Dowd's Guide to Classic Car Collections

ALABAMA

2006-07-31T00:50:00.000-07:00

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
6030 Barber Motorsports Parkway
Birmingham AL 35094
(205) 699-7275
Features: More than 900 vintage and modern motorcycles -- believed to be the largest such collection in North america -- as well as a collection of Lotus and other race cars. Approximately 500 motorcycles on display at any given time. Bikes range from 1904 to current-year production, from 16 countries that represent 143 marques.

International Motorsports Hall of Fame
Speedway Boulevard, adjacent Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega AL
(256) 362-5002
Features: The IMHOF's Motorsports Museum spans three buildings and an enclosed courtyard. Its collection of racing vehicles and memorabilia from 1902 to the present is valued at more than $15 million. Among the items on display are the fastest boat in the world, the rare Ford Talladega Torino that Alabama native Donnie Allison raced in the Winston Cup series, the STP Dodge Charger that Richard Petty drove to a career-record 31 victories, and the Budweiser Rocket car that was the first to break the sound barrier on land.

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
Visitors Center
1 Mercedes Drive
Tuscaloosa AL 35490
(888) 286-8762
Features: Tours will resume early next year, when visitors will be able to take a virtual tour of the manufacturing process, and see vintage Mercedes, Benz and Daimler vehicles in Daimler's only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant.

ALASKA

2006-07-31T00:49:00.000-07:00

Museum of Alaska Transportation & Industry
3800 West Museum Drive
Wasilla, Alaska 99687
(907) 376-1211
Features: The museum's mission is the collection, conservation, restoration, exhibition, and interpretation of artifacts relating to Alaska’s transportation and industrial history. Its scope is statewide and the collections reflect that, encompassing Eskimo skin boats to jet aircraft.

ARIZONA

2006-07-31T00:48:00.000-07:00

Franklin Automobile Museum
1405 East Kleindale Road
PO Box 40444
Tucson, AZ 85717-0444
(520) 326-8038
Features: This facility springs from the donation of his adobe home and his car collection by the estate of Thomas H. Hubbard, who died in 1993 at the age of 67. He was a well-known Tucson auto restorer and car history buff widely recognized as a leading authority on the Franklin automobile. His collection, besides 16 Franklins, includes a 1909 REO, a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr and a 1957 Porsche coupe. A '33 Franklin Coupe is shown here next to the museum/home's entrance.

Hall of Flame
6101 East Van Buren St.
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(602) 275-3473
Features: Nearly an acre of fire history exhibits, with more than 90 restored pieces of fire apparatus dating from 1725. Mostly American items, but there are examples from Europe and Japan. Sponsored by the National Historical Fire Foundation.

Penske Racing Museum
7125 East Chauncey Lane
Phoenix, AZ 85054
(480) 538-4444
Features: Celebrates four decades of the famous racing enterprise with an 8,000 square foot facility that includes two floors plus a mezzanine with a collapsible glass wall. Eleven of Penske Racing's winning Indy 500 cars are on display, along with 18 other racing and vintage cars, Team Penske trophies and other memorabilia.

ARKANSAS

2006-07-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

Ft. Smith Trolley Museum
100 South 4th Street
Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479) 783-0205
Features: The Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association is dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of electric powered streetcars, railroad equipment, transportation and other technology that existed during this period in history, and to providing a unique educational experience to the visiting public.

Museum of Automobiles
Petit Jean Mountain
8 Jones Lane
Morrilton, AK 72110
(501) 727-5427
Features: Its collection includes some very unusual vehicles such as a 1904 Oldsmobile French Front, a 1912 Paige Beverly touring car, a 1916 Smith Motor Wheel, a 1933 Auburn V12 Boat Tail Speedster and a 1914 Cretors Popcorn Wagon commercial truck seen here. The museum also serves as headquarters for the Mid-America Old-Time Auto Association.

TEX-ARK ANTIQUE AUTO MUSEUM
Third and Broad streets
Texarkana, AR
(870) 772-2886

CALIFORNIA

2006-07-31T00:46:00.000-07:00

Alford Auto Museum
599 East Main Street
El Centro, CA
(760) 353-3920
Features: Predominately American-Made cars such as Fords and Franklins. The Model “A” Ford Rich Alford bought when he was in high school is included in the exhibit outside. All cars are in running condition and have been restored to their original state.

Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum
2040 North Santa Fe Avenue
Vista, CA
760) 941-1791
Features: Dozens of workhorse machines powered by, obviously, gasoline or steam engines. A visible history of American manufacturing devices.

Automobile Driving Museum
610 Lairport Street
El Segundo, CA
(310) 909-0950
Features: More than 70 antique, classic and special interest cars are on display, including a 1955 Packard Caribbean once owned by the actress Jean Peters (a gift from Howard Hughes) and a 1936 seven passenger Packard Phantom,
purported to be a gift from President Roosevelt to Joseph Stalin. Rides in select vehicle4s are given on Sundays.

Blackhawk Museum
3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle
Danville, CA 94506
(925) 736-2280
Features: Two spacious galleries display about 90 historically significant and artistically inspired automobiles, mostly one-of-a-kind, dating from the turn of the 20th Century.

Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation & Wildlife
Oxnard, CA
Features: Home to the late newspaper mangate Otis Chandler's extensive collection of vintage and rare utomobiles, motorcycles and trains as well as fine art and wildlife game. Inventory includes an Ahrens-Fox pumper fire truck and an 1894 Baldwin steam locomotive. Extensive motorcycle collection covers two floors with more than 50 makers represented.

