Inside Ford’s $1bn Secret Bunker! | Secret Stash

The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, USA is one of the world’s biggest museums… but it isn’t big enough. Its curators and experts have amassed a mind-blowing collection of motoring exhibits, from record-breaking NASCARs and military hero machinery to one-off concepts and the world’s most uncomfortable-looking bike.
Problem is, there isn’t actually enough space inside the museum to showcase it all. So thousands of these treasures are locked away in a secret location, filling up what was once Ford Motor Company office space. And you’d never get to have a browse and hear the stories that lurk within - until now.
Join Top Gear Magazine’s Ollie Kew with Henry Ford Museum Transportation Curator Matt Anderson for an in-depth tour of this secret stash - and subscribe to the Top Gear KZbin channel so you don’t miss any of our future ultimate collection videos.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:49 - 1912 Baker Electric
01:25 - Ford X-100 Concept Car
02:27 - 1996 Lincoln Sentinel Concept Car
03:08 - Henry Ford’s own Ford Model T and Model A
04:13 - History of the secret vault
04:40 - 1949 MG TC
04:49 - 1926 Wills Sainte Claire
05:40 -1949 Mercury Coupe
06:19 - Bicycle Collection
07:18 - 1935 Ford with a flat-head V8
07:34 - 1930s DeSoto Airflow
07:56 -1920s Doble Steam Car and 1915 Owen Magnetic
08:37 - 1981 Ford Escort
08:53 - Ford Thunderbird
09:13 - Second Bicycle Collection
09:42 - Mako Shark Corvette Concept
10:31 - 1963 Buick Riviera
11:48 - Studebaker Avanti
12:28 - 1998 Ford Crossover Concept
13:01 - Ford’s 1953 Indy 500 Pace Car
13:49 - 1987 Ford Thunderbird NASCAR
14:43 - Yellow Cab Company Taxi
15:25 - Lincoln Blackwood Pick-Up
17:00 - 1965 Pontiac GTO
17:50 - Buick Roadmaster
18:24 - 1950 Chrysler New Yorker
18:39 - Chevrolet Safety Concept Car
18:57 - Ford Ranger Pickup Emergency Vehicle from 9/11
19:17 - 'Lincoln Lane'
19:48 - 1918 Nash Quad
20:18 - Dissected Second-Generation Ford GT
21:03 - A 1923 Lincoln presented by Henry Ford to Thomas Edison
21:34 - 2009 Ford Focus Electric Test Car
22:09 - JP Morgan Jr's Rolls Royce
22:43 - 2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Car
23:37 - 1932 Ford Hot Rod
23:52 - 1964 Pope Paul VI's Lincoln Continental Limo
25:11 - Henry Ford's 'Glamping' Car
26:01 - Henry Ford's Last Car
28:08 - Conclusion
WATCH MORE TOP GEAR:
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First Drives: bit.ly/TGFirstDrives
American Tuned ft. Rob Dahm: bit.ly/TGAmericanTuned
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[@tameezmotala]

James May would have appreciated this opportunity way more

[@yeoldeseawitch]

nah james may has changed he doesnt like old shit anymore. Ive honestly lost my respect for him

[@aluszewski02151]

Harry Metcalfe would be the right man for this opportunity.

[@nickz4993]

@@yeoldeseawitch You gotta have an open mind from time to time

[@rvne3959]

Smith and Sniff >>

[@N1ckZ]

​@@yeoldeseawitch "Oh no! EVs are faster and better at everything but they have no noise? What will I do? I like loud useless noises." That's what's probably going on inside your head.

[@Samo_Wings]

This was good. But the dude from top gear was asking a bunch of wrong questions. He could’ve gotten much more knowledge out of the curator.

[@quser1]

Totally agree! This TopGear guy is Not the best person to geek around with unique opportunity

[@NewbombedTurk]

He seemed pretty disinterested

[@etmccaus]

...yeah, unfortunately, that seems to be his schtick...

[@etmccaus]

Fortunately, Hagerty paid this same room a visit and made a better video.

