In 1898, Walter C. Baker established the Baker Motor Vehicle Company in Cleveland, Ohio, to manufacture electric automobiles. He built one of the most refined and desired American electrics. It was popular, particularly with women, for its silence and ease of starting and driving. Baker electrics were introduced in 1900 at the first National Automobile Show held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Baker electric ranged in price from $1,250 - $3,500, versus $650 - $1,500 for a steam car and $1,000 - $2,000 for a gasoline car. Since a long journey could not be guaranteed (batteries required recharging every 50 miles), the Baker Motor Vehicle Company discontinued production in 1916.

Which celebrity donated their Baker electric car to the National Automobile Museum?

The new 16-cylinder Cadillac made its first public appearance in the form of a majestic Imperial Landau Sedan with Fleetwood coachwork at the 1930 New York Automobile Show. In an era of fours, sixes and straight-eights, the public was dazzled by the very notion of a 16-cylinder powerplant. Serial numbers would range from 1 to 400 and the owner’s name and the car’s serial number would be engraved on a special plate attached as an integral part of the car. Despite the technological innovations and high quality custom coachwork, Cadillac sales dropped yearly as the Depression continued to devastate the luxury car market.

Which famous singer and movie star in the 1920s and 1930s ordered number 56 of the 126 five-passenger All-Weather Phaeton ever produced?

The Chrysler Newport, one of the last dual cowl phaetons, was designed by Ralph Roberts and custom-built by LeBaron, Carrossiers in Detroit. The car featured an all-aluminum body, concealed headlamps, folding windshield and hide-away top. There were a total of six Newports constructed by Chrysler as show vehicles and four are known to exist today. One of the Newports was selected as the 1940 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. This was the first and is still the only time a non-production car has been used in this event.

The original owner of the car displayed at the National Automobile Museum was millionaire playboy Henry J. “Bob” Topping, who customized the car by substituting a Cadillac engine and transmission for the Chrysler components. He also personalized the car by having his name cast into the hubcaps and engine valve covers and adding his initials to the grill.

Bob Topping was one-time owner of the New York Yankees and a former relative of which celebrity?

In the 1955 movie, “Rebel without A Cause,” a famous actor drove this 1949 Mercury Series 9CM Six-Passenger Coupe, which was mildly customized for the movie by being de-chromed. The movie’s premiere showing was at New York’s Aster Theatre in October of 1955, one month after the actor’s death. Few automobiles have developed such a “cult” following as this Mercury, one of the most famous movie cars in history.

Who was this actor?

The “Corvette” was named after a small, fast naval vessel. In the years immediately following WW II, European sports cars such as MGs and Jaguars trickled into the United States. Servicemen had enjoyed these fast, maneuverable sport cars and, in the exuberant climate of postwar America, there was increasing demand for a sports car built in the United States.

Chevrolet built the first Corvette as a “dream car” to display at the New York City Motorama in January of 1953. The car created such tremendous interest that Chevy pushed ahead and put the car into production in June (probably a record for the introduction of a new model). To help speed up delivery, and to save the cost of metal dies for the production of sheet metal bodies, Corvettes had bodies made of reinforced fiberglass, a first for production cars. As performance and handling characteristics were improved in subsequent models, Corvettes established themselves as the only true American-built sports cars, a distinction they still enjoy to the present day.

The Corvette displayed at the National Automobile Museum was the 51st Corvette built. Who purchased it, pilgrim?

Virgil Exner designed a series of Chrysler “dream cars” in 1950 before selling the rights to Gene Casaroll, owner of Automobile Shippers, Inc. and Dual Motors Corporation of Detroit in 1955. Using a Dodge Firebomb V-8 engine and Dodge chassis fitted with Ghia bodywork in convertible form, Dual-Ghia production began in 1956. Production of a hardtop Dual-Ghia began late in 1960 with a 335 hp Chrysler V-8 engine. The interiors are very luxurious, having an impressive instrument panel with a console that drops and curves onto the transmission hump.

After 26 Ghias had been produced, production ceased in 1963 when Gene Casaroll died.

The very first Ghia L6.4 ever built is on display at the National Automobile Museum ~ which celebrity purchased it?

First introduced in 1967, the front-wheel-drive Cadillac Eldorado received substantial exterior styling changes for 1973. The Eldorado Coupe sported a bold, new “eggcrate” grill attached to the front bumper. When the bumper wasstruck at low speeds, the entire grille retracted inward several inches, preventing damage to the grille and front-end sheet metal.

The Cadillac Custom Eldorado displayed at the National Automobile Museum was a birthday gift to this celebrity from his father. It was used as the celebrity’s personal car for several months until he (hint) gave it to his Karate instructor, Kang Rhee of Memphis, who trained him up to a 7th degree black belt.

Can you name this celebrity?