Wisconsin's Largest Auto Museum • 3/27/2026 Edition
Over 500 Vehicles • Aniwa, Wisconsin • You Have to See it to Believe it!
The museum will open for the season on May 1st. New displays, more cars, better stories. It is going to be a really fun summer!
LTZ
MUSEUM NEWS: Well That Was Rude!
The Great Blizzard of 2026
The sun was out. The snow was gone and spring was in the air. I don't know who made Elsa mad but… the museum was dead center for the all-time record snowstorm. Three days of whiteout conditions. When it finally cleared we had 33″ of wet heavy snow. Some of the drifts were over six feet high.
We are used to snow and have a monster plow truck but this was too much. I was able to open up between the hall, warehouse, and race room—but the area between the hall and main museum was over seven feet deep. Buried the plow truck.
Now the fun began. I had to trudge through snow up to my waist all the way out back to the excavator. Thought I was going to have a heart attack. Amazingly, it started! It had been sitting since fall, frozen in place. Got lucky and got it moving without breaking something. Used the bucket to clear a path, pulled out the plow truck, and managed to get enough cleared so the town could get the grader in.
Three-day blizzard. Two days plowing. Only trapped for five days—not bad! I remember my grandfather talking about the great blizzard of 1920. Well, now I'm the old fart telling tales about the great blizzard of 2026!
FEATURED: Rudolf Diesel
The Obsessive Engineer Who Changed Heavy Transport Forever
Born in 1858 in Paris to German parents, Rudolf Diesel grew up fascinated by engines at a time when steam still ruled industry. Trained as an engineer in Germany, he became consumed by a single problem: how to squeeze more work out of every drop of fuel. By the early 1890s, working with Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN), he was designing an engine that would ignite fuel by compression alone—no spark, no waste.
On February 23, 1893, Diesel secured his German patent. His prototypes were large, slow-revving brutes, but they delivered staggering efficiency compared with steam and early gasoline engines—and they could run on varied fuels. Within a generation, diesel power was pushing locomotives, ships, trucks, tractors, and military armor across continents.
Diesel himself vanished mysteriously from a ship in 1913, but his name lives on every time a turbo-diesel rumbles to life. The compression-ignition principles he patented still underpin modern engines from European hot-hatches to marine powerplants the size of buildings. Read More →
THIS WEEK IN AUTOMOTIVE & MILITARY VEHICLE HISTORY
Historic Dates: February 20 – March 5 • Visit Motorama to Explore These Milestones!
- Feb 20, 1909 – Hudson Motor Car Company is founded by eight Detroit businessmen backed by department-store magnate Joseph L. Hudson, with a mission to build a reliable car for under $1,000. Read More →
- Feb 23, 1893 – Rudolf Diesel receives German Imperial Patent DRP 67207 for his compression-ignition engine design, laying the groundwork for technology that would power trucks, tanks, ships, and locomotives for generations. Read More →
- Feb 27, 1991 – Battle of Medina Ridge: U.S. 1st Armored Division's M1A1 Abrams tanks clash with Iraq's elite Medina Division in one of the largest tank battles of the Gulf War, destroying 180+ Iraqi tanks while losing only a handful of Abrams. Read More →
- Mar 3, 1915 – Congress establishes the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, centralizing strategic control of the U.S. Navy's growing fleet as the world slides into large-scale mechanized warfare. Admiral William S. Benson becomes the first CNO. Read More →
- Mar 5, 1929 – David Dunbar Buick, Scottish-born founder of Buick Motor Company, dies at 74. His early overhead-valve engine designs helped form the backbone of what became General Motors—though he never profited from the brand's success. Read More →
MILITARY VEHICLE SPOTLIGHT: M1A1 Abrams at Medina Ridge
By the time U.S. armored columns rolled toward Medina Ridge on February 27, 1991, the M1A1 Abrams was ready to prove exactly what a modern main battle tank could do. Powered by a gas-turbine engine producing roughly 1,500 horsepower, the Abrams could sprint at highway speeds while its advanced suspension kept the 120mm M256 smoothbore gun on target over broken desert terrain. Some 348 M1A1s of the 1st Armored Division met Iraqi T-72s, Asad Babils, and Type 69s in a swirling sandstorm of thermal sights and long-range gunnery. American crews used superior optics, stabilized fire control, and depleted-uranium rounds to destroy more than 180 Iraqi tanks and 120+ other armored vehicles while losing only a handful of Abrams—cementing the tank's reputation as the dominant heavy armor of its era. Battle Details →
FEATURED HISTORY: Hudson's Thousand-Dollar Dream
In the winter of 1909, eight Detroit businessmen walked into the office of department-store titan Joseph L. Hudson with a pitch that sounded almost crazy: back a new car company aimed not at the rich, but at ordinary Americans. Hudson fronted the capital, lent his name to the venture, and on February 20, 1909 the Hudson Motor Car Company was born. The mission was clear—build a reliable car for under $1,000 at a time when many automobiles cost several times that. The formula hit a nerve; Hudson sold more than 4,000 cars in its first year. Over the following decades, the company became known for nimble Sixes, record-setting endurance runs, and the famous step-down Hudson Hornet that terrorized early stock-car racing before merging into American Motors Corporation in 1954. Read More →
MILITARY VEHICLE PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION
Do you like old military jeeps, trucks, and tracks?
Join 3,400+ members in the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) and help keep military vehicle history rolling!
- 6 issues of History in Motion magazine
- 5% discount on insurance through Hagerty
- Vehicle technical advisors and expert advice
- Member-only Facebook group access
- Help preserve military vehicle history
www.MVPA.org/join
UPCOMING EVENTS
🧹 April 24–26 – Spring Cleanup Weekend
Help us prepare for the 2026 season! Community workday includes lunch and museum access.
🏁 Friday, May 1 – Museum Opening Day
The 2026 season begins! Open Wednesday through Saturday until the end of October. Closed for private parties on 7/19 and 8/1.
Aug 14–15 – Central WI 4x4 and Military Show
Two days of military vehicles, off-road rigs, and family fun.
Looking for a group event? Book a guided tour, then have lunch and refreshments in the hall. Lots of stories—most are true! Email info@motoramaautomuseum.org for info.