Zero to Sixty: An Automotive History of Durham

About the event

Zero to Sixty

An Automotive History of Durham

Join Durham County Library and multiple community partners for a downtown Durham car show like no other at Speed House!

Vintage cars of all makes and models will be on view!

Super G Print Lab will be on site with screen prints created for the show by artist Robby Poore for sale, as well as a live screen printing demonstration on paper of vintage cars to take home and automotive prints for sale!

Enjoy a specialty latte named "10W30" made with black sesame paste, vanilla syrup, expresso, milk of choice and black sesame garnish at Vessel Coffee House and Art Cafe, which is located across the street from Speed House. Vessel will also have themed coloring sheets and stickers to enjoy!

From 12:30-1:30 p.m. Peter Krause, legendary mechanic, vintage car enthusiast, and motorsport instructor, will give a talk about the automotive history of Durham; the cars, garages, and people that drove Bull City! What they were, how they got there, and what they are today!

Registration is required for Peter Krause’s talk Zero to Sixty: An Automotive History of Durham

Cruise in Saturday May 30th between 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. for vintage cars, art, coffee, history, and community at Speed House located at 505 North Mangum Street in Durham!

Registration is appreciated to receive an email reminder, program updates, and for anticipated attendance numbers. You do not need to register to attend!

Parking Information

There will be limited street parking available. Please plan on alternate parking at the listed locations.

Parking is available at the Durham County Main Library located at 300 North Roxboro Street which is a short walk to Speed House. Parking is also available at the North Queen Street Garage located at 115 North Queen Street which is behind the apartments directly across the street from the library. Parking at the garage is free on the weekend. The Chapel Hill Street Parking Garage located at 326 E Chapel Hill Street is a short walk to Speed House and parking is free on the weekend. Call the Bull Ride, servicing the downtown area for a free, convenient, and friendly electric-powered ride operated by the Downtown Durham Ambassadors, at 919-682-BULL (2855) between the hours of 10 am –12 pm for a ride to the event.

Community Partners

Speed House exists for those who appreciate the art of automobiles. Whether it’s rare finds, bespoke parts, or expert service, we bring technical excellence and a collector’s passion to everything we do.

Peter Krause is a legendary mechanic, vintage car enthusiast, motorsport instructor, and long time Durham resident. He now provides private client coaching at VIRginia International Raceway.

Super G Print Lab is an anchor of the printmaking community in North Carolina. We provide education, resources, equipment, and space to printmakers of all levels. As the only printmaking studio dedicated to teaching in the region, we offer beginner to advanced classes in screen printing, relief printmaking, and Risograph printing. We reach the surrounding community through live printing events and teaching on site at public places, schools, and businesses. Inviting in new printmakers and sustaining artists—spreading the gospel of ink—is our core mission. Super G was founded by Bill Fick over a decade ago and operates as a cooperative team of artists and teachers. Our current home is east of Downtown Durham and adjacent to Golden Belt Arts. 933 E. Main St, Durham, NC 27701.

Robby Poore is a Chapel Hill-based artist who helps run Super G Print Lab. He began screen printing punk rock t-shirts in the mountains of Los Alamos, New Mexico, in the early 1980s. Robby received a BFA in painting, drawing, and printmaking from the University of New Mexico and worked for several years as a touring lighting designer and roadie for various rock and country artists, as well as a graphic designer and later as the Director of UNC Creative at UNC-Chapel Hill. He teaches screen printing at Super G Print Lab and the Duke Arts Annex. Currently, he is working on a series of autobiographical screen prints inspired by his LinkedIn profile, along with hundreds of drawings of coffee pots and guitar pickups.

Vessel Coffee House and Art Cafe is an artist-owned coffee house and art cafe located in downtown Durham. Our mission is to blend the warmth of a coffee house with the vibrancy of an art studio, cultivating coffee and art-making as a daily practice. At Vessel, we believe art-making is inherently therapeutic, vital for community care, essential in third spaces, and best enjoyed with killer coffee.

Durham County Library’s Maker STEAM Services (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) department offers technological and artistic resources to encourage creative thinking, innovation, exploration, creation, and problem solving. Check us out for access to 3D printing, digital design software, arts and crafts supplies, robotics, coding, and more! We provide an open, welcoming space to gather, collaborate, and learn from library staff and from each other. The goal of Maker STEAM services is to empower a community of makers, encourage creation, and support people of all ages in their endeavors to grow as innovators.

The North Carolina Collection preserves and makes available materials related to the history of Durham city and county. The Collection also offers a wealth of materials for people interested in researching North Carolina-related topics. “Durham History Research Happens Here”

Questions about either event? Email Megan at mkoslofsky@dconc.gov or Kyle at klampart@dconc.gov

Image attribution: Looking northwest from West Geer St., 1953. Courtesy Keith Phillips

Weeks Motor Company / Hutchins Auto Supply

"Weeks Motor Company / Hutchins Auto Supply building. Built in 1948, Weeks was started by Albert Weeks, who ran a service station at North Durham Five Points (Little Five Points) in the 1930s and 1940s. The Weeks Motor Company sold Lincoln and Mercury vehicles."

Image description: Black and white photo of a car dealership from 1953 depicting Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.