Going Green:  It’s Cool for the Planet
The Going Green Exhibit, displaying and telling the story of clean fuel alternatives, opens on Earth Day 2009 (April 22) as our newest permanent exhibit installment here at the California Auto Museum.   The exhibit will display a 1913 Rauch & Lang Electric car, one of only twelve 1997 General Motors EV1s still in existence, a 2000 Daimler-Benz NeCar 4a Fuel Cell Vehicle, and a 1996 Joule PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle).
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 Dream of Mobility
Up 'til 1906 we've been using horses and trains for the important stuff. The horseless carriage is still a crude, unreliable, expensive experiment or a nice way to go out to the park for a picnic on a nice Sunday  afternoon, as long as the park isn't too far and the road's pretty good. While the engine behaves, the tires stay up and the rain holds off, it sure is a nifty way for a young gent to impress the Ladies!
 

Dream of Independence
Between 1906 and 1918 horseless carriages have given way to real cars, affordable cars, like the Model T Ford. You and I suddenly have a reliable alternative to the foot, the horse, and the train. We have become independent! The Motorcar has revolutionized just about everything since ordinary folks became mobile, and have they ever taken advantage of it! The farm has suddenly gotten closer to town and faraway vacation places such as Yosemite National Park have become more accessible. This exhibit looks at the early automobile as a provider of newly-found mobility through mechanical improvements (the electric self-starter) and mass-production techniques (providing affordability).
 

Dream of Luxury
By the 1930s the automobile has become democratic; almost everyone has a car. Smoothness and reliability are taken for granted. The wealthy indulge their impulse to be unique by riding in one-off coachwork on chassis big as Rent-A-Trucks. Luxurious styling is hot, and in the Depression tightened market the competitors are trying to keep going by producing ever more gorgeous cars. When the checkbook is large enough, the results are magnificent. The cars in this exhibit are an elegant and beautiful legacy.
 

Dream of Better Times
We've suddenly found out that maybe the stock market won't just grow forever, and we're darn lucky just to have a job, if indeed we have one. We even had money in the bank until the bank failed. The movies are popular for the escape they offer, and the movies are the showcase for the stars and their cars: Those gorgeous cars that are the last gasp of the luxury makers who are suddenly having to scrap over a market that has dwindled to nothing. It has become politically incorrect to exhibit such elegance, even if you can still afford it. The Democrats are proclaiming that Happy Days Are Here Again, and Chicago and New York stage extravagant world's fairs to provide a peek at what those Happy Days' will look like. Well, maybe someday. Right now it looks like there'll be a war ....
 

Dream of Cool
Cool has many meanings. The one we like connects with being young, hip, "with it", fun, to be emulated. The word came with the "be-bop" youth. Our cool dream is the teen-age automobile culture: Hot rods, customs, sports cars, motorcycles, and the better Detroit iron in their natural habitat: the drive-in. The `50s at they’re finest.
 

Dream of Speed
The age-old urge to go a little faster. You could say motor sport was born in three stages: The first guy built a car; the second guy built a car; they had a race. After that, feet and horses just couldn't compete when it came to producing adrenaline. Some prefer oval tracks; some like roads; some need drag strips, dry lakes, or salt flats, some think two wheels are better. Doesn't matter. What does matter is, that the best driver and vehicle are first across the finish line. Racing is a popular sport with BIG Dreams!
 

Dream of Technology
This exhibit shows the significant changes in automobile mechanical design and construction from the Model T and Model A eras to hot V8s and racing power plants. Cutaway engines and transmissions provide the visitor with an "inside look" of how they work. A "hopped-up" Ford V8 "Flathead" engine displays race equipment of the `40s and `50s. Three built-up chassis show engine, transmissions and differentials. Equipment items such as a scope, distributor machines, and valve grinders are displayed along with a variety of hand tools. The Hall of Technology invites your hands-on exploration.