[@Tiger_65674]

@@quser1yeah the guy was really making breaking bad references while the old dude probably had no idea what he was talking about 😂

[@williamakoo7666]

Ford, give this man a raise

[@PulledPurk]

"Is this a Lincoln?" Holy crap, why are you the host of a car show?

[@BurtSampson]

He hosts a BRITISH car show. This stuff is all probably Greek to him. Imagine someone from America (besides Jay Leno maybe) going across the ocean, and into a warehouse full of European cars that were never sold here in The States, and not even knowing what the brands were. Here in America we like to think we're the center of the universe, but we really do kind of do our own thing, and a lot of our stuff is as foreign to this host as a Bristol would be to us here in America.

[@parentsbasement7734]

Well he's British and find me the person who knows the make and model of every car ever made.

[@xxyyxx2871]

@@BurtSampson If your excuse for him is that he’s British and “iTs A bRiTiSh ShOw” then they shouldn’t cover American cars like they have in the past.

[@xxyyxx2871]

@@parentsbasement7734Hi. Autistic here and one of my savant skills is this such thing you say would be so hard to find in a person.

[@thomasredden4263]

@@xxyyxx2871I can tell. so you know about Austin/Healy? Frazer/Nash? Morris? Gordon-Keeble? Rover? Triumph? Riley? Wolseley? TVR? What about the plethora of Fords that never sold here? I could go on and on.

[@tonybologna2019]

Top gear guy seams like a half ass car guy

[@sjhudon386]

Just seems a little green

[@secretperson9962]

hes a limey bastard

[@Redmenace96]

He's handsome? Speaks well? (not really) He didn't get the gig for his brain!

[@robthemodYT]

@@Redmenace96 It literally says "Deputy Editor, Top Gear Magazine" underneath his name. People acting like he signed up to be a host as opposed going there to do an article on it and they just so happened to film it and make it into a video.

[@jacobmay2821]

@@robthemodYT For a guy who works at top gear his car knowledge suckssssss.

[@chaunceylock]

Its crazy when you see someone who is a walking encyclopedia

[@MrArolav]

The curator is such an amazing man! Ollie Kew on the other hand shows everything that is wrong with Top Gear and why Top Gear is dying. Imagine how good this piece could have been with a competent journalist.

[@chino06013]

Agree. Would of been much better just letting the curator take us through himself.

[@adamkiddle]

Or even better with Sniff & Smith.

[@user-oe1mb9hu9i]

You said it just as it is, and it's pretty valid for the whole of the Gen Z looks like. - COMPETENCE - They just don't give a s*it about anything.

[@basshead.]

Yeah, with Scotty Kilmer.

[@katsudon2048]

​@@user-oe1mb9hu9i ffs not all gen z.

[@T.S.T2014]

Stunning collection but the TG young Fella acted like he didn’t want to be there let alone any real interest.

[@user-oe1mb9hu9i]

He didn't have any interest at all. He thought he'd be going to see modern cars. Nothing older than the year 2000. LOL. He was visibly bored.

[@johnmarsland3442]

Why would top gear send someone to the secret ford stash who doesn’t know about fords? Also, ‘this bike has metal tires’ jeez.

[@kiddy1992]

Because Top Gear is Brittish (well now dead so it became Australian) And Europe doesn't give a fuck about ford

[@Three_Random_Words]

@@kiddy1992 European built Ford's are quite popular.

[@Fetidaf]

@@kiddy1992I’ve been to Europe quite a few times and I’ve seen more fords there than anything else.

[@Fetidaf]

How often have you seen metal tires on a bicycle?

[@OmeletKirk]

U all realise the tyres weren’t metal

[@ericmin832]

What an amazing dude, you can tell bro loves his job

[@mattewalker_]

There’s a couple of podcasts out there that Ford has a secret storage facility with some “special” vehicles, similar to how Porsche has built some Frankenstein vehicles over the years that never made production. There’s supposedly an SVT Ford Taurus Wagon, a Ford Lightning powered expedition and a multitude of other random vehicles that are just sitting alone in a warehouse somewhere. Would love to see a tour of there, someday!

