0 Our Year in Review: 2014

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

This was another exciting and rewarding year for the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum. We received some prestigious awards, celebrated our 5th anniversary, and retained our rating as the #1 Fairbanks visitor attraction on TripAdvisor. In February we were awarded the AACA Plaque for Outstanding Achievement in the Preservation of Automotive History by the Antique Automobile Association of America. We are honored that the AACA recognized not just our commitment to preserve and exhibit antique vehicles, but also the effort we have dedicated to researching, archiving, and sharing automotive history--including through this blog.

Other notable highlights from 2014 include:

• We updated our display of large-format photographs featuring scenes from Alaska's early motoring days and produced a printed guide to the museum's photo exhibit.

• We opened a new exhibit titled Extreme Motoring: Alaska's First Automobiles and Their Daring Drivers. This display about the first autos in the Territory and the hardships faced by their drivers was featured in Alaska Air Magazine, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Museums Alaska newsletter, ClassicCars.com, PrincessLodges.com, and several television and radio channels.

• Due to high interest and positive feedback, we continued our "Beauty and the Bird" feathered hat exhibit. We also added several new fashion displays to the galleries.

• In June we hosted the 3rd biennial Alaska Midnight Sun Cruise-In at Wedgewood Resort. Despite rainy weather, we had excellent participation from car owners from around the state, a dry cruise to the Salmon Bake, and a good audience turnout for the car show before the skies opened that afternoon.

• Several new acquisitions were added to our collection, including a 1905 Franklin and 1910 Kelsey. We stabilized our 1915 Mack truck and put it on display outside the museum. Our docents constructed a replica of the first car to win an organized race in Alaska, a Ford Model T racer.

• Record rainfall in Fairbanks prevented us from exercising many of the museum cars, but we did manage to get several out on the road, even during December. We showed our 1911 Ford Model T depot hack and 1932 Chrysler at the annual Vernon L. Nash Antique Car Club of Alaska show and drove our 1919 Pierce-Arrow in the annual Golden Days Parade.

• We entered our 1917 Owen-Magnetic in the Pacific Northwest Concours d'Elegance in Tacoma in September. We were pleased to take home the Best in Class trophy in the Antiques class. Congratulations to Al and Paul Murray for their fine work on this unique car.

• We produced a new coloring book about Alaska automobile pioneer Bobby Sheldon. The book was illustrated by Fairbanks artist Sandy Jamieson and authored by our historian, Nancy DeWitt.

• Brad Dietrich joined our team as a mechanic, providing much-needed assistance to manager Willy Vinton. As always, we had fantastic help from our dedicated group of docents.

• We rescued the remains of the original Fageol safety coach that was used by the Mt. McKinley Transportation Company in what is now Denali National Park.

• Staff represented the museum as several events, including the National Association of Automobile Museums annual conference in Los Angeles, Scottsdale Auction Week, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, Bakersfield and Hershey swap meets, and Museums Alaska Conference in Seward.

• We expanded the selection of items in the museum gift shop, including vintage-inspired jewelry, retro hats, and new t-shirt designs.

• Our book, Alaska's Fountainhead Collection: Vintage Treads and Threads, was updated for a second printing and will go on sale in 2015.

Thank you for another great year!

Coming to Fairbanks to see the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and other area attractions? Support the museum by staying right here at Wedgewood Resort. 

Detail: Our Year in Review: 2014

0 On the Road: Pacific Northwest Concours d'Elegance

 by Willy Vinton      

© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

My wife Wilma and I traveled to Washington state recently to help prepare the museum's 1917 Owen Magnetic for the Pacific Northwest Concours at the LeMay - America's Car Museum. When we arrived at Murray Motor Car in Monroe on Friday, September 5, it was obvious there was still some work to be done. A few parts had to be installed and fitted, and we needed to find minor items including leather lace for the hood, some O-rings, and leather straps. With a wave of the Murray crew's magic wand, it all came together, and then we moved on to polishing.

Next we bolted on the running boards and hood. After some minor touch up, I was able to take the car for a test drive, with Paul Murray along just in case we had mechanical problems. The car ran great and ran cool with no major issues. By 10 pm Saturday night we finally had the car loaded and secured for the ride to Tacoma.

On Sunday morning we had to get to the show field before 8 am, as the event opened to the public at 9. There were about 160 cars on the field, and 11 in our class.









I have to say that once again the show staff helping our class was great to work with, and very helpful with any needs that arose. The Owen Magnetic attracted a lot on onlookers and questions about how the car operated. Not surprisingly, we heard a lot of "Did they really have hybrids back then?"





It's always thrilling when you learn your car has won an award. To show off the Owen Magnetic's unique transmission, I drove it down to the awards holding area on gas, then finished the drive to the winner's circle on electricity. I think the folks finally understood then that the car really could run on electricity alone.

