The exhibition, titled For Gold & Glory: A Tribute to Charlie Wiggins, opened on September 19, 2026, drawing over 1,000 visitors on its first day. Guest curated by former General Motors design chief Ed Welburn, the display honors Wiggins, a champion mechanic and driver who dominated the Gold & Glory Sweepstakes during the era of segregation. The recovery of the car was a high-stakes race against time; Welburn located the vehicle in pieces just months before the exhibition’s launch. It was subsequently transported to The NB Center for Automotive Heritage for urgent preservation and reassembly.
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Lost for 90 Years, Charlie Wiggins’ Racing Legacy Returns to Public View
A barn in rural Ohio held a secret for nearly a century: the Wiggins Special, a race car built by legendary Black innovator Charlie Wiggins. Now, after being presumed lost to history, the one-of-one machine serves as the centerpiece of a new exhibition at LeMay – America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
For the Wiggins family, the display carries profound weight. Angie Rodgers, the driver's great-niece, traveled to Tacoma with her sons to see the car for the first time, marking a historic reunion between the family and the machine Wiggins built with his own hands. The exhibition, which will remain open for one year, uses artifacts and immersive media to move beyond the track, highlighting the mechanical brilliance and resilience of a man who succeeded despite systemic barriers. The museum’s efforts ensure that Wiggins’ contributions to American motorsports are no longer sidelined by history.
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