Ford will open its Vault in Romulus, Michigan, on Saturday for select public and employee guests to view 125 historic vehicles.
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Ford says it will open the doors to its new Vault in Romulus, Michigan, this weekend, allowing select members of the public and employees to view its collection of 125 historically significant vehicles on Saturday.
The company said tickets were snapped up quickly, but Ford Motor Co. also indicated there will be future showings of the Heritage Fleet collection.
Ford’s Vault is located inside a former Amazon fulfillment centre in Romulus, a Detroit suburb, and measures 79,000 square feet (7,339 square metres).
Ted Ryan, Ford’s Archives and Heritage Brand Manager, said the company built the experience to be seen rather than stored out of reach: “You don’t create an experience like this and a space like this and then hide it away.” He added, “We’re going to find a way to make it available to the car community in Michigan as soon as we can.”
Ryan said the Vault brings vehicles together in a purpose-built space for designers and engineers, explaining, “Here, we can actually have a purpose-built space for the cars.” Ford Archives Manager Ciera Casteel said, “That is what we do here. That is what this company is.”
Among the vehicles Ford highlighted were a 2005 Mustang GT proof-of-concept, nicknamed “Johnny Cash,” which engineers compared to a Frankenstein build as it collected components over the years; Ryan said, “This is the first time he's ever been displayed.”
Ford also listed the first three cars to cross the finish line at Le Mans in 1966, as well as a 1910 right-hand-drive Model T built in the U.K. that remained there until 2025, when it was added to the Heritage Fleet.
Other items described included a 1973 Mustang convertible associated with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which was sold in 1974 and remained in private ownership until Ford bought it last year; Ford said the body was restored in 1999 and the interior remains original.
Ford said the Vault was built as a working archive to give today’s teams access to the ideas and experiments that shaped the company. Ryan said the building includes “surprise and delight” moments throughout.
The company said its historic vehicle collection was previously housed at its Dearborn, Michigan headquarters and other locations.
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