6 of Our Favorite Cars from the American Automobile Experience

Located on the eastern edge of Kearney, Nebraska, the American Automobile Experience features an ever-changing collection of classic American cars from the 1920s through the muscle car era with a solid sampling of Japanese and European imports and more modern vehicles to round things out. Many cars are from local collectors, but relationships with other museums help the American Automobile Experience curate cars on rotation from across the country. During our mid-December visit, a five-car contingent from the James Hetfield Collection held a prominent place in the collection. All told, the museum’s collection includes more than 135 vehicles, all on loan. We took a tour with docent Earl Joy, who gave us an overview of the collection and some details on his favorites. Here are a few that stood out to us.

1966 Shelby GT350

In 1966, Shelby offered customers the option to add a centrifugal supercharger to its 289-powered GT350 for a punch of extra horsepower. This rare example of supercharged Shelby power is adorned with the signature of Shelby himself. Next to Shelby’s autograph on the glove box are those of several of Shelby American’s most recognizable drivers, including Phill Hill, who drove with Shelby to win their class in a Ferrari in the 1958 running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, and Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant, who co-drove the Shelby Daytona to a class win at the 1964 running the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

1968 Dick Harrell Chevelle

Even if you’re familiar with special performance Chevrolets built by Baldwin-Motion or Yenko, you might not have heard of Dick Harrell, who built similar super Chevys by swapping factory-installed L78 396 big-blocks for high-powered 427s. This 1968 Chevelle is just one of five that went under Dick Harrell’s transformation in 1968, and like the rest of them, it’s equipped with a 4:10 Positraction differential and a four-speed transmission. Besides the engine swap, the conversion included a twin-scoop hood reminiscent of the ram air hood used on some Olds 442s and Pontiac GTOs. This car is set to be restored to the condition it was in when delivered to Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix, Arizona.

1972 Pontiac Firebird Formula 455

The American Automobile Experience has a pair of 1974 SD 455 Trans Ams, some of the last potent muscle cars of the era as emissions regulations tightened their grip on power production. As much as we appreciate them, it’s the earlier Formula 455 that kept drawing our attention. We wouldn’t call it a sleeper, yet the fiberglass Formula hood with its twin scoops is somehow less ostentatious than the Trans Am with its shaker hood. This one is equipped with a four-speed manual and has just 10,381 miles on the odometer.

1970 Phase III Baldwin-Motion Chevelle

This gorgeous Chevelle was equipped with the rare Phase III package from Baldwin-Motion that took one of 1970’s most potent big-block V-8s and made it even more rowdy. Famed Motion Performance owner Joel Rosen worked his magic on this 454 with his adept tuning along with the installation of a Holley three-barrel carburetor. Beautifully restored by Artisan Coachworks in Hopatcong, New Jersey, less than 100 miles from where it was sold at Baldwin Chevrolet, this Chevelle won Best Muscle Car at the 2016 Greenwich Concours.

“Pete’s Patriot” AMC AMX

It’s not too common to find a single AMC AMX on display at a show or museum, yet the American Automobile Experience had a trio of the two-seaters side-by-side-by-side. It’s hard to pick a favorite among them, as the factory two-tone of flat black and gloss black looks amazing on the 1970 model, but it’s tough to ignore the two next to it, launching wheels-up in a simulated drag race. The cars involved in the “race” are the Steakmaker and Pete’s Patriot, both liveries of the same factory racer that went from local favorite to NHRA divisional champion. Pete Peterson ran Kearney’s AMC dealership and purchased the factory-prepped machine to compete in the 1969 Super Stock drag racing season. The race team, made of local high schoolers and driver Loren “Lou” Downing, pooled their money, time, and talent to win AMC’s first national championship series event, landing the car on National Dragster’s July 4, 1969 cover on the way to winning the Division V championship. Pete’s Patriot was later sold and became Steakmaker, so this car is a tribute to the real deal sitting beside it.

James Hetfield’s “Iron Fist” 1936 Ford

You can track the history of James Hetfield’s evolving taste in cars with his builds—they go from muscle cars to more traditional hot rods to sleek, sculpted one-off customs built by the likes of Rick Dore. Those later, coachbuilt customs are works of art and would be more at home on a concours lawn than at your average car show. Still, it’s the bare-metal “Iron Fist” that we keep coming back to. Built by Blue Collar Customs in Sacramento, California, the car was supposed to be fully smoothed and painted. Hetfield saw it in an unfinished state that showed the subtle scars of its chopped top and other custom work and wanted to preserve it in that state. It’s one of five cars from Hetfield’s collection that made their way here after being on display at the Petersen Museum.

Take a minute to flip through the slideshow to see more of the collection, and make sure to stop by if you find yourself near Kearney. The American Automobile Experience has plenty of variety to entertain any kind of car lover.