The Historic Goldenrod Land Speed Record Holder Inducted in the Henry Ford Museum

Bill Summers waited his turn for the podium this morning under the skylights of the famous Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. He had tears in his eyes. Others told the basic story of the long, sleek race car under the silk cover while he looked on beaming with pride. Dignitaries and dozens of members of the Detroit Automotive Press Association were assembled to hear this fascinating story. Bob Casey, curator of transportation at The Henry Ford, told how Bill and his late brother Bob, two young fellows totally untrained in engineering, two entirely self-taught mechanics and race car builders, designed and built the 32-foot-long, 4-engined, normally aspirated Bonneville racer that broke the land speed record held by British racers since the 1920s. The Goldenrod’s speed was over 409-miles-per-hour. This was 1965, by the way. The Summers Brothers’ record lasted until 1991.