Get ready – Ford is rolling out a lineup that spans more than a century, right in the heart of D.C. From the groundbreaking Model T that put America on wheels, to a modern Mustang flexing today’s muscle, and Jay Leno’s one-off custom pickup, the display blends history with personality. Find out when and where you can catch these icons up close.
Ford’s D.C. Exhibit Overview
The whole thing takes up 2,400 square feet between President’s Park and the National Mall. Eighteen vehicles line the route, pulled from Ford’s 120 years of building cars. Three zones keep people moving instead of bunching up, and a wall timeline calls out the important years as you walk by.
Zone one covers 1903 to 1945. Original Model Ts sit next to early delivery trucks that once hauled mail down dirt roads. Everything still has its hand crank and brass bits, so they look like they just rolled off the line.
The middle section jumps ahead to 1964 and stays there. Mustangs take up most of the floor space, with engines set out so you can watch the horsepower numbers climb year by year. A ’67 fastback sits a few feet from a newer GT and the difference hits you right away.
The last area features Jay Leno’s customized pickup along with a handful of other cars that came out of private collections. Sarah Kline runs the Heritage Fleet and puts it plainly: they want visitors standing in Washington to recognize the same trucks and sedans that people drove everywhere else in the country. Smithsonian Channel will be filming live segments all weekend, so the rest of the country gets a decent look too.
Historic Model T Display
The star of the show is a 1913 Model T Touring, fully restored and sitting at $42,000. It had just finished a 2,700-mile cross-country run in August 2023 when it arrived here. Two other early Fords sit right beside it.
You can lean in and see every hinge and bolt because the whole display sits low. The three cars span different years and prices. The 1909 Roadster sold new for $850 with almost nothing on it but brass. In 1913 the Touring model added basic weather protection. By 1925 the Runabout had dropped to $355 and its body was noticeably shorter.
Henry Ford Museum crews did the restoration themselves. They swapped out tired engine blocks, found the right supplier for the old-style tires, and rewired everything to the factory blueprints still sitting in the archives. Colors stayed dead-on to what the original drawings called for.
Every half hour they crank the 1913 Touring by hand so visitors can watch the whole startup sequence. Before electric starters existed, that was the only way to get one going. You notice right away how the safety details we take for granted were missing back then.
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Modern Mustang Showcase
Five Mustangs sit on the floor, stretching from the 1964 convertible all the way to the 2024 Dark Horse and its 500-horsepower 5.0L V8. The lineup makes it obvious how Ford kept fiddling with the recipe while hanging onto the name. Original window stickers sit with each car so you can see what people actually shelled out decades ago.
The 1965 GT put out 271 hp and cost $2,400 on the lot. Zero-to-sixty took about 7.5 seconds. Right beside it sits the 1969 Boss 429, which kicked off at $4,700 with 375 hp.
The 1993 SVT Cobra ran $19,500 new and made 235 hp. Jump ahead to the 2015 GT350 and you’re looking at $48,000 with 526 hp on tap. The 2024 Dark Horse now lists for $60,950, puts down 500 hp, and hits 60 mph in about 3.9 seconds.
Display cards lay those specs next to each other so the progression jumps out. That drop from 7.5 seconds to 3.9 seconds says plenty about what changed under the hoods and on the tires. Stand in front of the whole row and the years feel a lot closer than they really are.
Jay Leno’s Custom Pickup
The 1953 Ford F-100 custom pickup from Leno’s Garage features a 6.2L supercharged Hellcat V8 producing 717 horsepower with custom leather interior by Roadster Shop. This truck caught plenty of attention before it ever left Utah. And for good reason.
Kindig-It Design spent eighteen months turning the truck into something you wouldn’t recognize from the original. The $285,000 price tag covered serious work.
Custom air suspension sits under a new chassis, and the 22-inch HRE wheels fill out the arches without looking forced. A 1,200-watt amplifier powers the audio system tucked behind fresh interior panels.
Leno documented the entire process on his YouTube channel. That video pulled in 2.3 million views, which tells you something about how many people follow these builds.
