Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection
Encyclopedia
The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan
is a unique automotive museum that is home to production cars from the Willow Run
Plant and Hudson Motors. The collection includes the original Fabulous Hudson Hornet
and a set prop from the movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream
.
The museum is an official site of the MotorCities National Heritage Area
, which is "dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive and labor heritage of the State of Michigan."
Museum Curator Jack Miller is known as an authority on restoring Hudson cars and the history of Hudson cars and the Hudson Motor Car Company
, and he regularly assists collectors with finding rare parts for their Hudson restoration projects. Jack's father, Carl, opened a Hudson Sales and Service franchise on the site in 1927.
In 1927, Carl Miller opened a Hudson Sales and Service franchise on the site, and in 1955 the dealership was renamed Miller Motors, reflecting expanded product offerings. From 1927 until the Hudson Motor Car Company
closed in 1958, the dealership sold 1,969 new cars, and has retained and preserved all dealership records since opening. For about 20 years, Miller Motors continued as a used car and parts dealer specializing in Hudsons and Hudson parts. In 1975, Jack Miller, Carl's son, began restoring Hudson cars. Since then, Miller Motors has become "the place to go when[Hudson owners] need clutch oil or touch-up paint, or want to buy or sell a Hudson." The dealership sold 105 Hudsons from 1959 through early 2003, and still has Hudson parts in original factory packaging.
, driven by Herb Thomas
to his second NASCAR Championship in 1953. All together, the museum is home to 30 cars, ranging from a 1933 Hudson Terraplane K Series Coach to a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice
police car
, manufactured at the nearby Willow Run
Assembly Plant
. In addition to the cars, the museum collection includes "advertising, service, repair, and promotional items that were essential to the automobile business" of the second quarter of the twentieth century. The museum is open to visitors seven days a week, year-round, and is involved in many automotive events in Depot Town
and nearby Riverside Park, including the Depot Town Cruise Nights, the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, and the Orphan Car Show.
's Depot Town
district. Parking for the museum is immediately south of the building on River street, separated from the Ypsilanti Food Co-op
parking lot by the railroad. To the north of the museum, across Cross Street, stands the fire-damaged remains of the Thompson Block. A local printing company is immediately adjacent to the museum on the east. To the west, across River Street, is Sidetrack Bar & Grill
.
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
is a unique automotive museum that is home to production cars from the Willow Run
Willow Run
The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator military aircraft....
Plant and Hudson Motors. The collection includes the original Fabulous Hudson Hornet
Fabulous Hudson Hornet
The Fabulous Hudson Hornet was a famous NASCAR Grand National and AAA stock car produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas each drove in a Hudson Hornet that they nicknamed the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet"....
and a set prop from the movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 biographical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges. The film recounts the story of Preston Tucker and his attempt to produce and market the 1948 Tucker Sedan, which was met with scandal between the "Big Three automobile...
.
The museum is an official site of the MotorCities National Heritage Area
National heritage area
National heritage area is a region defined by a government as notable for cultural, historic, natural or recreation reasons. Compared to a national park, a national heritage area is not subject to the same level of zoning and regulations on land use. They are typically managed at a local...
, which is "dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive and labor heritage of the State of Michigan."
Museum Curator Jack Miller is known as an authority on restoring Hudson cars and the history of Hudson cars and the Hudson Motor Car Company
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
, and he regularly assists collectors with finding rare parts for their Hudson restoration projects. Jack's father, Carl, opened a Hudson Sales and Service franchise on the site in 1927.
Miller Motors
In 1916, Joseph H. Thompson opened a Dodge dealership, possibly the first outside Detroit, in the north end of the Thompson Block. Soon after, Thompson moved his dealership across Cross Street, to the site of the museum.In 1927, Carl Miller opened a Hudson Sales and Service franchise on the site, and in 1955 the dealership was renamed Miller Motors, reflecting expanded product offerings. From 1927 until the Hudson Motor Car Company
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
closed in 1958, the dealership sold 1,969 new cars, and has retained and preserved all dealership records since opening. For about 20 years, Miller Motors continued as a used car and parts dealer specializing in Hudsons and Hudson parts. In 1975, Jack Miller, Carl's son, began restoring Hudson cars. Since then, Miller Motors has become "the place to go when
Museum
In the mid-1990s, Jack Miller, Paul "Skip" Ungrodt Jr, and Peter B. Fletcher opened the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in the Miller Motors building. The museum considers the "crown jewel" of their collection to be the 1952 Hudson Hornet, known as the Fabulous Hudson HornetFabulous Hudson Hornet
The Fabulous Hudson Hornet was a famous NASCAR Grand National and AAA stock car produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas each drove in a Hudson Hornet that they nicknamed the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet"....
, driven by Herb Thomas
Herb Thomas
Herbert Watson Thomas was a NASCAR pioneer who was one of the series' most successful drivers in the 1950s.-Background:...
to his second NASCAR Championship in 1953. All together, the museum is home to 30 cars, ranging from a 1933 Hudson Terraplane K Series Coach to a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice
Chevrolet Caprice
The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors in North America for the 1965 through 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular American car in the sixties and early seventies....
police car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
, manufactured at the nearby Willow Run
Willow Run
The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator military aircraft....
Assembly Plant
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
. In addition to the cars, the museum collection includes "advertising, service, repair, and promotional items that were essential to the automobile business" of the second quarter of the twentieth century. The museum is open to visitors seven days a week, year-round, and is involved in many automotive events in Depot Town
Depot Town
Depot Town is a commercial area, with some residences above storefronts, in Ypsilanti, Michigan's historic district. Depot Town proper consists of East Cross Street from the Huron River to North River Street, and a small area on the 300-block of North River Street. However, several blocks in the...
and nearby Riverside Park, including the Depot Town Cruise Nights, the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, and the Orphan Car Show.
Location
The museum is located on the southeast corner of East Cross Street and River Street, at the east end of Ypsilanti, MichiganYpsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
's Depot Town
Depot Town
Depot Town is a commercial area, with some residences above storefronts, in Ypsilanti, Michigan's historic district. Depot Town proper consists of East Cross Street from the Huron River to North River Street, and a small area on the 300-block of North River Street. However, several blocks in the...
district. Parking for the museum is immediately south of the building on River street, separated from the Ypsilanti Food Co-op
Ypsilanti Food Co-op
The Ypsilanti Food Co-op is a food cooperative located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Located in historic Depot Town, it is Michigan's only solar-powered grocery store. Also owned by the Co-op is the River Street Bakery, which features the only wood-fired brick oven in commercial use in Washtenaw County...
parking lot by the railroad. To the north of the museum, across Cross Street, stands the fire-damaged remains of the Thompson Block. A local printing company is immediately adjacent to the museum on the east. To the west, across River Street, is Sidetrack Bar & Grill
Sidetrack Bar & Grill
Sidetrack Bar and Grill is a restaurant on the east end of Depot Town in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 56 East Cross Street. It is just down the road from Eastern Michigan University and is a popular hangout for students and faculty...
.