One of the top ten automobile collections in the country (according to Car Collector magazine), the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum has a distinguished history in preserving examples of that most distinctive 20th century invention, the motor car. The museum itself is undergoing change as a new facility - the Crawford Museum of Transportation and Industry - is under construction.
Amongst its 200 antique, vintage, and classic automobiles and aircraft - which documents the technological and stylistic development of the transportation industry - is the first enclosed automobile ever produced: an 1897 Panhard et Levassor. With a focus on early cars actually made in Cleveland, the collection comes more up to date with Bobby Rahal's 1982 March Indy Car, which was the first winner of the Cleveland 500.
Between 1898 and 1931, Cleveland accounted for over 80 car models and, in 1903, five years after Cleveland's pioneer automobile builder Alexander Winton sold his first car, he was said to have been the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Not only is the first car he sold on display but so is the Winton Bullet, a former land speed record holder, from 1902.
Northeastern Ohio's contribution to aviation is also showcased, including the Curtiss Hydroaeroplane from around 1912 to 1914, flown by Cleveland's most prominent aviator, Al Engel.
Not surprisingly in 2003 - the Centennial of Flight year (celebrating 100 years since the Wright brothers made their first successful powered flight in 1903) there was special interest in the fascinating local history of flight, but there is never any shortage of interest in all things mechancial to make a visit to the museum a must for the whole family.