J.A. Cooley Museum
North Park
San Diego, CA
Features: This is a small facility in one of the city's older neighborhoods. It has 15 cars from 1886 through 1933 plus 25 categories of antiques represented by collections such as model trains, cast iron toys, spittoons, tools, cuckoo clocks, license plates, World War I posters, phonographs, typewriters, and cameras.

Hays Antique Truck Museum
1962 Hays Lane
Woodland, CA
(530) 666-1044
Features: The collection includes more than 100 makes of old trucks, representing 94 different manufacturers such as Fageol, Freightliner, Mack, Sterling, Oshkosh, Peterbilt, Chevrolet, Dodge, and the one and only 1916 Breeding Steam Truck.

Marconi Automotive Museum
1302 Industrial Drive
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 258-3001
Features: A $30 million collection includes exotic cars, auto memorabilia, and convention and event space. Included are cars, motorcycles and such special groupings as "Ferrari Row," a line of Ferraris that includes a sapphire-blue Ferrari FX (seen here), the only one in the world. Many of the event proceeds help fund the Marconi Foundation for Kids.

Murphy Auto Museum
2230 Statham Boulevard
Oxnard, CA 93033
(805) 487-4333
Features: This facility was opened in 2002 as a non-profit collection of more than 50 cars in the classic, milestone and special interest niches, including a collection of Packards from 1927-1958.

NHRA Motorsports Museum
Fairplex Gate 1
1101 West McKinley Avenue
Pomona, CA
Features: The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum opened in 1998. The 28,500 square foot building on the edge of the Los Angeles County Fairplex is intended to highlight the impact of motorsports on our culture. Hot rods, customs and race cars are featured.

Nethercutt Collection and Museum
15151 Bledsoe Street
Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 367-2251
Features: This is an upscale facility with a dress code. No jeans or shorts, for example. Besides classic cars, the collection has more than 1,100 hood ornaments, many crafted from Lalique crystal. Among its 200 showpiece cars are a 1933 Duesenberg SJ Arlington Torpedo "Twenty Grand." a 1932 Maybach Zeppelin Sport Cabriolet and a 1934 Packard 1108 Dietrich Convertible Sedan, the "Orello."

Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 930-2277
Features: The museum covers four stories. Permanent exhibits, including dioramas and experience settings, are on the first. The second is comprised of five large changing exhibition galleries with displays of race cars, classic cars, vintage motorcycles, concept cars, celebrity and movie cars, and automotive design and technology. The May Family Children's Discovery Center is located on the third floor. It's an interactive hands-on learning center that teaches children basic scientific principles by explaining the fundamental functions of a car. An all-glass penthouse conference center, founder's lounge and kitchen cover the fourth floor. Changing exhibits cover such topics as "Presidents, Popes & Potentates."

San Diego Automotive Museum
Balboa Park
2080 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101-1636
(619) 231-2886
Features: An exotic and extensive collection that ranges from the first Fiberglas dune buggy to the Nash Metropolitan -- America's smallest-ever production car, three-wheelers, desert racing vehicles and motorcycles.

San Diego Firehouse Museum
1572 Columbia Street
San Diego, CA
Features: The museum, located in the city's Little Italy section, occupies the former home of Fire Station No. 6. It has a wide range firefighting gear, including such exhibits as an 1841 Rumsey & Co. piano box hand pumper that was retired during the Civil War, and a 1928 Seagrave pumper, equipped with front-fender holes for "blackout lights" used on the streets of La Jolla, CA, during WWII.

Simpson's Nursery & Auto Museum
13925 Highway 94
Jamul, CA
Features: This sprawling 25-acre plant nursery and garden center is located 20 minutes from downtown San Diego. In addition to being a horticultural center, it offers two barns full of vintage and antique cars for visitors to visit for free. One barn contains Ford Model T's and Model A's, and the other hot rods, classics and muscle cars from the 1940's, '50s, '60s and early '70s.

Towe Auto Museum
2200 Front Street
Sacramento, CA 95818-1107
(916) 442-6802
Features: This museum stems from local collector Edward Towe's passion for collecting Fords. At one time, he had amassed 240 if them, which became the core of the facility. By the mid-1980s, his array was displayed in two separate museums, the Towe Ford Museum in Deer Lodge, MT, and the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento. Local enthusiasts drummed up municipal and industry funding for a new, consolidated facility which opened in 1987.

COLORADO

2006-07-31T00:45:00.000-07:00

Clive Cussler Museum
14959 W. 69th Avenue
Arvada CO 80007
(303) 420-2795
Features: Cussler, author of multiple best-selling novels, frequently includes exotic cars and other transportation in his books. This seasonal museum is a collection of cars he owns, some of which have been described in his books. Among the prizes: a 1932 Stutz town car (seen here), a 1953 Allard J2X sports car, and a 1936 Pierce Arrow Berline with a Pierce Arrow Travelodge house trailer.

The Dougherty Museum
U.S. 287
Longmont, CO
(303) 776-2520
Features: The collection includes restored cars powered by steam, electricity and early internal combustion engines. Most of the cars are in running order. Some unusual cars include a 1908 Silent Waverly (seen here), a 1909 Fuller, a 1910 Lozier, several Ford Model A's and several horse-drawn carriages.

