The Sports Car in America May 22 - October 11, 2009

Ask someone just what constitutes a “sports car” and you are bound to receive a wide variety of answers. Some will identify with performance oriented cars like Chevrolet’s Corvette or anything built by the likes of Lamborghini, Alfa-Romeo, Ferrari and a host of other companies that reside chiefly in Europe and offer seating for two. Some will include muscular cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger in this group, arguing that their back seat is more of a luggage compartment than actual seating for additional passengers. Ask a car enthusiast, particularly one who is into racing and they will tell you that a true sports car is a purpose-built two-seater with a history of success in motor racing. The Antique Auto Museum in Hershey has its own take on the subject and is hosting a spectacular 28 car exhibition covering a sixty-year history of sports cars in America.

In the earliest days of the automobile, manufactures proved their reliability, durability and performance through competition. This took many forms, including dirt track races, timed events, hill climbs and long-distance runs. Some of the first “competition” cars were actually production models driven by personal owners who doubled as amateur racers. Single-seat cars termed “Runabout” or “Raceabout” offered sports car-like performance and were often driven on America’s emerging highways by daredevil drivers, both male and female. The earliest American sports cars are represented in the exhibition by a 1920 Mercer Raceabout once owned by the actor, Buster Keaton.

As the automobile developed in the United States, race cars became a breed of their own and performance vehicles became status symbols. Power and size grew side by side. Wealthy owners who wanted powerful cars purchased large cars with big, powerful engines. By the late 1920s, American manufacturers were placing V8, V12 and V16 engines into a wide variety of body styles – none of which were small, two-door, two-seat vehicles.

The sports car as we have come to know it, took shape in America after World War II. American servicemen stationed in England and throughout Europe came into contact with the small, nimble, sporting two-seaters long embraced by the European motorist. Many fell in love with the vehicles. These cars, particularly the MG (illustrated by the Museum’s excellent 1948 MG TC in British Racing Green) were brought back to America by the returning soldiers. It wasn’t long before the cars were officially imported and dealership networks established across the nation. Other foreign manufacturers followed MG, such as Mercedes-Benz, Triumph, Jaguar, BMW and Austin-Healey. By the 1960s several Japanese companies had also entered the market.

Though arriving relatively late in the game, American manufacturers have had tremendous success with sports cars. The Chevrolet Corvette, which debuted in 1953, is traditionally viewed as America’s only true sports car; it is certainly the nation’s most successful, with volume sales, racing success and a cult following that cannot be matched by its competitors. The Museum’s collection boasts a beautiful 1954 Corvette, one of only about 5 finished in black paint that year. This car is supplemented in the Exhibition by a 1963 Split Window Coupe and a 1967 race-prepped model. While Corvette is the longest running American sports car, it shared its early limelight with a host of other American vehicles, including the two-seat Ford Thunderbird of 1955-1957 and other sporty offerings from companies such as Nash and Kaiser, both represented in the Exhibition.

In choosing the vehicles for this display, the Museum defined the “Sports Car in America” has being a purpose-built two-seater that was either manufactured in America or imported by the manufacturer for domestic sale. We used the Antique Automobile Club of America’s definition of an “antique” being 25 years old or older to limit the selection to pre-1984 models. That turned out to be a good thing because it allowed for the inclusion of very popular cars such as the Mazda RX7 and the Delran DMC-12, best known for its supporting role in the “Back to the Future” movie series.
All in all, “The Sports Car in America” offers vehicles to please a wide range of tastes. In addition everything already mentioned, we will have a Ford GT40, the car that took the coveted Lemans racing title from Ferrari in the mid-1960s, a P-1800 Volvo once owned by Roger Moore, of the Sainte and James Bond fame and a “big-block” Cobra formerly owned by the legendary Carroll Shelby. The Sports Car in America opens on Friday, May 22nd and runs through Sunday, October 11th.

The Antique Auto Museum at Hershey, a member of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, displays beautifully restored automobiles, buses and motorcycles in unique scenes and settings. This Museum is one of the nation’s newest and largest automotive museums. Visitors are transported through eight decades in time from New York to San Francisco, making each visit a visual adventure for all ages. Admission to the Museum is $10 for adults, $9 for Seniors and $7 for children 4-12 years of age. The Museum is located just off Route 39, one mile west of Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pennsylvania. For further information, please call 717-566-7100 or visit www.aacamuseum.org.