Inside the Roush Museum a collection of auto history

LIVONIA, Mich. -- Tucked away in an industrial part of Detroit, in Livonia, Mich., is the Roush Museum -- although as you pull into the parking lot you would have no idea it's there. There's no sign telling you where you are; no defining "Roush" marks in the parking lot, on the building -- it literally looks like any other office complex.

When you finally find the door -- unmarked, made of standard glass -- you enter a Roush Racing souvenir shop. Gear from Roush's entire stable of drivers is on display and available for a small price.

Photo Gallery

The oldest car in Jack Roush's collection is a 1913 Rauch & Lang Electric Brougham, but it goes by another name.

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After walking past a couple of racks of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle shirts and jerseys, you wind up in the back of the store where the restrooms are located. There's a door for the men and the women, and then a third door on the back wall, unmarked, of course.

It's when that door is opened you realize you aren't in your normal souvenir shop. You can almost hear a choir sing as the door swings open displaying an enormous collection of American vehicles dating back to the invention of the automobile.

Described as a "collection more than a museum" by Dennis Corn, manager of powertrain design and analysis for Roush Industries and tour guide this Friday afternoon, the Roush Museum is a large garage full of "Jack's toys" -- most with four wheels, but some with two and of course, propellers.

"We are open to the public, but it's by approval only," Corn said. "Museum isn't the right word -- this is a private collection."

The museum is loaded with cars, with Ford clearly the heavy favorite. More than 70 cars are parked in what looks like a warehouse and surprisingly, despite the age of some of the cars, a majority are functioning vehicles that can be taken out on the street for a joyride -- which according to Corn, Mr. Roush does on occasion.

Of course, there are stock cars -- Mark Martin's 500th Cup start, Edwards' Boston Red Sox paint scheme are a couple of standouts, with other Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series vehicles littered among the collection.

But this isn't just a glorified garage for Roush's racecars. There are about 15 concept cars in the collection, as well as a plethora of Mustangs, convertibles, Model Ts -- the list goes on and on. If you are a car connoisseur, this is your Holy Grail. (Continued)