Ultra-rare cars in Detroit are preserved in climate-controlled bubbles so future generations can enjoy them
- Detroit Historical Society’s backroom collection showcases priceless and rare cars from US history
- The ultra-rare classic cars are preserved in protective and climate-controlled ‘car capsules’
- They’re typically not on display to the public
Published on Jul 19, 2024 at 7:31 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jul 22, 2024 at 4:34 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Detroit Historical Society’s backroom collection showcases priceless and rare cars from the US city’s history.
It shows rare cars meticulously preserved in climate-controlled bubbles.
These ‘car capsules’ are designed to slow – and even halt – the aging process so that future generations can enjoy classic cars of the past.
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How the rare cars are preserved
Footage shared by Hagerty has amassed over 5.6 million views since it was posted in March of this year.
The video reveals the warehouse of the Detroit Historical Society.
The warehouse contains 275,000 artifacts representing Detroit’s automotive history – and there are some ultra rare and collectable cars in that mix.
The weirdest part? The rare cars not on show to the public are preserved in protective capsules to keep them looking as if they’d just rolled off the production line.
The collection includes some of the rarest Cobras ever built, a Cadillac Station Wagon, a 1913 water-cooled V8 car, a 1925 Rickenbacher, a 1942 Packard convertible, and a 1916 Packard twin six touring car.
As well as beautiful models, there are also various historically significant cars, such as the first water-cooled V8, cars involved in World War II production, and early fiberglass vehicles, all carefully preserved and documented.
As well as the rare vehicles, there is signage, crew uniforms, and other memorabilia from significant local auto part stores.
With cars being such a huge part of Detroit’s rich culture and history, preserving these cars could be considered a public service.
Other important museum collections
Aside from this piece of American history, this abandoned museum is home to more than 200 classic car barn finds.
While it’s in an unspecified location, it appears to be located somewhere in the US with a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, classic Rolls-Royce, and muscle cars like old Cadillacs in residence.
Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, Richard Hammond recently restored a 1930s Rolls-Royce at his Smallest Cog car restoration before returning it to the Royal Logistic Corps Museum.
The Rolls Royce Wraith was, in fact, used by Field Marshal Montgomery in Normandy after D-Day.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
