Remarks
Fronted by a replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, the museum resembles a colossal (12-acre) automobile factory within and presents a veritable treasure trove of Americana. The museum's most popular exhibit, 100 Years of the Automobile in American Life, tells the story of the car's evolution and how it has changed the world. More than 150 cars and trucks are displayed, from the last remaining 1896 Duryea (American's first production car) to the classic 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. The Ford museum's other large exhibit, Made in America, puts the automobile in the context of the Industrial Revolution by showing the development of technology from a 1760 steam engine to the computer-dependent factories of today. In 2001 R. Buckminster Fuller's futuristic aluminum Dymaxion House opened in the Great Hall. Around these exhibits lie row upon row of fascinating objects, from the historic (the theater seat in which President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated) to the hilarious (a hot-dog-shaped Oscar Mayer Wienermobile). Adjacent to the museum, a new IMAX® Theatre shows two- and three-dimensional films on its 62ft-by-80ft flat screen.