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- Driven to Win: Land Speed Racing - Learn about land speed racing, the 1965 Goldenrod, the 1951 Beatty Belly Tank Lakester, and other artifacts you'll see in our new exhibit, Driven to Win: Racing in America.
- April 06, 2021
- Collections - article
Driven to Win: Land Speed Racing
Learn about land speed racing, the 1965 Goldenrod, the 1951 Beatty Belly Tank Lakester, and other artifacts you'll see in our new exhibit, Driven to Win: Racing in America.
- Scale Model of Goldenrod Land Speed Record Race Car, 1966 - Fifteen-year-old Ken Miller of Hartley, Texas, read about the Summers brothers and their 1965 record-setting land speed race car Goldenrod in <EM>Hot Rod</EM> magazine. Miller was so inspired that he hand carved this model, without power tools, from a pine 2x4. Miller did all the work himself using only magazine photos and written descriptions for reference.
- 1966
- Collections - Artifact
Scale Model of Goldenrod Land Speed Record Race Car, 1966
Fifteen-year-old Ken Miller of Hartley, Texas, read about the Summers brothers and their 1965 record-setting land speed race car Goldenrod in Hot Rod magazine. Miller was so inspired that he hand carved this model, without power tools, from a pine 2x4. Miller did all the work himself using only magazine photos and written descriptions for reference.
- Scale Model of Goldenrod Land Speed Record Race Car, 1963-1964 - Brothers Bob and Bill Summers of Ontario, California, set a new land speed record for a wheel-driven car with Goldenrod, their streamlined racer. The bullet-like vehicle, powered by four Chrysler "Hemi" V-8 engines, averaged 409.277 miles per hour in its November 1965 run. Goldenrod's achievement resonated with purists who thought that jet-powered land speed racers weren't true cars.
- 1963-1964
- Collections - Artifact
Scale Model of Goldenrod Land Speed Record Race Car, 1963-1964
Brothers Bob and Bill Summers of Ontario, California, set a new land speed record for a wheel-driven car with Goldenrod, their streamlined racer. The bullet-like vehicle, powered by four Chrysler "Hemi" V-8 engines, averaged 409.277 miles per hour in its November 1965 run. Goldenrod's achievement resonated with purists who thought that jet-powered land speed racers weren't true cars.
- Scale Model of Goldenrod Land Speed Record Race Car, circa 1965 - Bob and Bill Summers set the pattern for wheel-driven land speed record cars -- in a jet-powered era -- with Goldenrod. The car's streamlined shape benefited from wind tunnel tests with a wood model at the California Institute of Technology. Goldenrod set a record of 409.277 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1965. That record stood until 1991.
- circa 1965
- Collections - Artifact
Scale Model of Goldenrod Land Speed Record Race Car, circa 1965
Bob and Bill Summers set the pattern for wheel-driven land speed record cars -- in a jet-powered era -- with Goldenrod. The car's streamlined shape benefited from wind tunnel tests with a wood model at the California Institute of Technology. Goldenrod set a record of 409.277 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1965. That record stood until 1991.
- Racing Helmet Worn by Bob Summers While Winning New Land Speed Record, 1965 - Bob Summers of Ontario, California, wore this helmet when he achieved a new wheel-driven land speed record of 409.277 miles per hour on November 12, 1965. Summers was in Goldenrod, the sleek four-engine car he built with his brother Bill. The Summers brothers' record stood until 1991.
- November 12, 1965
- Collections - Artifact
Racing Helmet Worn by Bob Summers While Winning New Land Speed Record, 1965
Bob Summers of Ontario, California, wore this helmet when he achieved a new wheel-driven land speed record of 409.277 miles per hour on November 12, 1965. Summers was in Goldenrod, the sleek four-engine car he built with his brother Bill. The Summers brothers' record stood until 1991.
- Racing Suit Worn by Bob Summers While Winning New Land Speed Record, 1965 - Bob Summers of Ontario, California, wore this racing suit when he achieved a new wheel-driven land speed record of 409.277 miles per hour on November 12, 1965. Summers was in Goldenrod, the sleek four-engine car he built with his brother Bill. The Summers brothers' record stood until 1991.
- November 12, 1965
- Collections - Artifact
Racing Suit Worn by Bob Summers While Winning New Land Speed Record, 1965
Bob Summers of Ontario, California, wore this racing suit when he achieved a new wheel-driven land speed record of 409.277 miles per hour on November 12, 1965. Summers was in Goldenrod, the sleek four-engine car he built with his brother Bill. The Summers brothers' record stood until 1991.
- Letter from H.O. Smith to Henry Ford regarding Ford's Land Speed Record, 1904 - Henry Ford and his riding mechanic Ed "Spider" Huff set a world speed record of 91.37 miles per hour, on the frozen surface of Lake St. Clair near Detroit, on January 12, 1904. Following his feat, Ford received this letter from H.O. Smith, president of the G&J Tire Company of Indianapolis, congratulating him on the record.
- January 13, 1904
- Collections - Artifact
Letter from H.O. Smith to Henry Ford regarding Ford's Land Speed Record, 1904
Henry Ford and his riding mechanic Ed "Spider" Huff set a world speed record of 91.37 miles per hour, on the frozen surface of Lake St. Clair near Detroit, on January 12, 1904. Following his feat, Ford received this letter from H.O. Smith, president of the G&J Tire Company of Indianapolis, congratulating him on the record.
- Record Album, "This Land is Your Land, Songs of Social Justice," 1964 -
- October 01, 1964
- Collections - Artifact
Record Album, "This Land is Your Land, Songs of Social Justice," 1964
- A Golden Anniversary for Goldenrod - Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the record-setting race car Goldenrod's breakthrough performance with The Henry Ford's curator of transportation.
- November 12, 2015
- Collections - article
A Golden Anniversary for Goldenrod
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the record-setting race car Goldenrod's breakthrough performance with The Henry Ford's curator of transportation.
- Shirt Made for Bill Summers, Commemorating Land Speed Record Set by Goldenrod, circa 1965 - This shirt was made for Bill Summers who, with his brother Bob, built Goldenrod. The bullet-like car set a new wheel-driven land speed record of 409.277 miles per hour in November 1965. Personalized shirts like this were often worn by racing car crew members in the 1960s.
- November 12, 1965
- Collections - Artifact
Shirt Made for Bill Summers, Commemorating Land Speed Record Set by Goldenrod, circa 1965
This shirt was made for Bill Summers who, with his brother Bob, built Goldenrod. The bullet-like car set a new wheel-driven land speed record of 409.277 miles per hour in November 1965. Personalized shirts like this were often worn by racing car crew members in the 1960s.