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Vintage Vehicles Shine At This Indiana Museum
FARM SHOW readers who enjoy vintage cars, trucks, and other perfectly restored vehicles should spend a few hours visiting the National Auto and Truck Museum (NATMUS) in Auburn, Ind. This spacious and well-kept museum is eye candy for everything automotive; better yet, admission is minimal. The museum is housed in a large 1928 building where Cord L-29 cars were once manufactured.
Walking the aisles will whet your appetite for a parade ride with treasures like a 1903 Model A, a 1969 Barracuda with a prototype Hemi engine, a vintage 1950s Texaco gas truck and a Glacier motorhome, not to mention Studebakers, Cords and old Fords.
The International Harvester wing houses nearly 100 vehicles, including it’s first 4-door pickup and the prototype Scout SSV. This ready-for-production vehicle was set to replace the Scout II until the program was derailed by IH financial difficulties. The SSV has a fiber-reinforced plastic composite body and was on track to compete with Jeep for sporty off-road travel. A 1973 1010 Travelall, with custom trim featuring a wood grain body side and bright molding, looks ready for the road, as does an original 1954 Travelall R-110, the earliest version of IH consumer vehicles built for utility and family travel.
Another section of the IH display holds early 1900 vintage auto wagons, which were designed to replace horse-drawn carriages. That section morphs into larger IH trucks and IH milk delivery trucks, which had automatic two-speed transmissions with controls so the operator could stand while driving and quickly exit through a sliding door with his dairy products deliveries. Restored panel trucks from the 30s and 40s used for service businesses and gas stations have pristine lettering and perfect finishes.
Other slots hold speed record IH trucks, including the International 8300 Endeavor, known for exceeding 225 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. It has a Detroit Diesel 12V-71 engine that turned out 2,000 hp. Nearby is the much faster and more intimidating International Phoenix. It’s powered by a 16V-92 Detroit Diesel with 4,000 hp. It rocketed to a speed record of 272 mph.
Other parts of the museum house muscle cars from the 50s, along with dirt track, NASCAR, and road race cars. Advance wheeled travel is exemplified by the completely restored #10 GM Futurliner, one of only 12 built for the Parade of Progress tour in the 40s and 50s.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, National Auto and Truck Museum, 1000 Gordon M Buehrig Place, Auburn, Ind. 46706 (ph 260-925-9100; www.natmus.org).


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2024 - Volume #48, Issue #6