Ford's 125-car historic vault opens to visitors in former Amazon warehouse

A former Amazon warehouse in Romulus, Michigan, has been turned into a home for 125 historically significant vehicles from Ford's collection. Called the Ford Vault, the 79,000-square-foot facility brings together more than a century of automotive history, including rare racing cars, concept vehicles, classic Mustangs and automobiles associated with television and popular culture.Ford is opens the doors of the new facility to select members of the public and company employees on Saturday.

The special event was sold out, but the company says it plans to organise more opportunities for visitors to see the collection. According to ABC news, the vehicles were previously kept at Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, and at other locations.The new facility is located inside a former Amazon fulfilment centre in Romulus, a suburb of Detroit. It provides a single space for Ford's Heritage Fleet, which includes vehicles that played important roles in the company's history.

The collection features racing cars, design experiments, historic trucks and vehicles that became part of American popular culture.Ford says the facility is not just meant to preserve old vehicles. It has also been designed as a working archive where the company's designers, engineers and other employees can study earlier models and ideas. The aim is to give them access to the designs and experiments that shaped Ford as they work on future vehicles.Ted Ryan, Ford's archives and heritage brand manager, said the company did not want to keep the collection hidden from the public.“You don’t create an experience like this and a space like this and then hide it away,” Ryan said.

“We’re going to find a way to make it available to the car community in Michigan as soon as we can.”Ford Vault brings together 125 historic vehiclesThe collection includes 125 vehicles from Ford's Heritage Fleet. These range from cars built for motorsport to concept models that helped shape later production vehicles. It also includes automobiles connected with films, television shows and other aspects of popular culture.Ciera Casteel, Ford's archives manager, said the new facility gives the vehicles a dedicated space.

“Here, we can actually have a purpose-built space for the cars,” she said as quoted by ABC news. “That's our legacy. That's what we do here. That is what this company is.”Among the vehicles on display are the first three cars to cross the finish line at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race became widely known through the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale.

The three cars are among the collection's major highlights and represent an important part of Ford's racing history.Another unusual exhibit is a 2005 Mustang GT proof-of-concept. The vehicle helped pave the way for the Shelby GT350. Engineers gave it the nickname “Johnny Cash”, inspired by the singer's song “One Piece at a Time”. The song tells the story of an autoworker who builds a car using mismatched parts.The prototype has undergone several changes over the years, with different components added to it.

Ryan compared its appearance to Frankenstein because of the parts attached to it.“It's like Frankenstein. Things have been bolted onto Johnny over the years. This is the first time he's ever been displayed,” he said.From a British-built Model T to a television MustangThe Vault also contains vehicles that have unusual histories beyond their connection with Ford. One of them is a 1910 right-hand-drive Model T built in the United Kingdom.

The car remained there until 2025, when it became part of Ford's Heritage Fleet. Its inclusion adds an example of the company's early international vehicle production to the collection.Another notable vehicle is a 1973 Mustang convertible featured in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The car was sold in 1974 and remained in private ownership for several decades. Ford bought it last year and brought it into the historic collection.The Mustang's body underwent restoration work in 1999, but its interior remains original.

Its connection with the television show makes it one of the vehicles that demonstrate Ford's presence in popular culture.The collection also includes Jay Leno's 1934 Flathead Ford pickup truck, along with historic police cruisers, a 1938 ambulance and several concept vehicles.These vehicles show the different types of automobiles Ford has produced or developed over the years. The collection brings together models associated with racing, everyday transport, vehicle design and entertainment.A working archive for Ford's designers and engineersThe Ford Vault has been developed as more than an exhibition space.

The company wants its employees to use the collection to understand earlier designs and learn from the ideas behind them.Designers and engineers will be able to examine older vehicles closely and study how their features changed over time. The collection is expected to provide references for employees working on new designs.One example highlighted by Ford is the first F-150 built at the Rouge complex.

Its design looks considerably different from the trucks currently being produced there, showing how the vehicle has changed over the years.Gordon Platto, Ford's design director, said seeing the vehicles in person could spark ideas and influence the design process.The company took about three years to develop the facility. It can accommodate up to 5,000 people, according to Ford.Ryan said the building also contains several unexpected features for visitors.

“There's ‘surprise and delight’ moments throughout the building,” he said.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.