My wife and I visited the Fountainhead Antique Auto museum in Fairbanks, Alaska yesterday afternoon. This is a must visit if you are ever in Fairbanks. We stayed about 3 hours and I plan to return in a couple of days.
The museum is set in a huge picturesque compound with a hotel, conference center and lots of condos and acreage. The oldest car is an 1898 Hay Motor and the newest a 1936 Packard. Most cars were of the upscale varieties but there were 4 or 5 Fords including a 1907 Model K (definitely upscale), a beautiful red 1909 Model T Touring, a Model T Mercury speedster and a Model T snowmobile. Many/most of the cars were rare one of a kind or very low production makes. All but 3 of the cars are drivers and are driven around the compound from time to time.
The museum is laid out in chronological order and contains over 50 cars. There are dummies dressed in period clothing relating to the years of the cars all over the place. There are many video stations showing early automobileing in Alaska.
The museum contains a restoration shop which is walled off with huge picture windows. If you ask they will take you inside and give you a tour. They do everything there except painting (forbidden by law).
While there, they wheeled in their latest addition, a beautiful 1933 Huppmobile 2-door sedan, fresh from the paint shop. The car was painted in the original 3-tone colors with custom recreated fishscale metallic paint. They parked it next to their fantastic 1933 Auburn speedster.
The docent lady was an antique car enthusiast (3 cars) along with her husband. She gave us a lot of additional info about the museum and its owner and history. She even gave us a return ticket for my next visit.
I really recommend this museum for anyone who travels to Fairbanks. You will really be surprised/amazed.
Thanks, Robert. "My Classic Car" had a segment on it last year.
Luke, have you added this to the list of cars with at least one old Ford on your site?
"Luke, have you added this to the list of cars with at least one old Ford on your site?"
Ummm, meant to say: list of museums with at least one old Ford.
I lust after that yellow speedster once or twice a week. I've googled the mess out of it to no avail, but I'd love to get one of those Mercury body kits and do my T just like that. I don't want a starter on mine or all the bells and whistles that the one at the museum has, but I definitely like the body and step-plates.
Here's the link to the car I'm talking about. By the time you put an electric fan and all the other gizmos that one has it's not hardly a T anymore to me, but it's a good lookin' ride.
http://fountainheadauto.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-shop-mercury-bodied-model-t.html
Greetings from the Museum -
Thank you for the compliments - we really appreciate it!
I recently posted a YouTube of some details and driving the speedster - hope you enjoy.
Museum YouTube Channel
Thanks again,
Derik
Hey Derik! Where oh where can I get a Mercury Body for my T like the one ya'll have on the car that I linked?!
Greetings Seth -
Sorry I can't help you on that. The Mercury Body company hasn't been around for a while. :-) We purchased this vehicle through a private sale, although I believe it was listed on EBAY as well. And there was another for sale on 'Left coast classics' website. So they are out there occasionally - our research indicates about 70 Mercury bodies are known to exist. Best of luck in your search.
Derik
This is my "not a Mercury" boat-tail. I have followed up on a few leads of boat-tail bodies that "was told it might be a Mercury". They usually start out at about $700 to $1000 until the first person looks at it tells them "it isn't a Mercury". Then the price starts dropping fast. I already had the chassis with a crummy home made body on it. Then I found this in a junk yard outside Marysville. The next thing I said was "I know what chassis that is going on".
Not a Mercury and I don't care!
Sorry to continue the hijack. Good museums need to be encouraged and promoted!
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Ricks-
I made a note of it and will add it to the list this weekend when I get some free time.