Forney Museum of Transportation
4303 Brighton Boulevard
Denver, CO 80216
(303) 297-1113
Features: Amelia Earhart's "Gold Bug" Kissel, Aly Khan's Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, plus "Anything On Wheels," such as the Forney Locomotive, the Big Boy and other train engines, as well as dining cars, cable cars and more as part of a 500-item collection of antique cars -- such as the 1912 Renault opera coupe seen here, trains, tractors, carriages, cars, buggies and bicycles. The exhibits also include wax figures of the likes of W.C.

Shelby American Collection
5020 Chaparral Court
P.O. Box 19228
Boulder, CO 80308-2228
(303) 516-9565
Features: The collection represents the race heritage of Shelby American and has on display some of the most famous cars it ever built. The museum also is host to displays of period autos, tools and memorabilia.

Stanley Museum
Lower Stanley Village
P.O. Box 788
Estes Park, CO 80517
(970) 577-1903
Features: This is a sister facility to one in Kingfield, ME. Its exhibits range from history and ghost story tours to virtual tours in a presentation format. With the addition of the museum's 1909 Model R Stanley Roadster, the museum ramped up the significance of the Stanley steam car, its place in automotive and transportation history and an introduction to how it works.

CONNECTICUT

2006-07-31T00:44:00.000-07:00

Connecticut Firemen's Historical Society
230 Pine Street
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 649-9436
Features: The museum is located in a 1901 firehouse and exhibits a wide variety of firefighting equipment and memorabilia ranging from leather fire buckets used by the first settlers, to early motorized fire apparatus. Also on display, a horse-drawn hose wagon and a steam-operated pumper.

Golden Age of Trucking Museum
1101 Southford Road
Middlebury, CT
(203) 577-2181
Features: In addition to continually changing exhibits on trucking, the museum has a display of Crosley cars and collectibles, a 35-minute movie about moving the Edaville Railroad from Carver, MA, to Portland, ME, art displays, stock cars from the now-closed Danbury Race Arena, antique trucks ranging from the early 1900s to 1974, plus a trio of cars made in Connecticut -- a Locomobile, a Trumbull and a Barker.

Photomobile Model Museum
1728 Highway 198
Woodstock, CT
(203) 974-3910
Features: Dedicated to solar electric small-scale car, boat, plane, train and maglev vehicles. Highlight:
New England solar car.

DELAWARE

2006-07-31T00:43:00.000-07:00

Magic Age of Steam
Route 82
Yorklyn, DE 19736
(302) 239-4410
Features: Steam-powered cars, locomotives and other vehicles are represented in this facility, dedicated to the "Age of Steam" in America from the end of the Civil War until the early 1920s. It includes the largest collection of steam-powered autos in the world, an exhibit of miniature stationary steam engines and tiny railroad locomotives, and the 7" gauge coal-burning Auburn Valley Railroad, all located on the grounds. Seen here is the 30-horsepower 1912 Stanley, a 7-passenger touring car that holds the record for the longest trip ever made in a steam car -- 8,328 miles during the summer of 1972.

FLORIDA

2006-07-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

Elliott Museum
825 N.E. Ocean Boulevard
Hutchinson Island
Stuart, FL
(772) 225-1961
Features: Founded by inventor Harmon Elliott as a tribute to his father, Sterling, also a prolific inventor. Collectively, they were awarded 222 patents. Many of them had to do with vehicle design, an dthe collection includes Sterling’s quadricycle and the Elliott family’s Stanley Steamer car. Plus, the facility holds a transportation gallery and life-size dioramas of turn-of-the-century shops and residences. The museum is owned and operated by the Historical Society of Martin County.

Ft. Lauderdale Antique Car Museum
1527 SW 1st Avenue (Packard Avenue)
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315
(954)779-7300
Features: The museum is a reproduction of a Packard showroom from the 1920s. On display are 22 Packards from the 1900s to the 1940s, all in working order. The 18,000 square foot building is also stocked with thousands of pieces of memorabilia as well as a gallery dedicated to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
13700 SW 16th Avenue
Ocala, FL 34473
(877) 271-3278
Features: This is drag racing's Mecca, devoted to the legendary namesake dragster driver and the sport as a whole.

Sarasota Classic Car Museum
5500 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34243
(941) 355-6228
Features: This 53-year-old facility recently underwent a renovation. The 60,000 square foot facility sits on four acres near the Ringling Museum of Art. It houses more than 100 automobiles, including classic models, one of only five Cadillac station wagons ever made, John Lennon’s Mercedes Roadster, and one of Don Garlits' dragsters. Also on premises is an antique game arcade with machines that are operable and cost just a few cents.

Tallahassee Antique Car Museum
3550A Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 942-0137
Features: A large collection of classics from around the world. Perhaps the most prized possession is an 1894 Duryea, perhaps the oldest known surviving fully manufactured pre-production model. It is in running condition. A forensic examination of the underside of the original floorboard reveals that the pencil writing of the words “flywheel” and “Sprocket” were by J. Frank Duryea, the original designer of the Duryea automobile.

Tampa Bay Auto Museum
3301 Gateway Centre Boulevard
Pinellas Park, FL
(727) 579-8226
Features: If you want to see some very unusual marques, models and memorabilia, try this facility. Examples? How about Peugeot Darl 'mat, Salmson S4E, Talbot Lago T 15 Q L 6, Avion Voisin-C7 Chastness, Tracta A, Hotchkiss Gregoire, Allard P1, Fardier de Cugnot, Kubelwagen Type 82 ... . Convinced?

