Historic Harley-Davidson Design Drawings Rescued
Passionate collector finds, then saves nearly 250 historic Harley-Davidson design drawings from certain doom.
In a day and age where companies are all about heritage and preserving the past, it may seem crazy that one would purposely throw it away. But that’s exactly what happened back in 1978, when Harley-Davidson burned hundreds of engineering and design drawings from its first 60+ years of existence. Thankfully, one man tasked with their destruction saved at least a portion of those Harley-Davidson design drawings. Antique Motorcycling documented the improbable journey that those documents have taken since.
Some 250 drawings made their way to a former employee’s attic until 2003, when those priceless artifacts resurfaced in time for Harley’s 100th Anniversary celebration. Their reemergence at that fitting time can be attributed to Scott C. Hall, a longtime collector of anything to do with vintage motorcycles. Hall simply spotted one of the H-D design drawings on eBay. And with the help of his friend and antique motorcycle expert Mike Smith, he tracked down the source of that document.
Oddly enough, they traced the drawing back to a tiny Milwaukee gift shop. It was there that they met the man responsible for saving these artifacts. A deal was struck and the duo managed to purchase the entire lot of nearly 250 drawings. Each one is truly a work of art, together weaving a story of how Harley-Davidson has evolved over the years.
Of the hundreds of documents, some of the most significant include original renderings of the brand’s bar and shield logo and full scale drawings of the significant 1915 F-Head V-Twin. All provide a fascinating look at the engineering artwork that has driven decades of iconic motorcycles. And thanks to one former H-D employee and an astute collector, we can all enjoy them for decades to come.
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