[@johnnygeorgopoulos4072]

Like the SHO Ranger 😅

[@justinyoung109]

That does in fact exist. Even Jalopnik ran a story on the Lightning Expedition. Never saw a video on it though

[@johnnygeorgopoulos4072]

@@justinyoung109 you mean the Ford Lightning F150 Supercharged 5.4L and the Ford Thunder Expedition with the same.... yeah, that thing is dope, a few of my buddies had both 1st gen and a few 2nd Gen Lightning's, fast 2nd Gens back in the day, we heard about it way back then and my one buddies dad built one of his own, 5.4 Expedition 5.4 with a Kenne Bell and the Lightning front clip and wheels and lowered it on some Bell Tech stuff (was originally an Eddie Bauer so it was already nice inside), he also had a supercharged 5L Mercury Mountaineer with AWD and a bunch of fast mustang's.... the whole extended friends group had nothing but fast Fords at the time, mostly Fox body mustangs, but the our buddies dad was always up to building crazy stuff and sleepers as above, oh, he also had a Lincoln LSC with a 408ci stroker and a T56 and a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, the 2L turbo 4 was given to another one of our friends as he also had a Turbo Coupe (this was when we were 17, we're in our 40s now and my friend still has his original Turbo Coupe on the road) with a 5L, 5spd Tremec, and a cobbled together but working turbo kit we bought bought somewhere lol, and an OG 93 Widebody GT Convertible, I mean OG, the OLD , nice widebody kit from the 90s he still had on it, not those Maer fenders, I mean the whole huge widebody 😅 coolest old Italian dad in the hood 🤣

[@cristianvergarapardo]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nprVq3SDiLmBi6Msi=kq5Mw16fbY4hy6c6​@@johnnygeorgopoulos4072

[@MrCookie139]

Dont forget all the saleen vehicles. There was a saleen explorer lol

[@devonbikefilms]

Wasted opportunity, does not compare well to the Porsche walk through previously. The Ford guy really knew his stuff however.

[@man_on_wheelz]

Matt was such a great presenter and storyteller that this nearly 30-minute video didn't feel long enough! I was really invested in everything he had to say about every one of these automobiles!

[@alexblaxell7983]

The TG presenter couldn’t be more awkward, avoiding eye contact and walking on his toes my god 🫣😂

[@josephj807]

Maybe bro is shy, not a new thing

[@antecalic8881]

I was just about to comment, he was kind of disrespectful. Especially as a guest.

[@nick2128]

That’s just part of the shoes design he’s not walking on his toes …

[@josephj807]

@@antecalic8881 what did he do that was disrespectful?

[@Alien_DNA_]

He's not American that's why 😂😂

[@connorohoare7470]

Your man looks like he’s about to fall over when he walks

[@yeanah2571]

As a Crown Vic enthusiast, i appreciated the nuance after we saw "America's police car".

[@bikingD]

Proud to say "Canadas police car" every panther platform car from the first in 1979 to the last in 2011 were built is St. Thomas Ontario Canada. So all Crown Vic's, Grand Marquis and Town cars are Canadian built.

[@chumbawaumbacumpa]

⁠@@bikingDThe Vic wouldn’t exist without either. USA’s and Canada’s police car. 🇺🇸🇨🇦

[@chumbawaumbacumpa]

@@bikingDIt would be nice to see more Canadian manufacturers though. Edison Motors is real interesting, but they only build trucks. I bet there would be a big market up there for affordable AWD and 4x4 passenger cars/crossovers with conventional and more reliable powertrains to give Subaru a real run for their money.

[@bikingD]

@@chumbawaumbacumpa A lot of good companies/ divisions got their roots or started in Canada. 1907 McLaughlin which everyone knows as Buick started in Oshawa Ontario. Dodge Brothers started up their first shop in Windsor Ontario. Lots of great history out there that is interesting. Heck look at Alexander Graham Bell. Most Americans don't realize he created the Telephone at his home in Bradford Ontario and that Brantford is officially recognized as the telephone city. But as they say ironically history gets lost to time.

