The gasoline engine has been reliable, practical, and fairly efficient since about 1900. It is easier to control than a steam engine and less likely to burn or explode. A gasoline car can go much further on a tank of gasoline than an electric car can go between battery charges. Gasoline engines have been improved by the use of computers, fuel injectors, and other devices. There are more than 60 cars in the Smithsonian collection, but only 12 to 15 are displayed in the National Museum of American History.
Some cars are in storage, and some are on loan to other museums.
The production years of cars in the collection range from 1894 to 1990. There are experimental cars, cars that families drove, and racing cars. The Smithsonian has been collecting cars since 1899, and almost all of them have been given by people or businesses. Some of the Smithsonian's cars are on loan to the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio, the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse, New York, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in York Springs, Pennsylvania. Books about early cars are available at most libraries.