Pioneer Auto Museum in Murdo, SD
As part of our trip last week, we stopped at the Pioneer Auto Museum in Murdo, SD. (Murdo … love it.) It’s a small car museum with some treasures, like the last General Lee made for Dukes of Hazard, and a Superbird. Cost was about $30 for two adults and three kids, and there’s a treasure hunt for children to keep them interested.
Hidden in nooks and crannies were also some special earth-friendly autos:
prISUm odyssey, the sixth solar race car developed by Iowa State University’s Team PrISUm. It placed 16th out of 30 in the American Solar Challenge in 2001. For those of you geekers who want a closer look at the Odyssey’s specs, check out the PrISUm Odyssey Structural Report.
Strangely enough, the team was at Mt. Rushmore this year the same day we were with the car they built for this year’s competition … sol invictus.
(How crazy is THAT?) As well as finishing 8th, they won the aesthetics award! Check out their blog for more info and pictures.
We also saw a Free-Way; made by H-M-Vehicles, they were built from 1979 – 1982, cost just over $3000.00 brand new, and came with a 100 mpg GUARANTEE.
Last, but not least, was the Messerschmidt KR175. Another auto that could reach 100 mpg, and speeds of 62 mph. Originally designed by Fred Flitzer to help those disabled by WWII, the designer paired with the German plane manufacturer for production which resulted in a change of name.
I felt bad seeing the way some of these beauties were just thrown under a tin roof shed out back. They all have stories. They lived in their own ways, and now? Well, if you have a chance to get to this roadside attraction, or others like it, take a peak. You may be amazed by the surprises you find there, and hopefully, the money you provide can help preserve these autos. (They also have quite the bike collection.)
[sol invictus image: Team PrISUm]
[other images: moi ... please don't steal 'em ;) ]
[Source: Pioneer Auto, Wikipedia]
Regarding the “Messerschmidt KR175″:
1. The car in the picture appears to be a Messerschmitt KR200, a development of the KR175. Apart from the larger engine, the KR200 had an improved bubble canopy, a wider track which forced Messerschmitt to put cutouts in the fenders as seen in the picture, and handlebars curved at the ends like those seen in the picture. The KR200 also had a Dynastart electric starter that could start the single-cylinder two-stroke engine in either direction, giving the car the ability to reverse without adding a reverse gear to the transmission.
2. The car was designed by Fritz Fend, who had earlier designed and built the Fend Flitzer invalid carriage. The KR175 and KR200 were based on the concept of a stretched Flitzer, although the KRs were unit body designs with side-opening hatches while the Flitzer had a tube frame and a front-opening hatch.