GEORGIA

2006-07-31T00:41:00.000-07:00

Stone Mountain Antique Car and Treasure Museum
Stone Mountain Memorial Park
2542 Young Road
Stone Mountain, GA 30088
(404) 981-0194
Features: Among 40 display cars are a Tucker, a 35K series Lincoln and a handmade car from a Buck Rogers sci-fi film, the body of which is a shortened '37 Ford.

Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum
2950 Eatonton Road
Madison, GA 30650
Features: Open by e-mail appointment only. This an unusual collection, devoted to tiny autos spurred by post-World War II desires to get Europe back on its feet. The collection is primarily focused on cars of the late 1940s-pre-1964 range with engine sizes of 700cc or less (many are 250cc and 50cc) and two doors or less. The microcar or "bubble car" came to symbolize this period of renewed energy and pulling together.

HAWAII

2006-07-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

Hawaiian Island Camaros
P.O. Box 63
Pearl City, HI 96782
Features: While there is no museum facility in the state, this islands-wide organization conducts a variety of events for Camaro aficionados. The main event is the annual Camaro Cruise.

IDAHO

2006-07-31T00:39:00.000-07:00

Grant's Antique Cars & Museum
5603 Franklin Road
Boise, ID 83705
(208) 342-8800
Features: (No Web site.)

Idaho State Historical Society Transportation Museum
Boise, ID 83705
(208) 334-2844
Features: (No Web site.)

The Vintage Wheel Museum
218 Cedar Street
Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208)263-7173
Features: (No Web site.)

ILLINOIS

2006-07-31T00:38:00.000-07:00

Chicagoland Historical Bus Museum
9901 South Sayer Avenue, Chicago Ridge
Aurora, IL 60598-6203
(708) 250-6970
Features:Exhibits and programs demonstrate the vital role bus transportation has played in the growth of the Chicago area as well as the U.S. Preservation and restoration of buses, bus equipment and artifacts. Exhibits provide an interactive, educational experience for visitors of all ages.

Historic Auto Attractions
13825 Metric Drive
Roscoe, IL
(815) 389-7917
Features: Created by race car driver Wayne Lensing, whose Lefthander Chassis company makes short-track racing chassis. He collects special interest vehicles, with 70 now on display accompanied by graphic illustrations and historical information.

Volo Auto Museum
27582 Volo Village Road
Volo, IL 60073
(815) 385-3644
Features: A varied collection of more than 300 cars, including Hollywood cars (the original Batmobile from the 1960s television series; the '77 Pontiac Trans-am Blackbird Special Edition from "Smokey and The Bandit,the '67 Shelby Mustang that was used in "Gone In 60 Seconds," the Flintstone car, etc.), pre-1950 classic cars and muscle cars.

Wheels o' Time Museum
11923 North Knoxville Avenue
PO Box 9636
Peoria, IL 61612-9636
(309) 243-9020
Features: This is a time capsule you can walk around in -- antique cars (mostly Packards), household items, tools, machinery, musical instruments -- in other words, a large and eclectic grouping of items owned by 55 collectors.

INDIANA

2006-07-31T00:37:00.000-07:00

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
1600 South Wayne Street
Auburn, IN 46706
Features: Some of America's most artistically classic vehicles are housed in an Art Deco gallery that was a world-famous 1920s-'30s showroom. Besides the marques in the establishment's name there are examples of Packards, Cadillacs, Rolls Royces and other high-end makes.

Automotive Heritage Museum
1500 North Reed Road (US 31 North)
Kokomo, IN
(765) 454-9999
Features: More than 100 antique and classic vehicles built in the period 1895 to the mid 1970s, including Packards, Hupmobiles and the Haynes autros built in Kokomo.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum
4790 West 16th Street
Indianapolis IN 46224
(317) 492-6784
Features: About 75 cars are on display at any one time in the 30,000 square feet of exhibition space. Highlights:
The Marmon Wasp that won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 with Ray Harroun at the wheel, and was featured on a postage stamp in the U.S. Postal Service's Transportation Series; four two-time winning cars, the Boyle Maserati (Wilbur Shaw 1939-40), the Blue Crown Spark Plug Special (Mauri Rose 1947-48), the Fuel Injection Special (Bill Vukovich 1953-54) and the Belond Special (Sam Hanks 1957 and Jimmy Bryan 1958), plus more than 30 Indy 500-winning cars.

Kokomo Auto Heritage Museum
The Johanning Civic Center
1500 North Reed Road, US 31N
Kokomo, IN 46901
(765) 454-9999
Features: The city is the home of the Haynes auto, first built in 1893 by inventor Elwood Haynes. It is regarded as America's first gasoline-powered car. The car, named the Pioneer was successfully road tested on July 4, 1894. The Pioneer is now housed in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. This museum displays more than 100 antique and classic autos representing dozens of makes and models. Included are displays of automobile components and accessories manufactured in Kokomo since 1894.

Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum
5634 CR 11-A
Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 927-9144
Features: The classics on display range from a Duesenberg to custom hot rods built by Carl Casper, winner of more than 100 car show and competition awards. Also, several novelty cars such as one of the Batmobiles of TV and movie fame.

