Unique & Special Pieces

1900 Jell-O Wagon - America's Most Famous Dessert. Wagon features red wheels and a black body with gold and red lettering. Transparent background.

Jell-O Wagon (c.1900)

A relic of early American advertising promoting “America’s Most Famous Dessert.”

Founded in LeRoy, New York by Frank Woodward, the Jell-O company’s rise to prominence was driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and America’s first real attempt at advertising, where the product was taken to the people.

Woodward had a fleet of wagons built in Rochester by George Higgins. The Wagons were manned by well-groomed salesman, who drove their “spanking rigs drawn by beautiful black horses” to fairs, country dances and church socials to attract new devotees. They’d pull up to a store where the product was being sold, stand atop the Wagon, and hand out free samples to shoppers. These pitchmen traveled across the country, even out west, until 1916 when automobiles took over.

Finding a TV Treasure

American Pickers is a beloved History Channel reality television series where antique collectors Mike Wolfe, Robb Wolfe and Frank Fritz travel the U.S. to “pick” unique collectibles, often following up on leads from colleague Danielle Colby. One such lead brought them to a barn in Louisiana, where they discovered an extremely rare 1900 Jell-O Wagon. The piece has even retained its original paint and gold leaf lettering.

Our co-founder Jim Sandoro knew he had to bring the Wagon home. He flew to Iowa to meet the Pickers and worked out a deal to bring the Wagon to the Museum. Danielle Colby herself appeared in Buffalo for the unveiling in September 2017.

The two episodes (Season 17, Eps. 4 & 11) of the show can be seen on the History Channel website.

Jim Sandoro posing with rare 1900 Jell-O Wagon with the team at American Pickers television show.

1904 Arrow Rear Entry Tonneau

A mere 125 of the legendary Arrow Rear Entry Tonneaus were manufactured by Pierce-Arrow between 1903-04. All but two have been lost to time. One resides at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. The other has come home to our Museum, only a half mile from where it was first built on the Buffalo waterfront.

The 1904 Arrow was one of the first G.N. Pierce vehicles to have the engine mounted on the front rather than underneath the car. It is powered by a 15 HP 2-cylinder T-head engine with 3-speed manual transmission.

Acquisition of the 1904 was made possible by a generous donation from the Jean and Bill Irr Family Foundation. It has been shown at Pebble Beach and ran in the London To Brighton Veteran Car Run in England. Today it is displayed on a turntable created by Avant-Garde Technology of Buffalo.

1901 Packard Race Car

The single-cylinder 1901 Packard Model C, originally owned by John M. Satterfield — prominent Buffalonian, Buffalo Banker, and early President of the Automobile Club of Buffalo — has rightfully returned to its home, after a topsy-turvy journey. That ‘journey’ included being torched at the 1929 Los Angeles Auto Show, where 212 classic cars were “burned down to the ground.” At the time, it was being toured around to dealerships by the Packard company. The chassis was restored, and eventually sold to auto enthusiast Terry Martin, who began the arduous process of restoring the car back to its original grandeur.

Miraculously, thanks to the passion, dedication, and resolute nature of the late Martin, this particular vehicle was overhauled and restored to its original state via painstaking decades-long process. It was Irr Supply Centers (North Tonawanda, NY) Executive Director Bill Irr, Sr. and Bill Irr, Jr., whose foundation made acquisition of the impressive vehicle possible.

As for the status of the car, on top of all of the hailed ingenuities, it is also the fifth oldest Packard in existence.

Corvettes

The museum, best known for its collection of vehicles built in Buffalo, New York (and the surrounding area), also honors significant cars with ties to its home state. Four Corvettes revered by car buffs were donated to the museum by the Yager Family Collection of Effingham, Ill.

The four custom-made Corvettes, built under the legendary William Mitchell, General Motors’ vice president of styling, are:

1964 New York World’s Fair Mitchell Styling Corvette. The fuel-injected coupe includes enlarged front grille, large side exhaust, dual sport side-view mirrors, hood cut-out for raised fuel injection and 15 coats of candy-apple red lacquer paint with matching interior.
1964 Corvette Styling Car. The car was specifically built for Chevrolet general manager and native Buffalonian Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen. Special features include custom-cast grille, unique front bumper treatment, custom high-back bucket seats and all-white leather trim.
1969 Elliot Forbes-Robinson #8. One of six factory-built L-88 lightweight Corvettes, this racing car went speeds of 200mphr at Daytona and won 46 of 49 starts in its heyday using a motor built in Tonawanda.
1962 Corvette #69 SCCA National Champion. This red racing car with yellow accents boasts a powerful, fuel-injected engine, heavy-duty brakes and special 4-speed transmission. The car retains its originally fabricated race modifications, including rollbar, exhaust system and oil cooler.