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There was a time when young kids dreamed of building their own car. With high hopes, they turned wood from peach crates and abandoned baby carriage wheels into a ride that might get them to the end of the driveway.
Paul Hemp never lost that imagination. He wanted to build something that everyone would talk about. As owner of the Hemp Museum, he had more than enough parts to build his dream car. He called it "The Thing." Using a Model T driveline, installed backwards, Paul used a rear axle to drive the front wheels. The car was accessorized with numerous bells, sirens and whistles.
Turning "The Thing" was accomplished by an articulating frame; in other words, the car would bend in the middle — a feat that never failed to make people point and laugh.
Practical? No. But it made a great promotional vehicle for the Hemp Automobile Museum.
"Lens on History” is a weekly photo feature by Lee Hilgendorf, a volunteer at the History Center of Olmsted County.
