THE BUBBLE CARS OF DETROIT

There is an old warehouse on Detroit's riverfront that houses 62 rare automobiles.  They are kept in air tight bags pumped with air to keep out dampness and vermin.

These vehicles were donated to the city by their former owners to preserve in a "time capsule" for the history of The Motor City.

A walk down the center aisle is like hopscotching back and forth in history: On one side rests an 1870 Phaeton Carriage car facing a dusky-red 1963 Chrysler Turbine that would run on diesel fuel, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, vegetable oil and even tequila.

A few steps away, a grandfatherly 1911 Ford Model T keeps company with a bulky 1975 AMC Pacer. A 1963 pre-production Ford Mustang shares its corral with John Dodge's 1919 coupe.

Despite reports the society keeps the cars under wraps because of a lack of funding, Lovell said that isn't the case. He said no museum shows all the paintings in its possession, nor does the Detroit Historical Society show all its vehicles.

"It's not so much that we don't have the funds to show all the vehicles, it's mostly that we don't have the room at the museum," said Lovell. "Plus, if we put them all on display at the same time, the display would be static.

"We want people to come in and see something new every time they visit."

A 1949 Buick Super 8: One rung below the Cadillac, this solid sedan (with its huge chrome grill) told everyone you were "on your way up in the world." They also have a number of Jeeps, all of which are veterans of World War II,"

The plastic bubbles — which take two to three minutes to inflate — are zippered at the bottom and are kept inflated by small fans that filter the air and keep out vermin. The smaller bubbles run about $300, and the larger ones cost up to $1,000 each.

The society started collecting items in the early 1920s and obtained its first car in 1954 — a 1905 Cadillac Osceola donated by Henry M. Leland, who founded Cadillac and Lincoln. FULL STORY