Hagerty Drivers Foundation

05/25/2026

On this Memorial Day, we honor those who have lost their lives while serving in the armed forces of the United States. We owe them a debt of gratitude and remembrance for their selfless acts! 🇺🇸

05/23/2026

The Indianapolis 500 race is an American tradition. Would you believe a Maserati was the winningest single car in Indy history?
This 1938 Maserati 8.C.T.F., known as The Boyle Special, won twice, finished 3rd twice, and 4th once.
Built originally for competition in European grand prix racing, the Maserati featured an exotic inline-eight cylinder alloy block engine with dual overhead cams, 16 valves, and two superchargers - rated at 365 horsepower!
The car was raced unsuccessfully in Italy, but in 1939 was purchased by Chicago union leader Michael Boyle for use in the Indy 500 where it was driven to victory by Wilbur Shaw. Through subsequent ownerships, it was used in competition through the early 1950s. Afterwards, it was returned to its famous Boyle Special configuration and is on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The Boyle Special was the 3rd vehicle to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. Learn more about it by seeing the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) photos and drawings in The Library of Congress here: https://bit.ly/3R13h2w
Historic photos courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

05/21/2026

Did you know the 1911 Marmon Wasp (winner of the very first Indy 500) is believed to have been the first race car to ever use a rear view mirror?
While most race cars carried a driver and riding mechanic, the driver, Ray Harroun wanted to fly solo for better odds of winning. Other drivers protested that this would be unsafe, so he devised a mirror mounted on rods to see behind him.
Although its use was ingenious at the time, Harroun, stated that it shook so much during the race that the mirror was practically useless.
Despite its ineffectiveness for the 1911 Indy 500, this small attempt at an advantage has become one of the most widely used pieces of hardware in automotive history!
The Marmon Wasp was the 11th vehicle to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. Today, it resides in the collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum !

05/14/2026

Chrysler pulled off a publicity stunt and test program all in one when they loaned an experimental Turbine-powered car to 203 American families in the mid-1960s.
Since they were a little different from cars most people understood, Chrysler printed this handy booklet to help new drivers operate it. Take a look through it with us, some details might surprise you!

Thanks to for providing us with a copy of this original literature. If you’re near Stahl’s in Michigan, check out their cruise night tonight on May 14th and you can win a chance to ride in the Turbine!

The Chrysler Turbine Car is the 32nd inductee to the National Historic Vehicle Register. Want to learn the whole story? Watch the documentary on YouTube: “The Chrysler Turbine Car: Engineering a Revolution”

05/11/2026

Check out the first Duesenberg sold to the public, now on display at The Henry Ford! On temporary loan from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, now is your chance to see it in the Motor City!

Officially added to the National Historic Vehicle Register in 2020, the 1921 Duesenberg Straight Eight now temporarily sits in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation for members and museum guests to view throughout the summer.

This is the first-ever passenger Duesenberg sold to the public and was deemed to be a vehicle of pure luxury, with a hefty price tag to show it. Luxury wasn’t the only selling point, however, as the Straight Eight introduced a new key feature for passenger vehicles — four-wheel hydraulic brakes.

On display in partnership with the National Historic Vehicle Register, powered by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, the historic vehicle can be found near our “Driven to Win: Racing in America” exhibit.

05/05/2026

It’s a Duesey! The very first production Duesenberg is now on display at The Henry Ford, in the National Historic Vehicle Register exhibit, driven by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation!
The Castle Duesenberg, a 1921 Duesenberg Straight Eight, represents the birth of America’s most storied and significant luxury automaker and is the first passenger car sold under the Duesenberg marque. The Castle Duesenberg features many of the engineering advancements the Duesenberg brothers had made famous through racing, such as four-wheel hydraulic brakes and a powerful first of its kind, overhead cam inline eight-cylinder engine. The car remained in the Castle family for almost 100 years before being donated to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in December 2019. This one of a kind Duesenberg was the 27th vehicle to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register.

04/29/2026

James Martin was a pilot and inventor who attempted several times to break into the automobile market, but his inventions never took off. He built this one-off, three-wheeled, woodie prototype in the 1950s as an alternative vehicle for city commuters with hopes of easing traffic congestion at the time. The Stationette is powered by a 4-cylinder, 65 cid, water-cooled Hercules engine, and utilizes an unconventional aircraft landing gear type suspension. Designed for short local trips such as commutes to the train station or airport, it has space for two passengers with light luggage. You can see this one, and other Martins at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee!

04/24/2026

Cars and cameras have practically grown up together. On this day in 1888, George Eastman formed Kodak. Much like the Model T put the world on wheels, Kodak put photography into the hands of regular people using simplified, affordable cameras and a mail-in photo developing system.
As the technologies matured, the world fell deeper in love with both. Next time you have a Kodak moment on your automotive adventure, think of George Eastman.

04/17/2026

It’s Mustang Day! On this day in 1964, Ford unveiled the Mustang, an instant hit that started a chain reaction in the automotive landscape.
History was made again in 1968 when this 390, 4-speed Mustang Fastback hit the silver screen, driven by none other than Steve McQueen. For generations, the Bullitt Mustang has captivated car enthusiasts around the world.
In 2018, this car came out of a decades-long slumber and was inducted to the National Historic Vehicle Register.