LaPorte County Historical Museum
2405 Indiana Avenue, Suite 1
La Porte, IN 46350
(219) 324-6767
Features: Several dozen vintage and classic autos that were part of the now-closed Door Prairie Auto Museum. Located in an expanded facility that opened in August 2006.

National Automotive and Truck Museum of the U.S.
1000 Gordon M. Buehrig Place
Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 925-9100
Features: This is a non-profit museum with emphasis on post-World War II cars and trucks, although it does have vehicles on display from 1908 high wheelers to current production pickups. The facility also houses the NATMUS Model Car/Truck & Toy Museum.

Rag Tops Museum
209 West Highway 12
Michigan City, IN 46360
(219) 878-1514
Features: This tribute to the convertible covers 65 cars displayed as a “tour through time,” with vehicles being shown amid mannequins and memorabilia. Primarily cars from the 1950s and '60s, although it sports a '70 Plymouth Superbird.

Studebaker National Museum
201 S. Chapin Street
South Bend, IN 46601
(574) 235-9714
Features: This actually is two museums in one -- the Studebaker National Museum and the Center for History -- available for the price of one ticket. The Bullet Nose Gallery houses a Raymond Loewy-designed 1950 Champion convertible, distinctive for its front-end “Bullet Nose” treatment that was new for 1950. Hydraulic lifts in the lower level hold vehicle storage in double-decker fashion that makes all parts of the vehicles observable. The museum also is home to the largest presidential carriage collection known to exist, with carriages belonging to Presidents Lincoln, McKinley, Harrison and Grant, the latter seen here.

IOWA

2006-07-31T00:36:00.000-07:00

Iowa 80 Truckstop Trucking Hall of Fame
755 West Iowa 80 Road
I-80, Exit 284
Walcott, IA
(563) 284-6961
Features: This spot, which bills itself as the world's largest truckstop, has nearly 22,000 square feet of display space devoted to several dozen trucks at one time with room for storage of other trucks not on current display. Among items on display are a 1910 Avery, a 1961 B-61 Mack, the first Mack AC ever produced, a 1924 White wrecker featured in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes," a rare half-cab Kenworth, and a 1912 Saurer, the only remaining American-built Saurer.

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum
One Sprint Capital Place
P.O. Box 542
Knoxville, IA 50138
(800) 874-4488
Features: Between Knoxville Raceway and the Hall of Fame & Museum, this town claims to be the capital of sprint car racing in America. Numerous events are held at the Hall, which has displays recording sprint car history.

Schildberg's Antique Car Museum
East Iowa Street
Greenfield, IA
(641) 743-8444
Features: This small but varied collection is from the estate of Dennis Schildberg, a local auto collector and restorer.. The cars are used for community events, and the exhibit is open by appointment by calling the local Chamber of Commerce at the number listed here.

KANSAS

2006-07-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

Highbanks Hall of Fame
National Midget Auto Racing Museum
P.O. Box 264
Belleville, KS 66935
(785) 527-2526
Features: The museum, a new facility, is aimed at preserving traditions of dirt track racing. It contains displays about racing personalities, memorabilia, and displays race cars.

KC Classic Auto Museum
10101 Lackman Road
Lenexa, KS 66219
[913) 888-1234
Features: A half-acre showroom displaying 50-plus American cars from the 1950s-1970s.

Kansas Auto Racing Museum
Chapman, KS
Features: Concentrates on the history of racing in Kansas as opposed to trying to duplicate NASCAR or another series. Extensive film and still-photo collection, examples of different types of race cars.

Matthews Collection
5889 Lamar Street
Arvada, CO 80003
(303) 456-0041
Features: Harry Mathews, a suburban Denver auto dealer, has a collection of more than 20 racing cars he allows car clubs and other special groups to visit by appointment. The collection includes Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes, Jaguar, Lotus and McLaren marques.

REO Antique Auto Museum
Lindsborg, KS 67456
(785) 227-3252
Features: Displays are in the annex to a 1930 service station complete with antique hand-operated gas pumps. The museum was opened in 1988 to exhibit the private Applequist auto collection. It specializes in the vehicles produced from 1905 to 1936 by Ransom Eli Olds. The Museum has 13 REO cars, 7 REO trucks, 1 REO fire engine, and well as Ford, Black, Dodge, Chevrolet, Plymouth and Cadillac models from 1905 to 1948, plus a Thunderbird and a DeLorean.

Scotty's Classic Car Museum
302 North 9th (off 69 By-Pass)
Arma, KS 66712
(620) 347-8387
Features: This museum goes for the full period effect, with memorabilia, cars, posters, and artifacts creating a more-or-less '50s atmosphere.

KENTUCKY

2006-07-31T00:34:00.000-07:00

Calvert Auto Museum
P.O. Box 245, Highway 95
Calvert City, KY 42029
Features: (No Web site.) Displays 35 vehicles representing 10 different marques, ranging from a 1914 Ford touring car to a 1937 Cord, with most of the autos from the 1920s.

National Corvette Museum
350 Corvette Drive
Bowling Green, KY 42101
(270) 745-8019
Features: Every Corvette is made in the plant here, which is open for tours, and the museum is adjacent to it. The 68,000 sq. ft. building houses more than 50 Corvette models and one-of-a-kind concept cars spanning the history of Corvette since its inception in 1953. Also includes thousands of related photos, movies, videos, advertisements, scale models and rare memorabilia. Inside includes full-scale dioramas showing Corvettes in period settings. The one-millionth 'Vette ever built (seen here) also is on display.

