“Early Landmarks in Automotive Engineering“, an important new Audrain Automobile Museum exhibit running December 10 through March 5, 2023, is a display of cars and motorcycles pulled from the Audrain Collection showcasing the incredible pace of experimentation and technology from the late 1800s to the first of the “modern” cars in the late 1930s. Each of the carefully selected represents a significant moment in technological advancement.

“The cars and motorcycles in the exhibit represent technological breakthroughs and experimentation in transportation that brilliantly communicate the creativity and ingenuity of their makers,” stated David de Muzio, Audrain’s Executive Director, and Curator.

1899 Crouch Steam Runabout

On display in the museum’s intimate gallery will be 16 automobiles and four motorcycles, cars ranging from the elegant and simple 1899 Crouch Steam Runabout and 1912 Rauch & Lang Electric Roadster to the early mass-produced Ford Model T, the sophisticated 1916 Packard Twin Six Runabout, and on into the 1920s and ‘30s when automobiles became a mark of power, reliability, and luxury with touring capabilities.

1910 Pierce ‘Four’

The world of motorcycles, meanwhile, will be well represented by a quartet of icons—a 1910 Pierce Four, 1924 Harley-Davidson, 1936 Indian 436 “Upside Down” Four and legendary 1929 Brough Superior SS 100 Alpine Grand Sport.

“It is a fascinating collection of iconic vehicles that vividly explains the rapid evolution of motor vehicles in the first 40 years of the automobile,” said Donald Osborne, Audrain’s CEO.

Automobiles:

1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica

1899 Crouch Steam Runabout

1904 Oldsmobile Curved Dash

1910 American Underslung Traveler by Toy Tonneau

1912 Rauch and Lang Electric Roadster

1916 Packard 1-25 Twin Six Runabout

1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster

1925 Ford Model T Tourer

1930 Cord L29 Phaeton

1930 Duesenberg Model J Murphy Town Cabriolet

1931 Cadillac V16 Model 4235 Convertible Coupe

1932 Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Coupe

1935 Chrysler Airflow C-2 Imperial Coupe

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Two-light Ventoux

1938 Packard Twelve Rollston Landaulet

1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Touring Coupe

Motorcycles:

1910 Pierce Four

1924 Harley-Davidson JDCA

1936 Indian Model 436 “Upside Down” Four

1929 Brough Superior SS 100 Alpine Grand Sport