Toutes les Machines du Monde
North America ~ Automobiles & Motorcycles
Click on the photo for each museum to visit our photo page for that museum
Museums are arranged by rating
The Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Michigan ★★★★★
This museum is a real treasure. Located in beautiful rolling farmland in south central Michigan between Kalamazoo and Lansing, it comprises a 90 acre campus of buildings both old and new. Not only is there the Gilmore Collection itself, which alone is extraordinary, but the campus also houses partner museums, some in separate buildings, sponsored by the national clubs representing Cadillac, Lincoln, Pierce-Arrow, Franklin and other manufacturers. On top of that is the stunning and recently opened exhibit of the Classic Car Club of America; this one collection would be reason enough to visit.
Please note that with more than 240 photos and all the separate exhibit spaces to feature, I have separated our pictures into four separate galleries in an effort to not overwhelm you with too many in one group. As a result, clicking on the photo above will take you to the North America folder rather than specifically to the Gilmore itself. From there you can choose from among the four galleries dedicated to the overall Gilmore Car Museum.
When you plan your visit, remember that there is a lot of ground to cover and more than four hundred cars to enjoy so you must allow yourself as much time as you can. I managed about five hours total spread over two days, but could have easily enjoyed more time than that. Go to the museum’s website for more detail and to see all the special events and activities that they host. This is a spectacular place and will reward you when you visit. The display areas, as you will see in the photos, are excellently laid out and include enormous details and period backgrounds throughout. My only complaint is the usual one; the displays are often overly dark for photography and in some of the displays cars are placed right up against large windows, making the lighting even more difficult. I am very pleased with the pictures Kathy and I were able to take, but the finished product reflects many hours of processing effort in order to bring out the best of both the cars and the setting.
The Nethercutt Collection, Sylmar, California ★★★★★
This is quite simply the best of the best; a stunning collection of automobiles displayed in elegant style. Fabulous cars in an unbelievable setting. You will see in the photos that there are three separate display areas; a replica of a 1920s high end show room, a separate large display building, plus the basement under the showroom. The cars in this collection are truly extraordinary and famously are all always licensed, insured and ready to be driven at any time; an amazing accomplishment in and of itself. The collection includes at least six first prize winners of the famed Pebble Beach Concours. Read the website carefully before you go as a guided tour is an important part of your free visit and you need to make arrangements in advance. We visited the Nethercutt in 2009, but in 2020 I’ve gone back and reworked all of our photos to take advantage of better software to improve the pictures. I hope to have a chance to visit again in order to gather more photos.
Mullin Automotive Museum, Oxnard California ★★★★★
www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com
This is truly a special place; easily the equal of the Nethercutt. The cars, primarily representing classic French touring cars of the 1930s, are nothing short of exquisite. Adding immeasurably to their appeal is the simple fact that this is a greatly underrepresented genre of automotive style. The models seen here from Delahaye, Hispano-Suiza, Delage, Avions Voisins, Bugatti and others are not only gorgeous but are also very nearly unique in terms of their representation in the world’s Museums. Having had the good fortune to visit the French National Museum at Mulhouse, as well as many other European museums, I can assure you that the cars of the Mullin Museum are unlike anything to be found there. If you love beauty in automotive design, you must find a way to visit this museum. The collection is open to the public on a limited basis and reservations should be made in advance through the museum’s website. The photos I’ve posted show the featured cars on the main floor display as well as additional photos from the only slightly less exotic cars on the mezzanine level. Our visit was in 2018 and I have redone the photos in 2020. DO NOT miss a chance to visit this museum.
Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed, Lincoln, Nebraska ★★★★★
Wow! This museum is Amazing, Awesome, Almost Overwhelming. I’ve never seen anyplace quite like it. It’s not just the cars, in fact it’s not even mostly about the cars. It’s about the displays, the information, the historic collection of American racing and performance… well, Stuff; famous engines, speed parts from so many different manufacturers that you can’t begin to grasp it all. An entire wall of aftermarket intake manifolds for the Ford Flathead V-8 along with multiple examples of overhead valve conversions for all the early flathead engines. A room filled with actual Miller engines designed and built by the legendary Harry Miller. The technical focus of this museum is simply unsurpassed. Among many other attention grabbing examples of automotive history are both the Five Millionth and the Ten Millionth Ford Model T cars to come off the assembly lines.
All the Superlatives I can think of just don’t do this museum justice. It’s a place that requires multiple visits and that is what I will hope to give it in the next few years. Oh, and they are expanding. Large additional spaces have recently been completed on the first two of the three floors and will soon be filled with the growing exhibits. A main attraction in the near future will be the arrival of the entire Unser collection, currently being relocated from its former home at the now closed Unser Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have visited the Unser Museum, which is also featured on this page, and its collection of racing cars and memorabilia is absolutely first rate. So, don’t even think about it. Don’t hesitate. Go to Lincoln, Nebraska to see this museum just as soon as you can.
Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum, Auburn, Indiana ★★★★★
This is a must visit collection. Not only are the cars absolutely gorgeous, but the museum is housed in the Auburn headquarters building, which was built in 1930 and is a National Historic Landmark.
We had previously visited twice, but it was some years ago and our photos were not digital. Now, in 2021, we have gone back to Auburn and have been able to take our own photos to share this magnificent place with you.
The main floor of the exhibit, as shown here, shows off the Art Deco style of the wonderful building. When you look at the individual cars, most of which, but not all, are from the local makes of Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg, you will immediately see the high standard of restoration that is on display here. As a place to come to wander about and enjoy fine automobiles, the ACD is very hard to beat. From a photographer’s standpoint, however, there are some difficulties. In the main showroom as you can see, many of the cars are placed right up against the large windows facing out onto the street. The resulting back-lighting is a challenge; while on the upper level, there is basically no natural lighting, the space is generally quite dark and the bright spotlights used to show the cars can at times provide uneven light. Be that as it may, if you find yourself in northeast Indiana please find time to visit this museum. You do not want to miss it.
The Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, Alabama ★★★★★
What the Nethercutt, Gilmore and Mullin are to automobiles, the Barber is to motorcycles. Housed in an elegant building adjacent to beautiful Barber Motorsports Park a few miles east of Birmingham, this is a wonderful place to experience motorcycles of all ages and styles together with a growing number of racing cars. The collection is large and varied and the bikes on display are beautifully restored and exhibited. In 1998, we visited the Barber Museum in its earlier location when it was housed in a warehouse setting near downtown Birmingham. That was a wonderful experience too, but the new setting is just perfect. We visited the new facility for the first time in 2004 and have had a few photos posted to this site since the site was first developed in 2014. Now I am very pleased to have been able to visit the Barber Museum again, this time in Spring 2020, and to now completely re-do this page with more than 100 new photos of the motorcycles and racing cars that are so lovingly displayed. Do not miss this magnificent museum.
The LeMay Collection, America’s Car Museum, Tacoma,Washington ★★★★★
This newly opened (2012) museum makes a great addition to the existing body of car museums in the US. The LeMay collection of over 3,000 cars is listed by Guiness as the largest private automobile collection in the world. In addition to hundreds of cars from the base collection, the museum hosts several special exhibits at any given time, adding spice to your visit whenever you go. While featuring American cars and the American automobile experience, the collection also includes some foreign examples and one of the special exhibits at the time of our visit featured a number of British cars and motorcycles. The museum is housed in a large and beautiful purpose built facility and the lighting is generally excellent both for viewing and photography. The only negative comment I can make is that in an effort to show as many cars as possible, the curators have managed to cause even this enormous exhibit space to be overly crowded in some places. The museum hosts a number of special events during the year and has extensive grounds for outdoor events such as car shows. Well worth anyone’s visit when you are in the area and for those who live in the Seattle-Tacoma area an annual membership would certainly not disappoint. Highly recommended. Our visit was in 2015 and in 2020 I’ve gone back and reworked all of our photos to take advantage of better software to improve the pictures. Overall, we have nearly four hundred pictures from our visit as this is a very large museum space and the vehicles and setting are really lovely. I’ve struggled to get the photo count down to under 150.
The Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, Indiana ★★★★
Studebaker has a long and storied history going back to the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1860’s they were manufacturing thousands of the famed Conestoga wagons that helped open up the American west. They built their first automobile, an electric powered vehicle, in 1902 and followed that with their first gas-engined model the following year. Based in South Bend from the beginning, when the Studebaker company closed down in 1966 they donated the company's collection of cars to the City of South Bend to form the basis for the museum we see today.
The museum is quite well done and includes cars, trucks, and early horse-drawn carriages. The Studebaker brothers always built quality vehicles and maintained an excellent reputation. As a result several Presidential carriages, including one used by Abraham Lincoln, are included in the displays. In the teens and 20’s Studebaker automobiles set numerous records for both speed and endurance, with one 1919 model covering nearly 400,000 miles in its first five years of life. I found this to be quite astounding, especially considering the roads of the time. The cars on display range from early 1900’s to the last one built in 1966. The ground floor display covers from carraiges to pre WWII, while upstairs picks up the post war period. The cars are all in excellent condition and the display areas are well laid out and in most cases allow for different viewing angles of the vehicles. One notable exception to this is the famed Avanti model that was introduced in 1963. There are only two of these on display and both are packed rather tightly in amongst other vehicles.
We had originally not intended to visit this museum, but reconsidered when our travels took us nearby. We are very glad that happened. This is a very worthwhile collection and we recommend that you visit when you can.