Ranier Racing Museum
Prestonburg, KY
(606) 886-1341
Features: (No Web site) Opened in March 2006, named for local businessman and NASCAR race car owner Harry Hale Ranier. Racing memorabilia and cars, including the 1983 Daytona 500 tropy won by Cale Yarborough in a Ranier-owned car.

Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum
1100 North Dixie Avenue
Elizabethtown, KY
(270) 765-2181
Features: Several dozen classic cars, including some seldom-found models as a 1910 Brush, 1910 Hupmobile Runabout, 1923 Dodge Business Sedan, 1923 Packard Sport Touring, 1931 Chevrolet Convertible Cabriolet, 1931 LaSalle Convertible Rumble Seat Coupe, 1936 Rolls Royce Phantom III, 1938 Dodge 5 Window Coupe and a 1953 Jaguar XK 120 Sports Car.

LOUISIANA

2006-07-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

Ark-La-Tex Antique & Classic Vehicle Museum
601 Spring Street
Shreveport, LA 71101-3645
Features: The facility is in a former 1920s Dodge car and Graham truck (seen here) dealership. Exhibits include both antique and classic vehicles, including motorcycles and antique fire trucks.

MAINE

2006-07-31T00:32:00.000-07:00

Boothbay Railway Village
Route 27, P.O. Box 123
Boothbay, ME 04537
Features: What began as a village restoration has morphed into an eclectic collection of transportation memorabilia and village history. The car collection includes such attractions as a circa 1830 one-horse shay, an 1860 carriage built in Farmington, ME, an 1897 Haynes-Apperson Surrey, a 1904 curved dahboard Oldsmobile, a 1923 Ford Model T depot hack, a 1926 Franklin Victoria sport touring car, a 1929 Packard Model 640 limousine, a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr 12 cylinder, a 1941 Willys Americar Speedway Sedan and a 1962 Rolls Royce.

Cole Land Transportation Museum
405 Perry Road
Bangor ME 04401
(207) 990-3600
Features: This is a repository of vehicles and memorabilia that chronicle all areas of transportation in Maine's history. That includes a collection of more than 2,000 photographs, the largest display of snow removal equipment under one roof in America, and 10 fire trucks ranging from a 1910 hand tub to a 1948 Ahrens Fox.

Jay Hill Auto Museum
Route 4, Jay Hill
Jay , ME 04239
(207) 897-5257
Features: (No Web site.) Small exhibit of antique vehicles.

Owls Head Transportation Museum
Route 73 adjacent Knox County Airport
Owls Head, ME
(207) 594-4418
Features: The facility deals with more than 100 historic aircraft, automobiles, bicycles, carriages and engines on permanent display. The aircraft collection contains replicas and originals representing the first century of flight, from Cayley’s unmanned glider (1804) to the legendary Curtiss Jenny of the barnstorming era. The auto collection spans the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and includes the 1963 Prototype Mustang and a 1935 Stout Scarab, called the world’s first mini-van. Only six were made.

Seal Cove Auto Museum
PO Box 190
Pretty Marsh Road
Camden, ME 04843
(207) 244-9242
Features: One of the largest, if not the largest, collections of brass cars, containing more than 100 rare autos -- such as the 1907 Chadwick seen here -- and about 30 antique motorcycles.

Skyline Farm Carriage Museum
95 The Lane
North Yarmouth, ME 04097
(207) -829-9908
Features: Housed in one of Maine's first indoor riding rings, the horse-drawn carriages and sleighs represent the types of vehicles used for personal tranportation prior to the 1920s.

Stanley Museum
40 School Street
P.O. Box 77
Kingfield, ME04947
(207) 265-2729
Features: This is a sister entity to the Stanley in Estes Park, CO, established in 1981 and located in the Georgian-style Stanley School built in 1903. Kingfield is the birthplace of the Stanleys — important to note because the steam car for which they're most often remembered was built in Watertown, MA. The Museum commemorates and preserves the heritage of the Stanley family that created the famous Stanley Steamer automobile. The exhibits cover all facets of Stanley family history and memorabilia — airbrush painting and photography, violins and examples of Stanley steam cars from 1905, 1910, and 1916.

Wells Auto Museum
Route 1
Wells, ME
(207) 646-9064
Features: More than 80 cars covering 1900-1963. Some of the gems are a 1963 Studebaker Avanti, a 1949 Cadillac Fleetwood, and a 1907 Stanley Steamer. Also, a collection of nickelodeons, antique arcade games, license plates and toys.

MARYLAND

2006-07-31T00:31:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Streetcar Museum
1901 Falls Road
P.O. Box 4881
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 547-0264
Features: The "youngest" streetcar on display is No. 7407, built by the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co. in 1944 for the Baltimore Transit Company. It's the star of a collection commemorating this very cityfied mode of transportation.

Collector Car Museum
7500 Rickenbacker Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
(301) 987-0960
Features: Deals heavily in restoration and sales, but has a collection on display, ranging from 1960s-'70s muscle cars to unusual models.

Fire Museum of Maryland
1301 York Road
Lutherville, MD 21093
(410) 521-7500
Features: (No web site.) A collection of firefighting equipment and memorabilia that chronicles the history and evolution of firefighting throughout the state.