[@mkay1967]

Why did the guy bring up racism with a modern ass police car?!

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

12:47 Ford Alpe is the name of the little prototype SUV shown.

[@ayewyoming6726]

Thanks, The one vehicle I came here for and learned nothing about it

[@hoppygoodness]

It sounds like Matt could teach a college level course. Great commentary!

[@daldrete01]

it wouldn't be a true ford collection without the Crown Vic

[@Just-a-guy926]

There’s a secret stash of Ford Europe cars also.

[@chino06013]

Give this curator their own show - he rocks!

[@oso_nomada]

I would pay a ridiculous (but fair) price to be able to see that collection myself. Amazing!

[@TreyMelancon]

There were so many vehicles overlooked.. especially the concept truck next to the ranger. The Sport Trac concept, which has such an insane story.. the truck was ahead of its time and for the longest time I truly thought the concept truck had been crushed or done away with but it's crazy that it still lives on. But as most of these comments go on, the Top Gear host is not a car enthusiasts, has no real knowledge of any cars and showed so little interest in the entire tour.

[@desmonddaly6538]

this is so difficult to watch.

[@MrDanielmarlowe]

British Guy who knows nothing about Fords asking a Ford guy questions about Fords who also knows nothing about Fords…..

[@PulledPurk]

There's a few people really aggressively defending that sorry excuse for a car show host

[@maglekaer1]

John DeLorean is the father of Pontiac GTO. How could you miss that not been mentioned?

[@johndelorean2284]

Unbelievable

[@derekcoaker6579]

Why would that be mentioned?

[@johndelorean2284]

@@derekcoaker6579 because the man invented the muscle car in the early 60s.

[@severinlourenco8355]

Ford needs inspiration to find themselves and create automobiles that car buyers want, without deep discounts, and are top notch reliable, eliminating recalls.

[@robinhunter4501]

Top selling car in the UK in 2023 and 2024 is a Ford 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Dfpijgyt564s65sgt]

@@robinhunter4501yeah the fiesta and guess what it’s dead! They will never make it again. Tells you all you need to know

[@robinhunter4501]

@@Dfpijgyt564s65sgt nope, the Puma is number 1 and has been for quite some time.

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

I love that Mercury!

[@elvis1745]

The curator is AWESOME! Whatever he makes, he should get a raise!

[@wisdomSP]

The Henry Ford Museum should be on your bucket list. Lots more happening than just cars. It's an amazing place.

[@franciscoop1063]

I see Ollie Kew still walks like he's sh*t himself...🤣

[@mane98eldelcopen]

if you are going to keep the hand in the pockets, at least do it right

[@dossantos3297]

The unnecessary roast of the 2000s thunderbird lol

[@wh7787]

45 mph on an old timey bike built for 10 sounds like suicide... Someone recreate this

[@busslayer4790]

I'm going directly from this video to find one on pacesetter bikes. The chains and gearing looks nuts.

[@roxx0rz]

Would have loved to hear about that Econoline! Great watch!

[@RetroKingOG]

The ford crossover prototype, you say it never made production…. That’s not what Subaru says 😂 They took the design for the forester a few years after….

[@brenspin]

I think the Ford prototype looks quite a lot like the 90s Mitsubishi Expo / Dodge & Plymouth Colt Vista / Eagle Summit wagons. The 2 door versions of those even had AWD available. I think it also resembles a shortened Ford Freestyle which came along for the 2005 model year, so maybe it DID inspire the Freestyle.

[@Redmenace96]

The Ford Museum and the Ford collection are unparalleled. If you care about cars, and like American history, it is a bucket-list item.

[@spartan-5795]

Lincoln Blackwood, I remember that car! One of my friends dads had one, it was quite nice, other than the strange bed in the back with its lights and split tailgate.

[@urbanstrencan]

What an amazing place, great video Ollie

[@nathanwright8616]

there’s something satisfying about the 2009 focus electric’s wipers 21:54

[@MyLifePixeled]

You passed up the Mercury Sable XIV at 19:15 !!

