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Flint Beat
Your Community, Your Voice, Your News
FLINT, Mich. — Sloan Museum of Discovery recently launched two new exhibits inside the Durant Gallery which celebrates the city’s Soap Box Derby legacy and showcases classic cars preserved by local owners.
The Flint Soap Box Derby exhibit features two original derby cars from Sloan’s collection, a miniature racetrack where children can design and test their own toy cars, a touchscreen interactive, and a full list of Flint-area derby champions dating back to 1936.
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The exhibit was funded by philanthropist Steven Katz, who said the derby helped shape generations of young builders.
“The Flint Soap Box Derby was a major part of the community’s history,” Katz said in a press statement. “It provided great educational opportunities to area youth to learn about engineering and helped those that competed in it develop skills that they would use later in life.”
Katz added that the display honors the many volunteers, officials, sponsors, and participants who kept the program alive for more than 60 years.
Flint’s derby tradition began in 1936 with races down Cadillac Street, where boys ages 11–13 built and raced gravity-powered carts. The city expanded the program in 1969 when Mayor Donald R. Cronin established The Cronin Derby Downs behind the former Southwestern High School. Girls were invited to compete in the races by 1971.
Racing in Flint eventually ended in 1997, but Cronin’s grandson, Kevin Cronin, revived the event in 2019. Restoration of the historic Derby Downs track is underway, with plans to reopen it by spring 2026.
Also in the gallery is a new Community Cars exhibit celebrating everyday residents who have preserved Flint’s automotive heritage through their personal vehicles.
The first three cars selected for display include a 1965 Pontiac GTO owned by Keith Seymore, a 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT owned by Joe and Colleen Grathoff, and a 1997 Buick Skylark Custom owned by Thomas Nadolski. Their cars will remain on exhibit for one year alongside Sloan’s historic collection.
Visitors can also hear directly from each owner through recorded oral histories. Applications are now open for the next group of community vehicles to be featured in 2026. The program is supported by the Margaret Dunning Foundation.
Both new exhibits are included with general admission to Sloan Museum of Discovery during regular business hours Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday Noon-5 p.m. General admission is free to Genesee County residents due to the Arts Education & Cultural Education Millage voters passed in 2018.
More information about the Durant Vehicle Gallery can be found at SloanLongway.org/DurantVehicleGallery.
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