By Bill Rothermel, SAH
Allentown, made famous in the Billy Joel song of the same name, claims title to the new America on Wheels Museum which opened its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 12, 2008. The facility located in the revitalized Lehigh Landing section of this Pennsylvania City, “celebrates the past, present and future of over-the road transportation” ranging from bicycles and motorcycles to automobiles, big-rigs, and alternative technology; even the Segway Personal Transporter. According to Executive Director Linda Merkel, the museum is the centerpiece of Lehigh Landing which boasts 27 acres of industrial property along the Lehigh River.
At first glance, Allentown might seem an odd location; but as home to Mack Trucks (dating from 1905), the illustrious Andrettis, late racing legend Eddie Sacks, the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, Nazareth Speedway, and Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (an innovator in fuel-cell technology), the location is a natural. Allentown is Pennsylvania’s third largest city with 107,000 residents and is situated about two hours from New York City, and a little more than an hour from either Philadelphia or the state capital of Harrisburg. You can begin to see all the reasons its location makes sense for a new museum; especially one that deals with things on wheels.
The $17 million facility encompasses 48,000 square feet including both newly constructed steel and glass exhibit space and administrative offices which are housed in the attached former corporate headquarters of Arbogast & Bastian Meats. The museum is the brainchild of retired Mack Truck CEO Zenon C. R. Hansen and Judith McGough-King, executive director of the Allentown Economic Development Corporation in the 1980’s. Zenon envisioned a permanent home for the 20-vehicle Mack Truck Collection which was stored in various Mack facilities throughout the Lehigh Valley. With initial funding from Mack, he set about forming the American Truck Foundation in 1974. After much consideration and with the Collection being housed at several temporary facilities, ground was broken in 2006 for the new museum. Eventually, America on Wheels will become home to the Mack Archives encompassing 100,000 photos, technical data and build records on every vehicle Mack has produced over the past 100+ years. Seven vehicles from the Collection are on loan to the museum and include a 1910 Brockway motorized wagon, 1911 Mack Junior chassis, 1918 Mack AC fire pumper, 1922 Mack AB dump truck, 1927 Mack AC cab and chassis, 1957 Mack B-61 tractor, and a 1978 Mack F-785T tractor.
 Jack Curcio, president of the museum’s board and former CEO of Mack Trucks, Inc., says, “We’ve created an educational experience for youth to realize the changes brought about in the country over the past 100 years by cars and trucks. A lot of museums are a bunch of old dinosaurs sitting in a row. This is a very interactive building. We have a lot of classic vehicles but they are included in a meaningful story. There are several virtual reality experiences. Kids will drive a Mack Granite truck over the road and into a construction site. They can have a similar experience in a racing car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.” Lest you think this is a museum just for kids, you’d be wrong. This one is for the big kids, too.
Upon entering the facility you are greeted by a massive concrete and steel lobby flooded with light thanks to the generous use of windows. On display are a 1919 Mack AB and 1984 Zora-Arkus Duntov Corvette. A mini-Indy Car is available for photo ops. Continue along the Corridor Gallery and you’ll see a beautifully restored 1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster and bicycle dioramas ranging from off-road bikes to the illustrious Pee Wee Herman’s famous two-wheeled conveyance. Simultaneously, a vintage Thunderbird ad plays on one of the many flat screens located throughout the museum. Opposite the bicycles is a 1934 Chevrolet Coupe hot rod paying tribute to the late-Luther “Dopey Duncan” Gehringer courtesy of the Lehigh Valley Timing Association. In stark contrast are a vintage midget racer and the aforementioned 1918 Mack AC fire pumper. These early Macks became known as Bulldogs, courtesy of British soldiers who were impressed with the vehicle’s stamina and ruggedness on the battlefield. Mack would adopt the bulldog as it corporate symbol after World War I. The massive red vehicle has a lovely patina likely reflecting its original condition. It must have been quite a site in 1918 as it rushed along on its way to a burning fire.
