A highlight of our travels through Scotland has been the variety of small pubs and taverns we have visited along the way. Inevitably every village has at least one pub at a crossroads or several in close proximity in larger towns. They’ve always got fascinating names that make one wonder their origin: The Crown, The Anchor Inn, The Highlander, The Royal Thistle, The Golden Stag.

Continue reading “Into the Scottish Wilds with CEO David Madeira, Part Six: Pub Life” →

By David Madeira, ACM CEO and AAT President & CEO

I have been fascinated by Scotland since I was a young boy living in New England. An elderly friend of my father’s, Dugald Caves, an immigrant from Scotland told me endless stories of his rugged homeland in my frequent visits to his carpentry shop, where I also watched him work with wood on his lathe. Mr. Caves, with his thick white hair and equally thick Scottish ‘brogue’ told me tales of the clans, the highlands, of Rob Roy McGregor and of battles with the English. Since those days I’ve always wanted to visit this land where I find myself 60 years later. Continue reading “Into the Scottish Wilds with CEO David Madeira, Part Six: Magical Landscapes” →

By David Madeira, ACM CEO and AAT President & CEO

I am really amazed by the quality of roads in Scotland and how much fun they are to drive. They make the U.S. roads look as pathetic as most of them are. If someone wants to have fun driving and not worry about damaging his or her car due to potholes, ruts\ and worse, come to Scotland and kiss America goodbye. Continue reading “Into the Scottish Wilds with CEO David Madeira, Part 5: The Perks of Scotland Roadways” →

By David Madeira, ACM CEO and AAT President & CEO

When we awoke this morning and made our way to the kitchen, our Balvenie hosts once again had breakfast waiting for us this time served by Sarah, a young woman working there part time while going to law school. We enjoyed a traditional breakfast with homemade pastries and a gorgeous fruit compote with homemade yogurt. Then it was time to depart to drive further north into the highlands to Inverness on the eastern coast. Continue reading “Into the Scottish Wilds with CEO David Madeira, Part Four: The Northern Highlands” →

By David Madeira, ACM CEO and AAT President & CEO

Little did we know how ever-present whisky is in the highlands. Just as we pair wines with food in the U.S., the Scots are masters at pairing their favorite Single malts or blended whiskies with every meal–even breakfast! We resisted the latter but not without struggle for it was easy to see how a malty Balvenie with light fruit, honey and caramel overtones might nicely accompany a traditional Scottish breakfast with smoked salmon, cured meats and cheeses and oatcakes. Continue reading “Into the Scottish Wilds with CEO David Madeira, Part 3: The Glenfiddich Distillery” →

By David Madeira, ACM CEO and AAT President & CEO

We arose to a cold gray rainy Scottish morning as we drove north from Aberdeen into the Highlands. Yet we were excited for today we would visit The Balvenie distillery founded by William Grant in 1892. Balvenie, the official Scotch of America’s Automotive Trust pulled out all the stops for us – their hospitality and their fabulous single malts provided much needed warmth for cold travelers. Continue reading “Into The Scottish Wilds With CEO David Madeira, Part Two: The Balvenie Distillery” →

Meet Abi, ACM’s Summer Collections Intern. Currently a Junior in the Automotive Restoration Technology program at McPherson College in Kansas, she’s pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Restoration and a minor in Communications. Thanks to a grant from the RPM Foundation, Abi recently completed a 10-week internship with the ACM Collections Team. In this interview, she shares what she learned in her internship, what it’s like growing up in an automotive family and the advice she has for those pursing a career in restoration. Continue reading “Ask Abi! Summer Internship Wrap-Up” →

By David Madeira, ACM CEO and AAT President & CEO

Fast cars. Twisting roads. Rugged Scottish countryside and Scotch tastings at night? Now we’re talking!

Most of us who love to drive have a few ‘bucket list’ trips on our minds. One of those for me has always been to drive a great car and explore the coast and highlands of Scotland while sampling the best Scotch single malts along the way. That dream became a reality for my wife Lynda and me, along with other members of the Concours Club today as we drove out of Edinburgh in cars that are meant to be driven – brand new BMWs provided free of charge by BMW-UK, continuing a long tradition of BMW support of Concours Club tours. Continue reading “Into The Scottish Wilds with CEO David Madeira” →

In July 2016, ACM enthusiastically decided to bring Youth Volunteers on board! Since then, our youngest volunteer to date has been Billy, pictured above. He’s 9 years old and joins his grandfather Bill for shifts as a Collection Monitor or as a Photo Booth Attendant.

