Who we are:

The Early Ford V-8 Foundation and Museum is a 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to sharing the historical impact Henry Ford and his company, The Ford Motor Company, had on the United States, and indeed, the world, with a focus on the Flathead years of 1932-1953. We do this by creating educational and engaging displays and activities in the Early Ford V-8 Museum and offering youth programs and special event classes throughout the year that give them a hands-on experience with these automobiles.

Our History:

The foundation was formed in 1993 by a group of V-8 club members located throughout the United States that shared this common vision. This group has grown to include over 1800 members nationwide. In 2009 they opened a small museum in Auburn, IN and in 2019 expanded the museum to what it is today, a quality automobile museum with a collection of 60 plus automobiles that are all operable and gorgeous! At the same time a beautiful art deco event center, the J.Windle Event Center was built that included a sizable mechanics shop on the back. This past year the foundation acquired a dealership license and sells mostly classic cars for a remarkable 8% fee.

We are growing:

The foundation has added staff and more programs and is partnering with the community to create more awareness and appreciation of Henry Ford’s contributions and innovations. We are building more space to house more educational programming.

What we do:

Our focus is on education. In the museum we do this by exhibiting excellent examples of a great variety of Ford automobiles from 1932-1953 and many different Flathead engines, some with modifications. We offer seasonal programming and online resources for teachers, parents, and organizations that want to supplement their learning. We partner with another local museum, the National Auto and Truck Museum, and offer a Youth Mechanics Class for youth aged 13-19 at no cost to the students. Students work on donated classic cars and learn basic mechanics as well as the mechanics of these classic cars, a skill that is rather rare these days! These students are offered seminars with nationally recognized authorities in transmissions, as well.

• We sponsor three youth teams in the Great American Race X-Cup division. (which have been placing in the top 3 spots in recent years!)
• We offer an immersive class called “What’s the Third Pedal For?” that teaches youth how to drive a manual transmission on one of our classic cars.
• To supplement our foundation income we have Museum Select Motors, a dealership that sells all makes and models, not just Ford, and not just classic automobiles, although most of our inventory has been classic years.
• We also have a beautiful art deco event center, the J.Windle Event Center that can host up to 150 guests in the main event room and a classroom perfect for smaller gatherings and meetings.

Get To Know Us

Staff

partners

News