Wheels of Yesterday
Route 50
Ocean City, MD
Features: The museum, open since 1997, is located on the outskirts of the tourist city and is open year-round. The oldest vehicle in the collection is a horse-drawn rural mail delivery wagon dating from 1830. The oldest car here is a 1904 Oldsmobile Model R. Several marques long gone from the automotive scene are represented, including a '26 Essex, a '49 Packard, a '51 Willys Jeep station wagon and a '55 Hudson Metropolitan (seen here).

MASSACHUSETTS

2006-07-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

Larz Anderson Auto Museum
15 Newton Street
Brookline, MA 02445
(617) 522-6547
Features: A continuing exhibit tells the history of the French motor car in "L'automobile: A Century of Innovation and Style." Includes autos made by Delahaye, Delage, Facel-Vega, Voisin, Renault, Citroen, DeDion, Leon Bollee, Bugatti, Peugeot, Rochet-Schneider, Gardner-Serpollet and others. The actual vehicles on display will change as the exhibit continues for one year.

Josiah K. Lilly III Automobile Collection
Heritage Museums & Gardens
Sandwich, MA
(508) 888-3300, ext. 121
Features: This collection is housed in a two-story replica of a Shaker Round Barn on the grounds of an extensive campus of history and horticultural attractions on the west end of Cape Cod. Among the vehicles on display: actor Gary Cooper's 1930 Duesenberg, a 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster model 8-100A, a 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall Phaeton, a 1912 Mercer Raceabout and a 1909 White Steam Car Model M, one of the first official cars of the White House, owned by President William Howard Taft.

National Streetcar Museum
25 Shattuck Street
Lowell, MA
Features: This is an offshoot of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME. It's an exhibit describing the history of urban rail transportation and how its rebirth is helping to revitalize American cities.

Toad Hall
Simmons Homestead Inn
288 Scudder Avenue
Hyannis Port, MA 02647
(508) 778-4934
Features: A collection of more than 50 classic sports cars, mostly English with some Japanese and European ones thrown in -- and all of them are red. There are a dozen Lotuses, a half-dozen MGs, Triumphs and Jaguars, and a smattering of Austin Healeys, TVRs, Datsuns, and Ferrari, Mazda, Morgan, AC, Daimler, Sunbeam, Mini Cooper, etc.

Walker Transportation Collection
Beverly Historical Society and Museum
117 Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915-5196
( 978) 922-1186
Features: As the collection curators put it, "If it moved or existed within, around, or above New England, the collection most likely has a photo of it." The collection covers trains, streetcars, trolleys, trucks, buses, cars, ships, and planes — all forms of transportation.

MICHIGAN

2006-07-31T00:29:00.000-07:00

Automotive Hall of Fame
21400 Oakwood Boulevard
Dearborn, MI
(313) 240-4000 ext. 228
Features: This visitor attraction and educational resource is a repository for automotive history shown through visual and interactive exhibits, automobiles and artifacts. School groups are admitted free of charge with advance arrangements.

Automotive Heritage Museum
100 East Cross Street
Ypsilanti, Mi 48198
(734) 482-5200
Features: Located in the nation's last Hudson dealership, with records dating back to 1927. Apex Motors, which produced the "ACE" car from 1920-1922, was located on South River Street and Preston Tucker whose family owned the Ypsilanti Machine and Tool Co. developed and built the prototype for his "Tucker Torpedo."

• Corvair Museum
Part of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection.

Bay City Motor Co. Museum
201 Second Street
Bay City, MI 48708
(866) 822-2216
Features: Vintage, classic, neoclassic, muscle, and specialty vehicles abound. Among the marques represented are BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge (2), Ferrari, Ford, Hudson, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury and Studebaker.

Walter P. Chrysler Museum
One Chrysler Drive
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2778
(888) 456-1924
Features: This facility named for the auto pioneer is located on the DaimlerChrysler Headquarters campus. Although much of the collection deals with Chrysler Corp. marques including Plymouth, DeSoto, Dodge, Imperial and Chrysler, there are others dotted here and there -- such as Willys, Rambler Hudson and more.

Detroit Historical Society
5401 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI
(313) 833-7935
Features: This all-things-Detroit organization includes, naturally enough, numerous exhibits and artifacts concerning the auto industry.

Henry Ford Museum
20900 Oakwood Boulevard.
Dearborn, MI 48124-4088
(800) 835-5237
Features: "The Henry Ford," as its members call it, prides itself on reflecting major parts of American history with five distinct attractions spread over the 90 acres of Greenfield Village. It includes such support activities as the Benson Ford Research Center and the Henry Ford IMAX Theater. In addition to explaining the history of Ford's innovative automaking techniques, there are numerous special displays such as the Montgomery, AL, city bus (seen here) on which Rosa Parks refused to sit in the segregated area in 1955, helping touch of the civil rights movement.

Gilmore Car Museum
6865 Hickory Road
Hickory Corners, MI 49060
(269) 671-5089
Features: This is not the sort of place you'll see in a half-hour. Nearly 200 vehicles are on display in restored historic barns. Exhibits range from a 1899 Locomobile, to the classic Duesenberg or the rare Tucker '48, and from the Model T to the muscle cars of the 60s.

Model T Automotive Heritage Complex
411 Piquette Avenue
Detroit, MI
(313) 872-8759
Features: The home of the Ford Model T was in this Piquette Avenue plant, now well preserved and largely unchanged from its original 1904 appearance. The third floor has never been painted since Ford Motor Company left in 1910. It houses the secret Experimental Room where Henry Ford developed the innovative Model T. Another exhibit spans five bays, showing the Model T during various stages of assembly. This exhibit explains the stationary assembly process with which cars were produced before the moving assembly line. Various Model Ts and other Piquette-era Fords are on display throughout.

