Historic vehicle register added to Library of Congress website

At last, you can click over to the Library of Congress website and see the National Historic Vehicle Register. Well, at least four of the 19 vehicles already selected through the work of the Historic Vehicle Association are available, with the others to be added as soon as the library can get to them.

The register was launched in 2014 in a partnership between the HVA, the Department of Interior’s Historic American Engineering Record and the Library of Congress.

“Since then, we’ve fully documented, photographed and researched the history of 19 automotive icons ranging from the prototype Shelby Cobra Daytona and one of the last remaining Futurliners to Ronald Reagan’s beloved Jeep,” the HVA reported in its news release. “It’s a wonderfully eclectic list, one that you can begin to explore in greater depth for yourself.

“The complete history, specs and overview of each vehicle are available for your perusal, anytime, with additional Register vehicles to be added in the near future.

“This is an unprecedented achievement in terms of the documentation of our collective automotive history and heritage and a major step in the recognition of the automobile’s significance within a broader historical context.”

In addition to the digital details, hard copies of the research materials are being stored in a Library of Congress facility.

Available on the website is detailed information on the GM Futurliner No. 10, the 1918 Cadillac Type 57 that served in World War I, the original 1964 Meyers Manx known as “Old Red,” and the Indy-winning 1938 Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Special.”

“Excited to see some of the other vehicle documentation?” the HVA added. “Hang in there; the process of compiling the nation’s go to record on a vehicle’s history that is as accurate as possible doesn’t happen overnight!

“While it may take couple of years for it to be live at the LOC’s website, it will be there for hundreds of years thereafter. Cars find their way on the website based on the status of research, documentation efforts and a regional rotation of submissions within the Historic American Engineering Record.”