Stahls Automotive Collection

Stahls Automotive Collection
Group of cars in a large garage
The interior of Stahls Automotive Collection in December 2021
Stahls Automotive Collection is located in Michigan
Stahls Automotive Collection
Location within Michigan
Stahls Automotive Collection is located in the United States
Stahls Automotive Collection
Stahls Automotive Collection (the United States)
Location56516 North Bay Drive, Chesterfield Township, Michigan[1]
Coordinates42°43′04″N 82°48′17″W / 42.717745°N 82.804647°W / 42.717745; -82.804647
TypeAutomobile 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.