LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, opened a world-premiere exhibition titled For Gold & Glory: A Tribute to Charlie Wiggins on September 19, 2026. The retrospective highlights the career of Charlie Wiggins, a champion race car driver, mechanic, builder, and innovator who competed during the era of segregated American motorsports in the 1920s and 1930s.
The central piece of the exhibition is the original, one-of-one Wiggins Special, which was discovered in an Ohio barn just months before the museum opening after remaining hidden for over 90 years. Retired General Motors chief of design Ed Welburn served as guest curator and coordinated the transport of the vehicle to The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where the car was preserved and reassembled prior to its public unveiling.
The museum opening drew over 1,000 visitors on its first day and featured a family reunion between the exhibition organizers and Angie Rodgers, the great-niece of Charlie Wiggins. Rodgers traveled across the country to Tacoma alongside her two sons to view the race car built and driven by her relative.
The exhibition remains on display at LeMay – America’s Car Museum for a duration of 12 months. Admission details, museum hours, and visitor ticketing information are available directly through the venue’s official channels.
Charlie Wiggins established his career as a dominant competitor in the Gold & Glory Sweepstakes, a racing series formed for Black drivers excluded from mainstream automotive events due to segregation. The 12-month exhibition utilizes historical artifacts, imagery, and immersive design to document his achievements and automotive innovations.
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