The American public has always loved its music and its cars, and they even love those cars of people who created the music they love. The Henry Ford Museum will cater to the whim of the public who have been longing for those famous vehicles which famous stars used in the past.
The exhibit dubbed as the Rock Stars’ Cars and Guitars will take place in June 9 of this year at the Henry Ford Museum located in Dearborn, Michigan. The exhibit will showcase eighteen cars which are as legendary as the people who once drove them. The soul of rock and roll will be bared to the public with the unveiling of the cars which includes the rides of Elvis Presley and John Lennon among others.
Aside from cars, the exhibit will also feature a wide variety of guitars that were once used by rock and roll superstars.
The exhibit will showcase cars, guitars, and motorcycles on loan from other museums and private individuals. The Petersen Automotive Museum, the Hard Rock Café, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum Inc. are the natural homes of the cars and guitars to be shown at the exhibit on the ninth of June. Christian Overland, the Vice President of Museums and Collections for The Henry Ford Museum, has this to say about the exhibit: "Rock & roll and custom-car culture are important expressions of American freedom and individualism. This exhibition presents an opportunity to see some of the iconic cars of rock & roll and understand the artistic expressions of the stars.”
Among the eighteen cars to be showcased at the event is the 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V owned by the immortal Beatles member John Lennon. True to the age where Lennon grew up, the car is pained in a psychedelic floral motif. This will surely have people silently singing “Imagine”.
Another legendary car which will make an appearance at the exhibit is the 1949 Cadillac custom designed by blues rock band ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons. The car is dubbed as the “CadZZilla” and is one of the most recognized hot rods in the rock world.
Another legendary car that will be showcased at the aforementioned event is the 1971 De Tomaso Pantera formerly owned by Elvis Presley. The popularity of the car is attributed to a bullet hole shot into the car by the King himself.
Another vehicle that will make an appearance at the event is the 1932 Ford Coupe “Silver Sapphire” which became famous when it appeared on the cover of another rock and roll icon - the Beach Boys’ album. The Silver Sapphire was featured in the cover of the “Little Deuce Coupe” album of the popular rock and roll band.
Another 1932 vehicle from Ford also made it to the exhibit. The Ford model in question is the 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Phaeton hot rod. The hot rod became popular when it was used by hard rock band Van Halen on the music video for their song “Hot for Teacher”. At the end of the music video, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth smoked the tires of the car as he sped away from the school.
