A recommended museum in Lincoln, Nebraska [mostly photographs]

[Daniel Kalal]

Speedway Motors  is a large  supplier of racing parts and equipment located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
 

 
Just across the parking lot, you'll find the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
 

 
It's much larger and more comprehensive that anything I've seen.  If  it's about racing engines used in the United States, you'll very likely find  it here.  There are three floors of display area, with room after room  of more.
 

 
Harry Miller is the father of it all.  Out of his shops (and those  that developed from them) came the most winning American racing engines of  all time.
 
   
 
   
 
The collection is particularly good when it comes to oval racing--both  dirt and pavement.
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
   
 
   
 
Engines of all types and all makes.  I cannot imagine there are any  gaps.  Many are prototype engines of successful engines to come (and a  few that were not so successful).
 

 
The museum technician is working on a one-of-a-kind prototype engine.
 
 
 
Land speed cars and engines.
 
   
 
Early Nascar.
 

 
   
 
Not racing, but still significant.  The Tucker (along with spar engine).
 
 
 
Original posters for hot-rod movies from the fifties and sixties.
 

 
Company by company displays of racing heritage over the years.
 

 
 
 

 
It's a racing spark plug collection.
 

 
Engines and more engines.  This is likely the largest collection of its  kind in the world.
 

 
 
 

 
The prototype Ford flathead V8.
 
 
 
Pedal cars of all kinds.
 

 
Lunch boxes.
 

 
automotive children's toys.
 

 
 
 
Sound effect 33 1/3 albums.
 

[Gliderjohn]

Very cool!
GliderJohn

[PJPR01]

Bookmarked for a future visit!  Looks cool!

[rtbickel]

Approaching full wood.  Now on the bucket list for ASAP.

[twowings]

Thanks for the heads-up! 

[rboe]

Holy Moly!!

[John Ulrich]

Thanks for the memory review!  The tour is not to be missed if in the area.  Check the website for tour times

[LowRyter]

I am big fan of open wheel racing and have read some on Harry Miller (the "Offenhauser" was also one of his original designs).

I read that one his draftsmen wanted a critical dimension in an engineering drawing, Miller would spread his fingers apart and the draftsman would mic the distance.  Many times the measurement would be the actual spec.

[Jim Rich]

Wow.  A bit boggling, like Barber.

[Daniel Kalal]

...the "Offenhauser"...

Yeah; getting some 400 hp reliably out of a lightweight 250 ci 4 cylinder engine is pretty amazing (and much more if you blow on it).  The whole Miller-to-Offenhauser chronology is well presented in the museum.

[Guido Valvole]

Leo Goossen was the man who made Harry Miller's ideas into metal. He later worked with Fred Offenhauser, who "inherited" Miller's operation, and also designed the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder desmo engine for the ill-fated Reventlow Scarab F1 car in the late 1950s.

Ettore Bugatti respected Miller enough to do a trade for a couple of FWD Miller 91s, which had a major influence on 1930s Bugatti engines.

My maternal grandparents lived in Hastings NE but I haven't been there since 1966. It's only about 1500 miles to Lincoln from California…
cr

[Daniel Kalal]

Leo Goossen was the man who made...

Goosen's large drafting table with one of his engine drawings laid out is on display--and much more.

[LowRyter]

Leo Goossen was the man who made Harry Miller's ideas into metal. He later worked with Fred Offenhauser, who "inherited" Miller's operation, and also designed the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder desmo engine for the ill-fated Reventlow Scarab F1 car in the late 1950s.


cr

I read in Road and Track that during the restoration of the Scarab they discovered the flaw in the production of Scarab engine.  One wrong part and the car never ran right.  Once restored the car ran quite well. 

Who knows if the car was sorted right in the beginning what would've come to future US involvement in F1?

[Chuck in Indiana]

Miller was a mechanical genius of the highest order..I've marveled at his stuff at the Indy museum. Thanks, Daniel! I have a new place to visit..

[EldoMike]

Amazing! Thanks for the heads up...

[leafman60]

Looks good.  Speedway has an extensive catalog of speed parts.  I've ordered from them.  Good service.

[oldbike54]

 The Miller/Offenhauser/Meyer Drake engine was a marvel . Read years ago that a couple of attempts were made to employ it as an F1 engine , the problem was the 4 Cyl vibrated badly and F1 cars being light and fragile had trouble with cracked parts . The old Indy front engine roadsters were long heavy things in comparison and could absorb the punishment . The later turbo iterations used in the rear engine cars were made to operate with less vibration . What a wonderfully elegant design the Offy was , the late versions could produce close to 950 HP in qualifying trim .

 Thanks Deke , what an amazing display of racing technology .

  Dusty

[Guido Valvole]

I see a long road trip at some point...

Dusty - Rodger Ward, who won the Indy 500 that year, ran the 1959 US Grand Prix at Sebring in an Offy Midget. 1.7-liters to F1s 2.5 and a 2-speed gearbox and solid axles to 4- of 5-speeds and mid-engined Coopers conquering all. Totally outclassed, but he did go better in Formula Libre races elsewhere.

Plenty of Miller-Offy influence in the Scarab engine but the car was obsolete when it debuted as the mid-engine revolution had begun. And even Reventlow didn't have the budget for proper development. I saw it at the Monterey Historics years back. I was standing nearby when it was fired up. YOWZA! My ears still hurt, made a couple of Marshall stacks seem quiet. A fine finger to the NIMBYs around Laguna Seca.

The 4.2-liter Offys had quite the reputation for vibration. Big 4-cylinder engine, no such thing as balance shafts, and running at pretty high revs, no surprise. Hey something had to make Brit bikes seem smooth...   The 2.2 to 2.5-liter Coventry Climax fours used by the Brits in F1 in 59-60 probably weren't much smoother.
cr