[@JamesOversteer]

Is this a re upload? I feel I’ve already seen this? Edit: that was the GT90 video. This one is SO much more in depth. This guy is a genius! I could spend an hour with each car.

[@josephelias9081]

As nobody else has, I'll mention it. Isn't it tiresome being unable to walk properly due to improperly fitting jeans?

[@szczurrat2402]

Glad we got a real American car fan to host... great collection by the way! I wish we could've gone through each one!

[@Deetroiter]

Live up the road from the museum and still one of the best I’ve ever been to. Peterson museum in Los Angeles is a close second with their vault area…but this Henry ford simply can’t be beaten.

[@ifGarage]

Finally someone was able to get inside the ford bunker! Last I saw of this bunker was 2013

[@jonathantee5355]

Edison and Henry Ford were friends like that,, cool I didn't know that

[@kturbo09]

I wonder what cars from todays era will be in a museum and talked about. So cool to see the variety and history in that place. Looks like an old office building. Thanks for sharing! Guy was very knowledgeable of every cars details.

[@00Zy99]

Actually, that Blackwood looks like the show car prototype, not a production one. That means that the wood is REAL. Also, my advice-watch the Doug DeMuro review/roast of the Blackwood. It's simultaneously hilarious, horrifying, and embarrassing.

[@ChristopherOvrebo]

Cool cars. Bad host. Epic docent

[@marclevine2688]

and i thought me going to the ford heritage collection here in the uk was special.thats next level amazing

[@CarscrashsinUAE]

22:18 the rolls in thw 90s that’s crazyyyy

[@ayewyoming6726]

This whole video just aggitates me he knew nothing and asked all the wrong questions

[@GlitterGuru]

12:28 That 90's Ford concept is the Alpe concept from 1996, designed by Ghia. I love it, a lot of cues remind me of the Ioniq 5

[@discozula4469]

Not all Model T's were black. The first year of the model T black wasnt even an option. There were some model years only available in black only, but not all model T's are.

[@R19Robbin]

Some special machines 👌

[@Peak_Mid]

Adults who walk on their tip toes… 🥴

[@Blakeoffire]

I've always noticed that about him in the vids as well... so odd 😆

[@lukerinderknecht2982]

Adults who feel compelled to comment about someone else's gait 🥴

[@Peak_Mid]

@@lukerinderknecht2982

[@ed4253]

It's not a gait he's wearing 4 inch lifts and he'd be sent home at my work for walking like that, unsafe movement.

[@dossantos3297]

The “mintiest” 53 Ford

[@tylerkey7938]

The only dude fit for that tour would’ve been Lieberman from MT. Maybe even Rutledge to keep it from TG as a close second.

[@bundy26]

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Ford, Edison and Firestone had conversations

[@sammonteiro12]

Redo this with James may. You’ll make your money back in ads easily. We love that man

[@johndelorean2284]

Ollie: this cop car has push bumpers Matt: for those t-bone maneuvers

[@richwiebe8084]

the design of the roof rails and greenhouse of the crossover concept obviously influenced the Freestyle/Taurus X, and the on to the current generation Explorer

[@stefanegger]

I like that they have other manufacturers and bikes, too. Not so much interested in those, but it was fun to see nontheless.

[@Some_chap_idk]

8:04 geoff!

[@7seriesmax]

The museum Director does not know anything about Billy Elliott‘s cars. The 86 bodied car that he set the record at Talladega, which is 228 miles an hour was re-bodied with an 87 nose and run at pikes Peak the following season . After that, they put the original nose back on it because it was the Winston millions car and he still owns it to this day. That is the 87 NASCAR body that he ran. Nothing special. Bill Elliott still owns six 86 bodied cars. they are on loan to various institutions, but the Winston millions car is at his shop in Dawsonville. The engine that Ernie Elliot built also set the record at pikes Peak not just Talladega.

[@TopGear]

Which of Ford’s secret stash is your favourite?

