TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Aug. 22, 2023 - The Hagerty Drivers Foundation is hosting its annual "Cars at the Capital" exhibition on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from August 31 – September 11. The 33rd and 34th vehicles to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register – a 1937 Cord 812 Convertible Phaeton Sedan Chassis No. 1714 and a 1952 Porsche America Roadster (Type 540) – will be displayed in a beautifully lit glass enclosure between the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the United States Department of Agriculture. This free, pop-up exhibit is put on by the Foundation each year to educate the general public about the cultural significance of the automobile and its role in shaping modern society.

Amelia Earhart acquired this Cord 812 Phaeton less than a year before she, navigator Fred Noonan and her Lockheed 10E Electra disappeared over the South Pacific in 1937. In September 1936, Earhart was famously photographed standing with the Cord and the airplane she would ultimately take on her final flight. Owned by: The JBS Collection Restored by: LaVine Restorations, Inc.

One of Porsche’s first factory-built race cars, the Type 540 was nicknamed the America Roadster as the model was conceived thanks to the influence of John von Neumann and Max Hoffman for the U.S. market. Neumann’s stepdaughter, Josie, raced this America Roadster after he sold it to entrepreneur John Crean. The America Roadster and the influence of Neumann and Hoffman helped launch Porsche's success and longstanding heritage as a competition leader in the U.S. Owned by: The Ingram Collection Restored by: Road Scholars

Each Saturday (September 2 and 9) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Hagerty Drivers Foundation will host "Cars at the Capital Family Festival Day.” This event is free to the public and will take place rain or shine. Located around the glass enclosure on the National Mall, festivities for the young and the young at heart will include: a tire changing station, an activity book focused on cars in the National Historic Vehicle Register, and a free play table with a track and cars. In addition, food trucks will be located on the gravel walkway closest to the USDA Building from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Hagerty Drivers Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit launched in 2021 by Hagerty. With the purpose of shaping the future of car culture while celebrating our automotive past, the Hagerty Drivers Foundation provides scholarships for students in the automotive field of education, as well as students seeking formal driver education training. In addition, the Foundation continues to build a federally recognized program – the National Historic Vehicle Register – that documents and records the important history of our automotive past. For more information, please visit https://driversfoundation.org/.

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