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Novi Expo Center
I-96 & Novi Road (exit 162)
P.O. Box 194
Novi, MI
(800) 250-7223
Features: The hall's board of directors has temporarily suspended public operations at its temporary location in the Expo Center to allow staff and volunteers to concentrate on moving to an appropriate new home. A site selection task force is working on site acquisition and development. Updates will be posted on the Web site.

R.E. Olds Museum
240 Museum Drive
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 372-0529
Features: This facility is named for Ransom E. Olds, founder of REO and, later, Oldsmobile. Displays range from the 1880s through the curved-dash Olds era to today's concept cars. The museum., named one of the nation's 10 best by Car Collector magazine, also houses noth the oldest and the fastest Oldsmobiles, and rare models from REO, Star, Durant, and Viking. Includes buggies, bicycles, trucks, engines and memorabilia.

Alfred P. Sloan Museum
1221 E. Kearsley Street
Flint, MI 48503
(810) 237-3450
Features: The Sloan deals with science, local history and genealogy. But its Buick Gallery deals with classic autos -- more than 25 classic and concept Buicks, Chevrolets, and other locally built automobiles. Featured vehicles on exhibit are the 1910 Buick Bug race car, 1951 Buick XP-300 and 1954 Buick Wildcat II concept cars, and a Hellcat Tank Destroyer built by Buick during World War II.

Wills Ste. Claire Auto Museum
2408 Wills Street
Marysville, MI
(810) 987-2854
Features: This former WWII munitions factory houses an evolving collection of vintage autos and memorabilia and serves as a center for hobbyists. The collection includes such Wills models as a 1926 seven-passenger sedan and a '26 roadster.

MINNESOTA

2006-07-31T00:28:00.000-07:00

Ellingson Car Museum
20950 Rogers Drive
Rogers, MN 553http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gif74
(763) 428-7337
Features: The museum has 100 vehicles, including cars, trucks and motorcycles, from the early 1920s through the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s, including one of the cars used in the TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard" (seen here). Historic videos, pictures, memorabilia and a doll collection also are on display.

Roaring 20's Auto Museum
Highway 55
Brooten, MN 56316
Features: (No Web site.) The exhibits of vehicles and memorabilia support the name of this small, eclectic collection.

MISSISSIPPI

2006-07-31T00:27:00.000-07:00

Tupelo Automobile Museum
Otis Boulevard
Tupelo, MS
(662) 842-4242
Features: Featured are 120,000 square feet of automobile displays and open viewing restoration bays. More than 100 antique, classic and collectible automobiles are chronologically displayed, beginning with an 1886 Benz and ending with a never-driven 1994 Dodge Viper. Also on view is a Lincoln once owned by Tupelo native Elvis Presley. Elvis was known for giving cars as gifts. The 1976 Lincoln Mark IV on display (seen here) was given to Jerry Kennedy, captain of the Denver Police Vice and Drug Control Bureau, who was in charge of security for Elvis when he appeared in Denver. Elvis purchased the care for $13,386.69 and gave it to the police official.

MISSOURI

2006-07-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

Auto World Museum
200 Peacock Drive
Fulton, MO
(573) 642-2080
Features: The Backer Collection consists of more than 120 vintage cars, trucks and other vehicles dating from 1903 to 1993, and 84 of them are displayed here among historic settings and exhibits of memorabilia reminiscent of the times the cars were new.

'57 Heaven
American Bandstand Theater
1600 West Highway 76
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 332-1957
Features: World's largest collection of 1957 cars and related memorabilia. Includes the usual Big Three cars along with Hudsons, Packards, Nashes and the like.

Kelsey's Antique Cars Museum
Box 564 Camdenton, MO 65020
Phone: (314) 346-2506
Features: (No Web site.)

Memoryville USA
2220 North Bishop Avenue
Rolla, MO 65401
(573) 364-1810
Features: After years of restoring cars and antiques, this has turned into a 56,000 square foot facility that houses a huge restoration shop as well as an antique auto museum (originally known as Autos of Yesteryear). Among its exhibits are a 1913 Indy race car, John Wayne’s 1917 Federal truck and iconic news commentator Paul Harvey’s 1938 Nash Lafayette.

National Museum of Transportation
8015 Barrett Station Road
St. Louis, MO 63122 (314) 965-7998
Features: The Earl C. Lindburg Automotive Center at the museum of was redesigned so its glass and steel exterior resembles a contemporary auto dealership. Its premier exhibit is titled “It’s an Automobile Life: Car Culture in St. Louis and Beyond.” It includes St. Louis’ oldest express delivery truck, a 1908 Galloway; a 1959 Ford experimental gas turbine truck, and a 1901 St. Louis Automobile made by the St. Louis Motor Carriage Co., the first successful automobile company west of the Mississippi River.

Ozark Auto Show & Museum
West Highway 76
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 334-4191
Features: (No Web site.)

St. Louis Car Museum
1575 Woodson Road
St. Louis, MO 63114
(314) 993-7104
Features: Cars are selected for display in a 48,000 square foot, carpeted, climate controlled showroom. Among the gems are a gorgeous 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk (seen here), a 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto, a 1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa and a 1940 Cadillac Series 75 Convertible Coupe.