Speedway Motors is a huge mail-order auto parts company located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their founder, Bill Smith, is famous in sprint car circles as the sponsor of famed circle-trackers like Jan Opperman and Doug Wolfgang. He has been involved in all phases of motor sports, including sprints, Indy cars, Pikes Peak hillclimbers, dragsters, and hot rods. Speedway's huge 520,000-square-foot headquarters sits on 42 acres near downtown Lincoln, and the lucrative business is still run by Smith, his wife Joyce, and sons Jason, Carson, Craig, and Clay.
The success of this business has allowed Smith to indulge his passion for historic racing cars, performance engines, and pedal cars. Housed in an elegant three-story building separate from the Speedway fulfillment center, the Smith Collection Museum features polished stone floors and specially fabricated displays to showcase the hundreds of ultra-rare engines, cars, and speed parts on display. Many car museums feature cars replicated by the kit car industry, so it's nice to visit a museum that features kit cars worthy of display on their own merits. Join us for a photo tour of the museum.
This T-bucket was built by...
This T-bucket was built by a Speedway employee from damaged or rejected body panels in the 1970s. It was a dirt-cheap way to get a great rod, and it still looks good today.
Frank Kurtis reportedly only...
Frank Kurtis reportedly only built 34 to 38 of these Ford-based sports cars, which were sold in kit or turnkey form starting in 1949. They had Ford chassis with various engines. The basic design was later used on the Muntz Jet.
Kit cars are nothing new....
Kit cars are nothing new. These two Model T Speedsters have kit bodies from the 1920s. The white body was built by Paco in 1920, the red one by Mercury.
The late Jan Opperman drove...
The late Jan Opperman drove this 1976 "4X" Chevy-powered sprint car built and campaigned by Speedway Motors. Opperman was legendary for his over-the-top driving style.
This great "might-have-been"...
This great "might-have-been" Tucker was used in the Jeff Bridges movie.
These vintage soap box derby...
These vintage soap box derby cars were built at home by their young pilots.
Dioramas like this preWar...
Dioramas like this preWar race shop put the history of racing into perspective.
This display highlights a...
This display highlights a collection for flathead Ford superchargers. Any of these would light up a traditional rod kit.
The walls in the Smith Collection's...
The walls in the Smith Collection's restoration shop are lined with race heads for the venerable flathead Ford.
When's the last time you saw...
When's the last time you saw a single-overhead-cam Ford 289? Never? Well, Smith has the only survivor of three built as FoMoCo experiments in 1968. The cams were belt driven.
Studebaker twin-cam V-8s were...
Studebaker twin-cam V-8s were designed for the 1953 Indy 500 by Miller and Offy designer Leo Goosen. Smith has two of the three made, as well as Goosen's drafting table.
Ardun OHV conversion heads...
Ardun OHV conversion heads for the flathead Ford were designed by Zora Arkus-Duntov, later the guiding light of the Corvette. These are ultra-rare originals, not repro.
Two GM six-bangers sport vintage...
Two GM six-bangers sport vintage speed equipment, including Wayne heads and exotic manifolds.
This prewar Quarter-Midget...
This prewar Quarter-Midget was powered by an Elto outboard boat engine.
Roof twin-plug heads made...
Roof twin-plug heads made the flathead come alive. It just doesn't get much cooler than this.
Moser twin-cam heads made...
Moser twin-cam heads made the small-block Chevy sing in the 1970s (designer Richard Moser was also a musician). Most were used on circle-track cars. Smith has two, this one and another mounted in the sprint car it was raced in.
Frontenac speed equipment...
Frontenac speed equipment was made for Ford racing engines by the Chevrolet brothers in the 1910s and 1920s.
Leo Lyons Hemi heads for the...
Leo Lyons Hemi heads for the small-block Chevy were used in drag and circle-track racing. These make Unicorns look as common as squirrels.
Ever wonder what happens to...
Ever wonder what happens to experimental engines? All these Ford Model T, A, and B rarities were built in Henry Ford's personal machine shop at his house for complete secrecy. Note the twin cam at right; some others are air-cooled.
In another part of the Speedway...
In another part of the Speedway operation, new all-steel '32s are being assembled. You can order any color you want so long as it's red.