Stahls Automotive Collection

Automobile museum in Chesterfield Township, Michigan
42°43′04″N 82°48′17″W / 42.717745°N 82.804647°W / 42.717745; -82.804647TypeAutomobile museum[1]Key holdingsChrysler Turbine Car[2]
1934 Duesenberg Model J
Tucker 48[1]Collection sizeOver 90 cars
About 20 musical instruments[1]Visitors5,000 (in 2014)[1]FounderTed Stahl[1]OwnerTed Stahl[1]Websitehttps://www.stahlsauto.com/

Stahls Automotive Collection is a private automotive collection in Chesterfield Township, Michigan, US.[1] It is the personal collection of Detroit native Ted Stahl, the chairman of fabric-based heat printer GroupeSTAHL in St. Clair Shores.[1][3]

The collection contains over 90 cars housed in a 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m2) garage,[1] most of which are from the Art Deco era and the Great Depression.[4] The collection focuses mostly on American cars, including former makes such as Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Packard in addition to cars built by Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Ford.[1][3] Stahls purchases vehicles largely based on their degree of innovative engineering and their importance to the development of automobile design.[4]

The oldest car in the collection is an 1899 De Dion-Bouton tricycle, and the first one that Ted Stahl purchased is a 1930 Ford Model A Roadster Deluxe. Among the most prominent cars in the collection are a 1934 Duesenberg Model J, a Tucker 48, and a handful of cars built for films, such as The Great Race, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Reivers.[1] In 2021, the collection acquired a Chrysler Turbine Car, one of only nine to survive and one of only two in a private collection (the other belonging to Jay Leno).[2]

In addition to the cars, the collection also includes about 20 musical instruments, including a Wurlitzer theater pipe organ.[1] There is a separate "music room" featuring orchestrions and other automated musical instruments.[5]

The collection is open to the public at no charge on Tuesday afternoons, the first Saturday of each month, and every Thursday excluding the third Thursday during the summer.[1] Regular events at the collection include an annual Autos for Autism fundraiser, which benefits the Ted Lindsay Foundation,[6][7] and a Veterans Day open house.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Anderson, Elisha (February 16, 2015). "Museum holds treasure trove of automotive history". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Streeter, Mercedes (May 7, 2021). "The New Owner Of The Chrysler Turbine Car Says It'll Actually Get Driven". Jalopnik. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Davis, Dar (April 15, 2012). "See Motor City notables with Dar". The Herald-Palladium. St. Joseph, Michigan. p. F3. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Free access icon.
  4. ^ a b "About Us". Stahls Automotive Collection. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Stahls Automotive Museum". Detroit Historical Society. August 7, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Tuttle, Nicole (July 7, 2021). "Chesterfield Twp. car museum gears up for Autos for Autism event". The Voice. New Baltimore, Michigan. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  7. ^ "3rd annual Stahls Autos for Autism event benefiting Ted Lindsay Foundation". WXYZ-TV. July 12, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "Veterans honored at Stahl's Automotive open house Thursday in Chesterfield Twp". The Macomb Daily. Sterling Heights, Michigan. November 8, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.

External links

  • Official website
  • Chesterfield: Stahls Automotive Collection on Destination Michigan (PBS)