Olds, a Michigan inventor and entrepreneur who notably started the Oldsmobile and REO car companies. Situated in downtown Lansing, MI, on the Grand River, this museum primarily houses a collection of REO and Oldsmobile vehicles, recounting the history of the two automakers through pristine examples.
Notable vehicles in their collection include a 1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash donated to MSU by R.E. Olds himself, a 1931 REO Royale, a 1950 Olds Assembly Plant Fire Truck, a 1953 Oldsmobile NASCAR race car, a 1970 Oldsmobile F85 W-31, and one of the final 500 Oldsmobiles ever produced, a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero Final 500 Edition.
The Henry Ford is a huge museum that houses everything from an exhibit on pottery from the 20th century to another exhibit with over 100 timepieces from four different centuries and the renowned Greenfield Village. While interesting in their own right, those exhibits aren’t why The Henry Ford is included on this list.
As one would expect, The Henry Ford Museum features an astonishing collection of vehicles—and it’s not just cars. At The Henry Ford, you can examine the 1925 Fokker F.VII Tri-Motor Airplane named the “Josephine Ford” that was flown over the North Pole by Richard Byrd. Also featured is the 1928 Ford 4-AT-B Tri-Motor Airplane the “Floyd Bennett,” which was also flown by Byrd but this time over the South Pole. On site, numerous locomotives are on display, as are unique motorcycles.
While the other vehicles are awesome in their own right, it’s the cars that we care the most about, and The Henry Ford houses some of the most desirable and historically significant cars. Notable cars include President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Presidential Limousine, the Le Mans-winning 1967 Ford Mark IV race car, a 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Convertible, and a 1965 Ford Mustang hosting the first serial number. While this list alone is impressive, there are many other vehicles that make this museum worth the trip to Dearborn, MI.
Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
Last but certainly not least on this list is the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, MI. While this museum may not have the nationwide reputation of the Gilmore Car Museum or The Henry Ford, this little museum nestled in downtown Ypsilanti has an awesome history and even better cars. The building was initially built in 1892 and changed hands between various utility companies before being sold to Joseph Thompson in 1917, who opened the first Dodge dealership outside of Detroit using the building. The building changed hands a few more times before it was purchased by Alex Longnecker and Carl Miller in 1933, who moved their Hudson dealership to the location.
In the same way that the REOTM’s collection is primarily filled with REO and Oldsmobile vehicles, the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum’s collection is centered around Hudson and Kaiser vehicles. The most notable example that can be found at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum is the original Fabulous Hudson Hornet of NASCAR and Disney fame. While the Hudson Hornet is undoubtedly an amazing vehicle, it’s the collection of Hudson and Kaiser-Frazer vehicles that make this museum worth stopping by.
Located in Chesterfield, MI, Stahls Automotive Foundation houses some amazing vehicles. Ted Stahl was born and raised just outside of Detroit and was always a collector of antique mechanical items. Following his success as an entrepreneur and business owner, Stahl and his family turned their passion for automotive design into quite the impressive collection of vehicles. Stopping by this museum ensures you’ll get the chance to see two vehicles I would argue every automotive enthusiast should see in their lifetime. These two vehicles, the 1948 Tucker Model 48 Sedan and 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car, never saw success as mass production vehicles, but the innovation both of these vehicles demonstrate is truly a sight to behold.
Be sure to check for additional information and hours of operation with each museum before visiting!