LeMay – America’s Car Museum will open For Gold & Glory on Sept. 19, a new exhibition focused on racing legend Charlie Wiggins. The Museum says Wiggins’ achievements were left out of mainstream motorsports history for decades.
The exhibition will feature the original Wiggins Special, the one‑of‑one race car Wiggins built and drove to four Gold & Glory Sweepstakes championships. The release says the car was recently recovered after being lost for more than 90 years.
The release says the exhibition will show Wiggins’ racing career and the barriers Black racers faced in segregated America.
“Charlie Wiggins’ story represents exactly why museums like ours exist,” said Bruce Patton, Curator at LeMay – America’s Car Museum. “Automotive history is not only about the cars that were built or the races that were won, but about the people whose ingenuity, determination and courage shaped the culture around them. For Gold & Glory gives us an extraordinary opportunity to bring Charlie’s achievements to a much wider audience and help restore his rightful place in American motorsports history. We are incredibly proud to work alongside Ed Welburn to tell this story with the depth, respect and ambition it deserves.”
Ed Welburn, former Vice President of Global Design at General Motors, is the guest curator. The Museum says he led the effort to secure the rights to tell Wiggins’ story and will take part in opening‑week events.
“Charlie Wiggins was so much more than just a great race car driver,” Welburn said. “He was a brilliant mechanic, an innovator, a craftsman, and a champion who achieved extraordinary accomplishments despite barriers that should never have been placed in his way. I have carried Charlie’s story with me for many years, and seeing it come to life through For Gold & Glory is deeply personal. My hope is that people walk into this exhibition not knowing his name and leave inspired by his story and unbelievable perseverance.”
