America's love affair with the automobile began well over a century ago, when those first ungainly horseless carriages sputtered their way into our hearts. This historic interest in cars has translated into a plethora of automobile museums — more than 100 of them in 36 states across the country.
"Museum visitors typically experience exceptional automobiles and fascinating stories about the industry that helped shape our country's history," says Jackie Frady, president of the National Association of Automobile Museums.
So let's go see why getting there is at least half the fun — by checking out eight automobile museums rated by experts to be among the best in America.
1. National Automobile Museum
While building a hotel-casino empire, William Harrah also amassed an amazing collection of more than 200 vehicles, now on display — many of them in authentic street settings — at the National Automobile Museum in downtown Reno, Nevada.
Among the notables here are a 1911 Maxwell that was Harrah's first acquisition, a ragged-looking 1908 Thomas Wire, distinguished for winning that year's Around the World Race, Al Jolson's 1933 Cadillac, a 1961 Ghia once owned by Frank Sinatra, and the 1949 Mercury driven by James Dean in the movie "Rebel Without a Cause." Audio tours allow you to explore the cars and hear their histories at your own pace. And, just for fun, you can put on a period hat and coat for a photo with a Ford Model T.
Contact: 775-333-9300, www.automuseum.org.
2. Mullin Automotive Museum
Decorated like a 1930s Paris salon, the unique and elegant Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, is as much an art gallery as it is an auto museum. At the core of founder Peter W. Mullin's collection is a stunning stable of vintage French classics — Bugattis, Delages, Delahayes, Hispano-Suizas and Talbot-Lagos — epitomizing the highest level of coachwork and craftsmanship.
No hot rods here. This museum is a haven for true automotive connoisseurs and, in fact, most automobiles in the collection have won prestigious awards at concours d'élégance throughout the world. Opening hours are limited, so check before you go.
Contact: 805-385-5400, www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com.
3. Petersen Automotive Museum
Housed in a block-long former department store on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Petersen Automotive Museum is large enough to display hundreds of historic vehicles at a time. Its amazing period dioramas bring cars to life — hot rods and customs, for example, are displayed in an authentic '50s garage.
Situated next door to Hollywood there are, of course, a number of movie and star's cars, including an original Batmobile and a rare 1983 400i Ferrari convertible once owned by Rod Stewart. Founded by auto magazine publisher Robert "Pete" Petersen, the museum collection features more than just cars, including motorcycles, trucks, buses, limos and military vehicles.
A 6,500 square-foot Discovery Center uses hands-on interactive displays to teach kids the fundamental scientific principles and functions of an automobile. The museum is closed for renovation until Dec. 1, but because it is one of the nation's truly outstanding auto museums, it is included here for your future reference.
Contact: 323-930-2277, www.petersen.org.
4. The Nethercutt Collection
Another fabulous California automobile museum, The Nethercutt Collection, nestles in the San Gabriel Mountain community of Sylmar. Here you'll find more than 200 cars, thoughtfully displayed in four eras of development — Antique (1890-1915), Vintage (1916-1924), Classic (1925-1948) and Post-War (1945-1970s) — featuring leading examples from each period, ranging from a 1911 Pope Hartford to a 1967 Ferrari 365 California Spyder.
The museum is family-operated by the Nethercutts, founders of Merle Norman Cosmetics. Adjoining galleries feature amazing collections of antique furniture, clocks, watches and one of the world's finest collections of mechanical musical instruments. Admission is free, and the museum is open for self-guided tours from Tuesday through Saturday.
Contact: 818-364-6464, www.nethercuttcollection.org.
5. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum
If you've never witnessed the Indy 500, the next best thing might be a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, located in the infield of the world's most famous racetrack and open year-round, in (where else?) Speedway, Indiana.
While devoted to both automobiles and auto racing, it is hands down the best in the nation when it comes to motorsports. Nowhere else will you see nearly 40 Indy 500-winning cars — including the Marmon "Wasp" that won the inaugural 500 back in 1911 with Ray Harroun at the wheel, all four cars driven to victory by A.J. Foyt, and the 2005 Honda in which Danica Patrick became the first female to lead a lap under the green flag in an Indy 500.
Although it is intrinsically linked to the Indianapolis 500, there's much more than Indy-type machinery on show, with exhibits reflecting general automotive history and all forms of motorsports — NASCAR, Formula 1, motorcycles and dragsters. If it has ever taken the checkered flag, you'll find it here. The museum also houses the Auto Racing Hall of Fame, honoring hundreds of drivers and other contributors to the sport. Tip: Don't miss the minivan tour for a lap around the Brickyard.
Contact: 317-492-6784, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/at-the-track/museum.
6. Studebaker National Museum
Some automobile museums are dedicated to a single marque, and one of the best of them is the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.
Younger readers may not even know the name Studebaker, but it was one of the forerunners of the American automobile industry. Way before it produced its first automobile — a 1902 electric car developed in conjunction with Thomas Edison — it was the world's largest manufacturer of buggies and wagons.
And how could anyone living through the 1950s forget Studebaker's iconic "bullet nose" styling? Ultimately the company couldn't compete with the Big Three and went out of business in 1966. Displays at the state-of-the-art, 55,000-square-foot museum range from the company's 1835 Conestoga wagon — the one that opened the American West — to its latest models, including the Hawk, Lark and Avanti.
Contact: 574-235-9714, www.studebakermuseum.org.
7. The Henry Ford
As you'd expect, the Detroit area is a go-to place for car buffs. Home to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan, is a natural place to start, with a visit to The Henry Ford, a 12-acre museum complex devoted to the automobile and its role in American life. The star of the show, of course, is the 1909 Model T that put America on the road.
Recently renovated, the Ford museum is the most technically advanced of any in the country, with clever interactive exhibits that go beyond displaying historically important cars to explore the automobile as an innovation — and how it has changed every aspect of our lives.
With more than 80,000 square feet of sparkling exhibit space, the museum features more than 130 vehicles of all makes and 60 cases of artifacts. Sprinkled throughout the experience are dozens of 42-inch interactive touchscreens offering thousands of images, videos and oral histories. The display of vehicles here is unparalleled, with most of them handed down from Ford's personal collection.
Contact: 800-835-5237, www.thehenryford.org.
8. Gilmore Car Museum
While the Ford compound is seen by some as the mecca of motordom's many museums, the Gilmore Car Museum over Kalamazoo way in the western Michigan burg of Hickory Corners is equally compelling. It's quite a conglomeration, spread out campus-style over 90 acres and made up of numerous historic structures.
Rustic barns have been restored to house what is billed as "America's Signature Collection" of more than 300 automobiles, and scattered about are vintage auto dealerships, a 1930s gas station and the fully functioning 1941 Blue Moon Diner.
What makes this museum so special is that founder Donald Gilmore parlayed his affiliations with various auto clubs and organizations to establish six partner museums on the property — Classic Car Club of America Museum; Pierce-Arrow Museum; H. H. Franklin Club Collection; Model A Ford Museum; Cadillac-LaSalle Museum, and the Lincoln Motorcar Heritage Museum. Warning: It will take more than a day to see it all.
Contact: 269-671-5089, www.gilmorecarmuseum.org.
