Norwegian motorists on journey across Lincoln Highway stop in Cedar Rapids

A father and son's passion for classic American cars has turned into a four week cruise across one of America's historic roads.

Harry Kjensli and his son Henning Kjensli of Norway organized more than 70 cars to participate in a trek across the Lincoln Highway for its 100

^th

year.

Motorists in the Lincoln Highway Centennial Tour come from Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland and began their journey on July 1 in New York City's Time Square and will end in San Francisco's Lincoln Park. The crew of classic cars – from Corvettes to a Studebaker President -- will cover more than 3,000 miles through 13 states.

“I think a lot of people view America as sort of the birthplace of the automobile. Tie that in with the idea of the American road trip…,” Henning Kjensli, 27, said. “I think that's a very appealing idea.”

More than a week into their trip, the group made a stop at Cedar Rapid's Clarion Hotel Wednesday evening.

The group collaborated with the Vesterheim, a Norwegian-American museum in Decorah, to showcase the museum's “King's Cadillac” a 1951 limousine that originally belonged to Norway's King Olav V.

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Harry Kjensli, also president of the American Car Club of Norway, said they hope to unveil the car for the public to see around 9 a.m. today at the hotel after a car crash on Tuesday delayed their travels. The passengers involved are now safe, he said.

Kjensli and his son said the trip is a way to promote the historic passageway. The two traversed Route 66 in 2006 and afterwards knew they had to come back.

“One thing we're hoping this tour might do is shine some light and retell the lost story about the [Lincoln] highway,” Henning Kjensli, 27, said. “I think it's an important part of history to preserve.”

The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway in the United States, constructed in 1913 and quickly became popular throughout the 1920s, according to the Lincoln Highway Association.

The endeavor has not gone unnoticed. During a stop in Washington D.C. the motorists participated in the national Fourth of July Parade, a highlight for Bjorn Johannesen and his wife Turid Johannesen.

Sonja Svindal Granas and her husband Finn Granas of Oslo, Norway said their white 1956 Desoto Pacer has attracted a lot of attention, even at stoplights. The two, also traveling with their 15-year-old son, said people would often lean out their windows to ask them about their car or take pictures with them at rest stops.

Despite the long hours spent sitting in cramped quarters, Granas said it's something his family will never forget.

“We will remember this trip even when we're old and crazy in the head,” the 51-year-old said chuckling. “We'll remember this trip.”