FUTURE EXHIBITIONS
Rennsport: Porsche’s Transition from Race to Road
Exhibition On View July 19 through November 9, 2025
Just three years after Porsche was established in Gmünd, Austria in the late 1940’s, the Porsche 356SL took First in the 1100cc Class at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. From this moment, Porsche’s road and race cars have been more tightly connected than any other company.
Their technological developments on the racetrack have translated directly to the cars you can walk into their dealerships and buy. From the lightweight construction that got the company underway, to the turbocharged flat-sixes of the 70’s and 80’s, into the 90’s with the high revving Formula One derived V10 seen in the 2005 Carrera GT, and the hybrid powertrains of the modern era.
Porsche’s RS line has offered a true “rennsport” experience for the road since the first RS branded Porsche, 1973 911 2.7 RS, and that experience has only been heightened today. The latest generation of the GT3RS has become a cultural icon in the months since production began, further closing the gap between what a racecar and a road car are. With technology such as active aerodynamics and real time adjustable suspension settings being the latest applications that have translated from race to road, it gives all of us at the Audrain great excitement for what the future holds for Porsche’s RS division.
STEAM Power: Stationary, Marine & the AUTOMOBILE
Exhibition On View November 15, 2025 through March 8, 2026
Steam-powered vehicles, boats, and stationary engines played a pivotal role in the early industrial revolution. The first successful steam-powered vehicle, the "Steam Wagon," was built in 1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, though it had limited success. In the 19th century, steam engines became popular for automobiles, with innovators like Newport Engineering Works, Sylvester Roper, and Francis and Freelan Stanley contributing to advancements. In the later 19th Century steam continued to revolutionize marine transport by the likes of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff in Bristol RI. Stationary steam engines, developed in the early 1800s, were key in powering factories, mills, and pumps, helping drive industrialization before the rise of internal combustion engines. The Corliss Steam Engine Co. was one of many in Providence RI, a part of steam power’s New England history.
In collaboration with the Herreshoff Marine Museum and New England Wireless & Steam Museum, highlights on view will include a 1869 Roper steam velocipede, 1899 Crouch Steam Runabout, 1908 Stanley Model H-5 Gentleman’s Speedy Roadster, Herreshoff steam launch engine, and stationary steams engines from Newport, Bristol, and Providence Rhode Island built examples, among others.