The truck will park near the National Mall entrance during the event, giving visitors an easy chance to walk around and take photos. You can’t miss it if you come in from that side. People stop and stare at the Hellcat engine sitting where a stock six used to live. The paint work catches sunlight off the body lines in a way factory trucks never did.
It’s the kind of project that shows what happens when money meets patience and a clear idea of what belongs on the road.
Event Schedule and Location
The 3-day exhibition runs October 12-14, 2024. Each morning the parade pulls out at 9:30 from the Lincoln Memorial and heads toward President’s Park. Ford’s bringing the historic Model T, a current Mustang, and Jay Leno’s own pickup for the run. Gates open early on day one.
Media gets in at 8:00 AM so they can shoot the cars before anyone else shows up. By 9:30 the engines are already rolling past the National Mall. You can stand along the route and catch the whole line without any trouble.
At 11:00 Jay Leno settles in for a 45-minute Q&A next to his truck. People ask about the build and how it stacks up against the rest of his collection. He keeps it loose but there’s no shortage of road stories.
The Ford Heritage crew runs a restoration workshop starting at 1:00 PM. They tear into an old engine block and field questions about period-correct parts. If you’re into keeping these cars on the road, the session’s worth your time.
The VIP tour leaves at 3:00 PM and takes just 75 people at $125 a head. You get closer looks at each vehicle plus more time with the crew doing the work. Spots disappear fast, so booking ahead is smart if you want that access.
If rain reaches a quarter inch the whole thing moves to the Ronald Reagan Building’s 10,000 square foot hall. The Model T, Mustang, and Leno’s truck stay dry while people can still walk the displays. Staff tweaks the schedule as needed and keeps the updates posted out front.
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Public Access Details
General admission runs free, but you still need a timed ticket through Recreation.gov. VIP tickets go for $125 and get you in 45 minutes early plus a quick meet-and-greet with Jay Leno. Without the early slot, you risk standing in line with everyone else trying to see the Model T, Mustang, and that custom pickup.
Daily capacity sits at 2,400 people. They release two hundred spots every hour from 10 AM until 6 PM. Mid-week mornings usually move quicker if your calendar allows it.
Expect the standard bag checks at the door. Tripods, drones, and outside food get turned away fast, so leave them at home. Most small bags pass through fine once you empty your pockets and ditch the jacket.
Transportation works pretty smoothly. The Smithsonian Metro stop sits just 0.3 miles away. Parking at L’Enfant Plaza garage holds reserved spots at $22 a day. Or grab a bike from the Capital Bikeshare station right outside if you want to ride in.
Accessibility covers the basics without much fuss. Wheelchairs rent on site for $15 per day. ASL interpreters show up at 11 AM and 3 PM in the main hall, so mobility or hearing needs shouldn’t keep anyone from getting a good look at the Fords.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What event is Ford hosting in Washington D.C.?
Ford decided to mark its roots by rolling three very different vehicles into the capital for a public show. The goal is simple: let people get close to cars that shaped the brand across more than a century.
2. Which historic vehicles will be on display?
The lineup centers on a fully restored 1910 Model T, a classic Mustang, and the custom pickup that belongs to Jay Leno. Those three are the ones most visitors will come for.
3. Why is Jay Leno’s pickup included in the lineup?
Its spot on the floor makes sense once you see it. The truck is a one-off build that shows how far people have taken Ford parts when they wanted something personal, and it still runs like it should.
4. When and where can the public view these cars?
Everything sits in central D.C. for two weeks. Entry is free. Guided tours run every day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
5. What educational elements are part of the exhibit?
Touch-screen stations trace how the Model T’s simple mechanics grew into the Mustang’s current platform, and a separate panel walks through the changes Leno made to his truck. You can spend ten minutes at each and walk away with the basics.
6. Are there any special guest appearances planned?
Jay Leno shows up on opening day. He’ll answer questions about the pickup and talk about what still draws him to Ford products after decades of collecting.
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