Imagine you’re driving down Interstate 5, about 20 minutes south of downtown Portland, Ore. As you approach the suburb of Wilsonville, you catch a glimpse of a former car dealership, which has four classic NASCAR race cars mounted to the wall. You may be a car nut, but you’re not crazy. It’s real. You’ve just passed the World of Speed Museum that opened in April.
Notable NASCARs are displayed on a 31-degree wall that emulates the banking at Daytona.
The first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, the building is now home to an eclectic mix of historic race cars, motorcycles, muscle cars, and a pair of vintage hydroplanes. All told, there are about 100 examples of automotive machinery to drool over.
“Old Number One”, the 1929 Bentley that won LeMans that year, greets museum visitors.
Previously Unwritten Chapter
Not many enthusiasts realize the significant history of motorsports in this corner of the country. As far back as 1909, the American Automobile Association’s first national championship race took place near Portland, where Bert Dingley steered his Chalmers-Detroit to a first-place finish on a 14.6-mile dirt street course.
In the years that followed, many legendary drivers, mechanics and builders hailed from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. Quite a few of these local legends are highlighted at the World of Speed, along with race tracks such as the old Portland Speedway and Jantzen Beach Arena, Portland International Raceway, and Woodburn Dragstrip.
Elsewhere on the exhibit floor is a large space devoted to local flat-track motorcycle racing—with a special focus on a much-loved racing venue called Sidewinders.
The flat track motorcycle exhibit pays homage to Portland’s old Sidewinders dirt track.
Racing Heroes: Local and Global
The museum also pays homage to racing on an international level. The “Zero to 1,000 MPH” wall showcases the fascinating history of the world land speed record. Like a walk through time, visitors can study historic photographs, print articles and scale models of racers through the ages. Also featured are several of Mickey Thompson’s fleet of machines, including the record-breaking Challenger 1, the Assault 1, and Attempt.
Four of Mickey Thompson’s racers highlight the land speed record display.
The NASCAR display includes Jim Vandiver’s 1974 Dodge Charger, Cale Yarborough’s 1979 Olds, and the Chevy Monte Carlos of Richard Petty (1979), Jeff Gordon (1995), Terry Labonte (1988), and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000).
The museum’s diverse collection showcases cars that were raced by Al Unser Jr., Brian Redmond, Danica Patrick, Mark Blundell, and local heroes Len Sutton, Art Pollard, and Parker Johnstone.
Rolla Vollstedt’s home-built 1965 Indy Car was piloted by Len Sutton.
The 81,000 square-foot facility was extensively remodeled in order to accommodate roughly 100 vehicles. Beyond the main exhibit floor, there are two classrooms, a research library, and a special room set up just for youngsters to explore their own world of speed. The second floor contains a large conference room plus a unique 1960s-vintage lounge that is available for group rentals. For educational purposes, the former dealership’s shop area was left intact and features ten service bays with lifts.
Regardless of age, Walter Mitty-types bent on racing can purchase seat time on a trio of race car simulators: a 1962 Lotus Formula car, Adrian Fernandez’s 1995 Lola Indy Car, or Johnny Benson’s 1998 Ford Taurus NASCAR.
The World of Speed is open to the public six days a week (closed Mondays). For additional information visit www.worldofspeed.org.
See Hot Wheels Speed Machines for sale on eBay.