 The adjacent North Gallery features vehicles used for personal transportation spanning more than a century. Alternative energy sources are highlighted and those on display include a 1901 Curved-Dash Olds, 1908 Stanley Steam Car, 1910 Brockway wagon, 1922 Detroit Electric, 1974 CitiCar, and a 1997 GM EV1. A hydrogen technology exhibit with interactive pumping station is courtesy of local company Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Without question, the most interesting vehicle is an 1891 Nadig. A what? Chances are you’ve never heard of this pioneering automobile. Henry and Philip Nadig were operators of an Allentown machine shop and in 1889 began experimenting with a one-cylinder gasoline engine small enough to power a carriage. By 1891, Henry built a working automobile good enough to go the distance of about 9 miles from Allentown to nearby Coopersburg. Two years later, Henry’s sons Charles and Lawrence rebuilt the Nadig by adding rubber tires and installing a two-cylinder engine. They continued to drive the car around Allentown for a decade and though they built a handful of other cars, the Nadigs never produced automobiles for retail sale. Simply fascinating . . . and for automotive historians, alone worth the visit to the new museum!
The South Gallery includes not only the remainder of the Mack Collection (spanning 68 years) it offers an eclectic mix of vehicles and interactive displays. Visitors are greeted by a 1978 Mack cab (with headlights on) and accompanying 28 foot box trailer in UPS brown livery. Walk inside the cargo area to experience life as delivery folks on the road might do, or try your hand at driving the nearby Mack Granite tractor simulator. Test your knowledge of automotive tools, or hear audio of actual Mack drivers and employees talking about their experiences with the brand. The clever Independent Oil Co. garage diorama juxtaposes a 1948 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Convertible with a 2008 Dodge Ram pickup asking the question (in neon), “Why Can’t I Fix My Car Anymore?” A 1903 Ford Model A and 1957 Chevrolet Station Wagon along with period-attired mannequins contrasting changes in lifestyle, thanks to the automobile.
Racing is given center stage with a flashy display of flat screens and colorful banners including a 1967 McLaren MIC Can Am car, 1986 Hertz Indy Car formerly driven by Al Unser, and a Penske Racing Dodge for NASCAR once driven by Ryan Newman. Opposite the racers is a multi-tiered display of bikes, motorized bicycles and motorcycles including a 1910 Merkel and 1914 Excelsior. There’s even a racing lawn mower and rocket barstool (yes, you are reading that correctly)!
 Climb the stairs or take the elevator to the second floor exhibit space known as the West Gallery. It will feature rotating exhibits and shares space with the museum’s library, offices and a pink (not a typo) midget racer driven by Allentown’s own Eddie Sacks. During this visit, muscle cars were displayed. The curatorial staff gets an A+ for amassing a first-class cross-section of Detroit iron cleverly displayed amidst a backdrop of automotive ads and popular album covers of the era. The kids will be sure to ask, “What’s an album cover?” From the common and ordinary to the rare and obscure, cars include a 1964 Pontiac GTO Convertible with Tri-power, 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Coupe Z16, 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 427/435hp, 1967 Mercury Comet 2-Door (post) Sedan 427 with triple carbs, 1967 Shelby GT500 Coupe, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe 427 COPO, 1969 Plymouth Road Runner Coupe w/440 Six-Pack, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Coupe SS454 LS6, 1970 Plymouth Superbird, 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Coupe, 1970 AMC AMX Coupe 390 4-speed, and a 1972 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Coupe with W30 package. All were beautifully restored and in various period-correct colors, which added to the visual appeal of the exhibit. The museum is currently exhibiting cars from the Nicola Bulgari collection.
Of course, there’s the ubiquitous gift shop located back on the first floor. Even without a stop at the gift shop, America on Wheels should be on your must-see list. All the exhibits are beautifully and creatively displayed, well labeled, and logical and understandable. And this is one museum you can be sure to bring the kids to, but admittedly, you’ll have no trouble enjoying it as much, if not more, than they will.
The museum is located at 5 North Front Street in Allentown and can be contacted at 610-432-4200 or at www.americaonwheels.org. May-October it is open daily 10am to 5pm and November-April, Tuesday –Sunday 10am to 5pm, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Organizers expect to attract some 50,000 visitors per year. You owe it to yourself to be one of those 50,000 who find his or her way to Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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