[@harshithsadhana7475]

Subaru looking ford

[@justinyoung109]

Fun fact: That car at 17:58 is the Buick 8 from the Stephen King novel "From A Buick 8" as described in the book. A bit surprised it went over everyone's heads. Also that 32 Ford at 23:43 is the famous 32 Ford from Gran Turismo 7. I'm actually surprised its not on main display given that connection. It's also one of my favorite cars from said game.

[@beforeyourimmigrants8471]

26:44 RIP Mr. Fords

[@Jaygrabiec]

Matt is an outstanding curator, but seeing that GT cut in half made me sick and was still amazing at the same time.

[@fantomtuba]

Doug DeMuro needs to review the Ford X100

[@daytonharangozo9875]

The only thing I think this collection is missing is the late 90s Taurus stock car

[@snoransturlasson6723]

Most of Mr Anderson's favorites were non-Ford Motor Company. Especially amazing how he praises the main rival GM's products. A sign of greatness.

[@Megatholis]

My great great great grandfather was william howard taft, so cool to see his car still kept up to this day

[@therealctp6675]

I somehow managed to enjoy the exhibit, despite the pain of having to watch modern Top Gear.

[@sangh1120]

12:41 That van look very similar to Hyundai Matrix or Hyundai Lavita depending on market.

[@nono-oz4gv]

ugh, my late grandma wouldve loved to see some of these cars even on video...

[@bwmitchell100]

"I don't know my american cars" -the dude presenting as host of a world renowned car show

[@caellumrevolta2839]

Seeing the nascar made me think of the daytona game.

[@radicalgamingnerd986]

As detoriters we didn’t even know this secret vault existed under the museum

[@izyj.8679]

I saw an Avanti driving around Dallas.

[@znoblebb]

This Ollie guy walks like I do 30 minutes after Taco Bell

[@VuduCoyote]

Skipping over the mercury sable aiv is a crime.

[@kineuhansen8629]

pontiac gto one of my top favorite classic cars from us

[@jacobostin3126]

Why does the top gear guy walk like that 😐

[@MCastrono]

He’s wearing lifts in his shoes

[@user-oe1mb9hu9i]

It's done on purpose. It's a fashion thing. Sad.

[@busslayer4790]

The Henry Museum is definitely a worthwhile destination. The historical automobile content is great, but I wouldn't say it is the main draw. They have lots of industrial, aviation and agricultural exhibits from the heyday of the American industrial revolution. Things you won't see in any other museums.

[@Hunt4Yoshi]

We were so close to the 1996 4 door Ranger concept, the Tremor, and he asked about the stupid normal ass ranger next to it

[@alexmaddox2255]

Could have watched Matt talk about these cars all day.

[@matthewfensterwald1853]

I have an actual picture of the ford focus electric driving in Washington DC. Neat to see in preserved, was one of the first cars to pique my interest in EV's

[@SethHollingshead]

Good to see that crossover in the thumbnail wasnt even in the video.

[@Thatguyyoumettoday]

The OG Blackwood is sick...Didnt they only build that one unit with real wood?

[@dossantos3297]

Yes the Blackwood wasnt great but I literally cringed whenever he went on a rant about anything. I felt bad for the guy giving him the tour

[@Mike-bd3yp]

Anyone else thinking of Rainman when they skipped past the Buick Roadmaster? “Straight eight. Fireball eight”

[@BananaPuddingNow]

13:57 I WANNA GO FAST!!! 🏁

[@justinfusco6121]

Surprised to see there were some other makes other than Ford in there. The GTO made me think they might have a DeLorean, because John DeLorean was the brainchild of the GTO back when he worked for Pontiac. Interested to see what's in the museum on display.

[@camsterdam420]

Cinderella Man

[@24GarrisonH]

The X-100 looks like the car from the first Incredibles

[@TeaBreak.]

Wow!

[@colbyeads7895]

Anyone else peep the sport trac adrenalin concept next to the ranger?

[@rtz549]

Such a random assortment of vehicles.

[@maphoozgaming8542]

Lincoln Blackwood would probably sell today given all the luxury trucks today :/