ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) — Ford will open the doors to its new Vault this weekend to some lucky gearheads and fans of history.
The 123-year-old carmaker on Saturday will allow select members of the public and employees into the Ford Vault to take a gander at everything from rare concept cars and Hollywood Mustangs to historic police cruisers and even a 1938 ambulance. Tickets were snapped up quickly, but Ford Motor Co. said there will be future showings.
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Two of the cars that were among the first to cross the finish line at Le Mans in 1966 are on display inside the Ford Vault, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A Ford Reflex concept vehicle is on display inside the Ford Vault Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A 1910 Model T is on display inside the Ford Vault Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A 1973 Mustang convertible used in an episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is on display inside the Ford Vault Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A 1965 Mustang that once served as an Indianapolis 500 pace car spins on a display near the entrance to the Ford Vault, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
“You don’t create an experience like this and a space like this and then hide it away,” said Ted Ryan, Ford’s Archives and Heritage Brand Manager. “We’re going to find a way to make it available to the car community in Michigan as soon as we can.”
Ford’s collection of historic vehicles once was housed at its Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters and other locations. Its vast new home, the Vault, is situated inside a former Amazon fulfillment center in Romulus, another Detroit suburb, and measures 79,000 square feet (7,339 square meters).
“I can tell you, after working here for a couple weeks, I'm averaging about 20,000 steps a day,” said Ryan.
The Vault brings together 125 of the Heritage Fleet's historically significant vehicles, including race cars, design concepts and vehicles tied to pop culture.
“Here, we can actually have a purpose-built space for the cars,” Ford Archives Manager Ciera Casteel said. “That's our legacy. That's what we do here. That is what this company is.”
Some highlights:
— A 2005 Mustang GT proof-of-concept that paved the way for the Shelby GT350. Engineers nicknamed it “Johnny Cash” (inspired by his song “One Piece at a Time,” about an autoworker who cobbles together a car out of mismatched parts). “It's like Frankenstein. Things have been bolted onto Johnny over the years. This is the first time he's ever been displayed,” Ryan said.
— The first three cars to cross the finish line at Le Mans in 1966, a race immortalized in the 2019 Matt Damon/Christian Bale film, “Ford v Ferrari.”
— A 1910 right-hand-drive Model T that was built in the U.K. and remained there until 2025, when it was added to the Heritage Fleet.
— A 1973 Mustang convertible used in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The vehicle was sold in 1974, and remained in private ownership until Ford bought it last year. The body underwent a restoration in 1999, while the interior remains original.
The carmaker built the Vault to be a working archive, giving today’s designers and engineers access to the ideas and experiments that shaped the company as they work on what comes next.
“There's ‘surprise and delight’ moments throughout the building,” Ryan said.
Two of the cars that were among the first to cross the finish line at Le Mans in 1966 are on display inside the Ford Vault, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A Ford Reflex concept vehicle is on display inside the Ford Vault Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A 1910 Model T is on display inside the Ford Vault Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A 1973 Mustang convertible used in an episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is on display inside the Ford Vault Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A 1965 Mustang that once served as an Indianapolis 500 pace car spins on a display near the entrance to the Ford Vault, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Mauricio Pochettino was hired as Manchester United's head coach on Friday, agreeing to leave his job with the U.S. national team to take on the challenge of reviving the fortunes of English soccer's once dominant force.
Just three months after announcing a contract to lead the Americans through the 2030 World Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Pochettino will depart next week for Old Trafford. The 20-time English champion is in the relegation zone after 10 games of the Premier League season.
“They know that there’s not too many opportunities (that) can happen in your career like a side of Manchester United and, of course, when that arrives, it’s difficult to turn down,” Pochettino said during an emotional news conference at the U.S. team training camp.
He signed a 2 1/2-year contract and will take over on Nov. 18 ahead of the match at Liverpool four days later, becoming United's eighth permanent coach or manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Pochettino choked up at a news conference while sitting between USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO JT Batson.
“One of the most difficult decision in our career,” he said, crying and rubbing his hands as Cone put a supportive hand on his back.
“A decision that in some part is a very sad decision,” Pochettino added, “in another part is that we are professional and we need also trying to find the next step to try to make your dreams come true.”
United said the 54-year-old Argentine was “renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players," and had “consistently performed at the highest level of football across multiple leagues.”
Pochettino's appointment comes one day after Michael Carrick was fired for overseeing United's worst league start in 40 years, with one of the biggest teams in world soccer languishing 18th in the Premier League.
Pochettino and his assistants will remain with the U.S. team for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti on Saturday and Tuesday.
“We recovered our motivation,” Pochettino said. “We recovered our capacity to dream big, the capacity to train players that really want to improve and really want to share good moments and players that really care about the federation and this country.”
Pochettino took over the U.S. team in the fall of 2024 and led the co-host Americans to the round of 16 at this year’s World Cup. The USSF is likely to sound out Pep Guardiola’s interest and could also consider elevating Under-23 coach Steve Cherundolo, a former national team defender. Cherundolo will lead a senior national team training camp next month with players mostly from Major League Soccer.
Going into his final two games, Pochettino led the U.S. to 21 wins, 12 losses and two draws — counting a penalty-kicks win over Costa Rica as a draw. He was the first long-term U.S. coach not to win any titles since Steve Sampson from 1995-98.
“What you’ve done with the men’s and the boys program in two years has been unbelievable,” Parlow Cone said. “Not only have you contributed to their advancement, you’ve contributed to the entire federation being better.”
Batson and chief operating officer Dan Helfrich will lead the search, assisted by women’s national team coach Emma Hayes and former American defender Oguchi Onyewu, a member of the USSF staff.
Manchester United is paying a release fee to the USSF to terminate his contract.
“Those funds are used to help us hire great coaches, help us (with) youth national team programs, coaching education,” Batson said. “Those funds are available for us to invest to make the biggest impact on our goals.”
After coaching Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea in the Premier League, Espanyol in Spain and winning the French title with Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino takes a job that has proved to be too big for a succession of managers since Ferguson led the team to a record 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns during a near 27-year tenure.
United has not won the league since Ferguson’s last season in 2013 and has been overtaken by rivals Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Champions League-winning coaches Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho failed to meet United’s expectations, while David Moyes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Carrick also came up short.
Despite winning the French league with PSG in 2022, arguably Pochettino’s greatest achievement was turning Tottenham into a serial title contender in the Premier League and also leading the club to the Champions League final in 2019.
He has never won a major trophy in England, most recently losing the final of the English League Cup with Chelsea in 2024.
Robson reported from Manchester, England, and Blum from New York.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
U.S. men's national soccer team head coach Mauricio Pochettino wipes his eye during a news conference in Fayetteville, Ga., Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
U.S. men's national soccer team head coach Mauricio Pochettino attends a news conference in Fayetteville, Ga., Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
FILE - United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino celebrates with his players following the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino walks on the pitch during practice, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in Fayetteville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino walks on the pitch during practice, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in Fayetteville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
FILE - United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino acknowledges supporters after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