Here we are receiving the First in Class award for the Pre-1920 Brass/Antiques Class. Many thanks to the organizers who put on this great event, to the LeMay - America's Car Museum for hosting the concours, and to U.S. Bank for sponsoring it. We are also grateful to everyone who came to see the cars. The event's proceeds will support the Hagerty Education Program at the LeMay.



We are also deeply indebted to Al and Paul Murray for their outstanding skill and effort restoring the Owen to concours quality. This win speaks highly of their abilities, and we are fortunate to have them work on our cars. They are presently working on our Kelsey, so stay tuned for updates on that.

Detail: On the Road: Pacific Northwest Concours d'Elegance

0 Owen Magnetic Restoration Update

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

Certainly one of the more interesting cars in our collection is our 1917 Owen Magnetic, one of about a dozen known extant. I have seen only a handful of other Owen Magnetics, including ones at Jay Leno's, the Nethercutt Museum (2), and the Tupelo Automobile Museum. Ours came to us from the J. Parker Wickham Collection, in fair shape with a burgundy paint job. We've had it out on the road several times. It drives great, but a crack in the top of the block was a concern.

Clockwise from top left: 1917 Model M-25 touring (formerly at Nethercutt); 1921 Model 60 phaeton (Nethercutt);  1916 M-25 touring 1916 (Leno); 1916 M-25 touring (Tupelo).

1916 Owen Magnetic Model O-36 7-passenger touring car
Photo courtesy of the Western Reserve Historical Society

Other Owen Magnetics can be found in the Crawford Auto Aviation Collection (right) and at the Louwman Museum.

In October of 2012, we sent our Owen south for a frame-off restoration and block repair at Murray Motor Car in Monroe, WA. It's been in the talented hands of Al and Paul Murray ever since, and boy, have their hands been full! They completely rebuilt the engine and had the block repaired by "Cast Iron Mike," the northwest's preeminent cast-iron welder. The water pump, carburetor, and magneto were rebuilt, a new muffler was installed, and the rear springs, real wheel bearings, and front hub seals were replaced. The car now has all new nickel plating, new windshield glass, new front floorboards, a new top, and new carpet in the rear.

The Murrays also completely stripped and repainted the car and powder coated the wheels. It still needs some finishing touches, but we'll have it ready for the Pacific Northwest Concours d'Elegance at the LeMay - America's Car Museum on September 7. We can't wait to see and drive the newly restored car, and hope to see you at the show! If you miss it, the Owen Magnetic should be back in Alaska in October.

Detail: Owen Magnetic Restoration Update

0 Owen Magnetic Update

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

In the fall of 2012 we sent our 1917 Owen Magnetic Model M-25 touring car south to Murray Motor Car in Monroe, Washington, for some work. The Owen Magnetic was one of the most unusual and technologically advanced cars of its time, and was essentially an ancestor to today’s hybrid cars. It was most notable for its attempt to defeat the problem of shifting gears by means of an electromagnetic transmission designed by Justus B. Entz.

The Owen Magnetic’s drive mechanism had no direct connection between the internal-combustion engine (A) and the rear wheels. Instead, the engine powered a generator attached to the rear of the engine's crankshaft and caused a horseshoe-shaped magnet (B) to spin. This imparted energy to a steel armature (C) fitted into the air space inside the whirling magnet, causing it to spin via magnetic imbalance. This in turn induced current in the armature (E) of a conventional electric motor (D), which provided the energy to turn the drive shaft and propel the engine's rear wheels.

This continuously variable transmission produced an unlimited number of forward speeds, leading to the Owen Magnetic being marketed as “The Car of a Thousand Speeds.” The transmission, which also served as an electric starter, regenerative brake, and battery charger, was controlled by a small lever on the steering wheel. Speed was regulated by a separate lever.

The Owen Magnetic was one of the most expensive U.S. automobiles produced at a time when the average car cost about $1,000 and a Ford Model T cost less than $400. Its exceptionally smooth, quiet ride and beautiful coachwork by Baker, Rauch & Lang appealed to wealthy clientele, especially those who had trouble shifting. Celebrities, including Italian opera star Enrico Caruso, were drawn to the elegance and smooth operation of this “aristocrat of motor cars."

What color should we paint the wheels?

The top of the block on our Owen Magnetic was cracked into the water jacket, so we sent the car back in the truck that delivered our Biddle and McFarlan. We figured while it was in Al and Paul Murray's hands we'd have them repair some body cracks and repaint the car a dark gray. By the time they are finished it will be in show condition, and we plan to display it at the Pacific Northwest Concours at the LeMay Museum before sending it back north.

Of the 974 Owen Magnetics built from 1915 to 1921, only about a dozen are known to survive. We acquired this one from J. Parker Wickham.

Coming to Fairbanks to see the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and other area attractions? Support the museum by staying right here at Wedgewood Resort. All guests receive half-price admission to the museum!

Detail: Owen Magnetic Update