HARTFORD — The Wisconsin Automotive Museum, 147 N. Rural St., is hosting its annual Wisconsin Autofest event, showcasing motor vehicles from the past for community members and visitors alike to see, appreciate and learn about.
Wisconsin Autofest is a multi-day automotive festival — held Friday and today — celebrating the state’s deep, historic roots in vehicle manufacturing. Centered at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum, it features exhibitions, historical presentations and antique car rides.
Highlights of the festival include:
■ Pre-War Exhibits: A historic gathering of pre-World War II cars and trucks built in Wisconsin, including rare Nash, FWD, Case, and Mitchell vehicles.
■ Kissel Gold Bugs: The largest-ever assembly of highly sought-after, Hartford- built Kissel Gold Bug Speedsters.
■ Historical Presentations: Talks by notable automotive historians covering Wisconsin’s impact on early vehicle design and heavy-duty military trucks.
Outdoor exhibits are typically free to the public, while standard museum admission rates apply for indoor displays.
Friday’s festivities offered visitors the opportunity to attend presentations on Wisconsin Automotive History, which showcased the broad legacy the state created in early vehicle manufacture. Attendees learned about the significant contribution that Wisconsin made to truck production for the U.S. Army in World War I and the following development of heavy trucks by FWD and Oshkosh.
Today, the event is set to be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. A car show will be in the museum’s parking lot. Numerous Wisconsin-made pre-World War II cars will be exhibited. Famous makes and many obscure Wisconsin cars will be shown, including nearly a dozen Kissel “Gold Bug” Speedsters, many rare Nash cars, and examples of early Case and Mitchell cars.
For more information, community members can visit the Wisconsin Auto Museum’s website at wisconsinautomuseum.com.