How does the Youth Volunteer program work? It depends on their age. Volunteers under 16 years of age are paired up with an adult volunteer. As a matter of fact, many of our pairs have been volunteers bringing their own grandchildren with them! This is a fantastic opportunity for the grandparent to spend quality time with their grandchild, not to mention the chance to share their love for the automobile and years of knowledge with an eager youngster. It is also an excellent chance for young people to learn more about cars, hear stories, discover memories and explore philanthropy through helping a non-profit organization.

While volunteers under 18 do have some restrictions in what they are able to do, there are still several great volunteer positions they can choose from. Volunteers who are 16 and older are able to enjoy more freedom to roam unaccompanied during their Museum tasks while also gaining valuable customer service skills.

What are the other benefits of becoming a youth volunteer? Molly Latham, Area Extension Specialist at University of Nevada – Reno says, “Youth who volunteer just one hour or more per week are 50% less likely to abuse alcohol, cigarettes, become pregnant or engage in other destructive behavior.” As if that wasn’t compelling enough, Latham also divulges that teens themselves report benefits such as: “Learning to respect others; learning to be helpful and kind; learning to understand people who are different; developing leadership skills, becoming more patient and discovering a better understanding of citizenship.”

Those are just the immediate benefits to youth who volunteer! Long term, young people benefit from volunteering because as adults, they are more likely to have a strong work ethic, be more likely to volunteer and give to charitable organizations. These valuable skills translate into a society that’s better for everyone.

As you can see, for Youth Volunteers, ACM and the community, volunteering is a win-win…win! If you would like to learn more about becoming (or bringing!) a Youth Volunteer, click here to learn more or contact the Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected].

By Rene̬ Crist РACM Collections Manager

In the mid-to-late 1800s, bicycles and bicycling became a national passion. Bicycles offered a freedom to travel to both men and women. They could go where they wanted to go, and when, without the bother of saddling a horse and/or hooking him up to a wagon. In addition, people found bicycles fun to ride.

Early bicycles were made entirely of wood and weren’t much more than a solid wooden beam connecting two wheels, the front one being steerable, with a saddle-like seat in between for the rider. There were no pedals, the rider sat and paddled along while straddling this device.

Later mid-century bicycles mounted a pedal crank mechanism directly to the front wheel which was a huge improvement. However the ride wasn’t much better and became known as “bone crushers” as they were made entirely of wood, later steel. The roads of the day were cobblestone or rough dirt, making this a really uncomfortable ride.

The high wheel bicycle, also known as the “ordinary,” or the “penny-farthing,” evolved out of numerous early experimental designs. It looks unwieldy but it offered a lot more mobility and range than early examples. Since the pedals are connected directly to the drive wheel, the rider’s mechanical advantage was limited to the length and strength of his legs.  The added improvement made of solid rubber tires and the long spokes of the large front wheel provided a much smoother ride. The front wheels got larger as makers realized that the larger the wheel, the farther you could travel with one rotation of the pedals. You would purchase a wheel as large as your leg length would allow. Common sizes normally ran from 48″ to 60″ in diameter in two inch increments, such as 48″, 50″, 52″, and 54″.

While riding the high-wheel, one had to be careful about the road’s surface. With the rider’s center of gravity so far forward over the large drive wheel, even the slightest obstacle, such as a pothole, curb or board, would cause the drive wheel to rotate around the pedal axle, and to launch the rider directly forward. Most high wheel riders concentrated on level road riding.

Women by-and-large did not enjoy riding a high wheeler.

This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle (“two-wheel”). These bicycles enjoyed a great popularity among young men of means, with their hey-day being the decade of the 1880s. Cost for the bicycle was around $95. In 1870, the cost was equivalent to an average worker’s six month’s pay.

The Museum’s Columbia Expert Ordinary was manufactured by Pope Manufacturing, the parent company behind what is now Columbia Manufacturing. Pope Manufacturing produced bicycles, motorcycles and automobiles. Pope ceased automobile production in 1915, and ceased motorcycle production in 1918, but bicycles are still available under the Columbia brand. According to the professional who appraised this bicycle, the “1863 Model” painted on the front fork is the model number (not its year). It is an example of an unrestored original Columbia High-Wheel Bicycle.

This bicycle has several interesting features:

• The pedal axles fit into one of three mounting positions on the crank arm. This was done to allow riders to adjust the “reach” to the pedals to his leg length.
• The large wheel is 50 inches diameter
• The front wheel axle has an exposed toothed gear on the left side. This could indicate that the front wheel had two speeds or that it has a free-wheel mechanism.
• The front wheel brake is operated by a system of levers that press a metal spoon onto the rubber tire surface to slow the bike down. The actuating lever is near the rider’s right handlebar grip. There was no rear wheel brake.

This example in the ACM Collection was donated by Mr. Michael Medley.