Classic Car Collection, Kearney, Nebraska ★★★★
This is a really nice collection of mostly American cars of various makes and types ranging from the teens to the 60s and 70s. There is a lot of variety and the cars are displayed among very well done period exhibits with storefronts, signage and other decorative elements. The museum shows a lot of care and I suspect benefits from a large volunteer staff as both the cars and the display areas are immaculate. A few of the cars are a bit crowded together, but for the most part there is enough space available to show them off to good effect and the lighting is particularly well done. If you find yourself traveling in the midwest, you will enjoy visiting this museum in Kearney, which is fittingly pronounced Car-ney, along with the wonderful Museum of American Speed in nearby Lincoln. Between them they make a terrific excuse for you to plan a journey in their direction.
World of Speed, Wilsonville, Oregon ★★★★ (museum closed as of 2020)
I have re-writen this text in the past tense because World of Speed was forced to close in May, 2020, as a direct result of the museum closures that became necessary due to the coronavirus pandemic. I am very sad to see this wonderful museum close as I had looked forward to future visits.
World of Speed was a great spot to visit. It differed from most museums in that it did not exist to showcase a set collection of vehicles. Rather, it displayed racing vehicles on loan from other collectors or museums. It was specifically a racing museum, and featured cars from Indy Racing, NASCAR, Drag Racing and Land Speed Record attempts. There was also a very nice exhibit featuring speedway racing motorcycles and extensive displays of racing memorabilia of all sorts. The museum emphasized its support of educational programs and its goal of sharing the racing heritage of the Pacific Northwest. At the time of our visit in 2016 the featured exhibit was celebrating 100 Years of racing at Indianapolis and it was extremely well done, with 33 Indy racing cars ranging from 1914 to 1996 lined up in a starting grid formation. The quality of the cars and their racing heritage were excellent and the museums and collectors represented were top quality. As with all of the older museum visits on this site, in 2020 I have reworked our photos to take advantage of improved photo software.
Unser Racing Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico ★★★★ (museum closed as of 2021)
Sadly, following the death of Al Unser in 1921, this museum is no more. Fortunately for us all, the collection will soon become a part of the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is also featured on this page. As with other museums that have closed over the years, I leave the photos I took and the comments I made at the time of our visit just for the history of it all.
This is surely one of the best small museums we’ve ever visited. A beautiful collection of racing cars along with personal cars, pace cars and older American cars from the Unser family collection. Founded by Al Unser Sr. in 2005 and dedicated to his parents, it is clearly a labor of love and is chock full of information and memorabilia. Particularly interesting is the collection of video footage, including Indy races won by the Unsers, and excellent film of the Pike’s Peak Hillclimb race, where various Unsers have won an amazing 36 races. The museum is fully decorated and beautifully lit - there is not a neglected spot in the entire building. A wonderful spot to visit, and Albuquerque is a terrific town, especially in the Spring or Fall. If you're lucky, Al Unser himself may stop by to chat as he did on the day of our visit.
National Auto Museum, Reno, Nevada ★★★★
Harrah’s Hotel & Casino has long maintained an extensive auto collection in Reno. Now called The National Auto Museum, it is largely unchanged from our earlier visits and that’s just fine. It is a large collection and is maintained in excellent condition. Very strong in cars from the Antique and Vintage eras, it also has good representation in Luxury cars of the late 20’s and 30’s, a reasonable number of foreign representatives, mostly from the 50’s, and a sampling of post war American cars. The number of racing cars is small and unfortunately, that room is particularly crowded. Period appropriate displays accompany many of the cars. Overall, the museum is reminiscent of the French National Museum at Mulhouse, particularly in the generally low ceilings and use of gravel around the cars. Lighting is adequate, although the museum tends to be somewhat dark for photography so working without flash is a challenge. Certainly worthy of a visit if you find yourself in Nevada. We've been there several times, most recently in the fall of 2015. The pictures on this page are from that visit and I have reworked them in 2020 to improve their quality utilizing newer photo software.
Blackhawk Auto Museum, Danville, California ★★★★
A beautiful, albeit small, collection. Located in an upscale shopping mall and perhaps feeling just a bit full of it’s own importance, it is nonetheless an exquisite group of cars. The collection is first rate and the individual cars are truly stunning. There are more vehicles in the collection than can be on display at any one time, and new aquisitions are shown on their website so more than one visit would no doubt be rewarding. Also, the auto museum is only one part of a larger campus and there are other display areas as well. The black building interior and rather harsh spotlighting of the cars makes for a dramatic presentation, but also makes photography more challenging than I might like. Consult their website for details. Well worth a visit. We visited the Blackhawk in 2009, but in 2020 I’ve gone back and reworked all of our photos to take advantage of better software to improve the pictures.
Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, Pinellas Park, Florida ★★★★
A beautiful, and technically very interesting museum in the Tampa Bay Area that is well worth a visit. It began as a collection of a family’s cars they brought with them when they emigrated to the United States from France and has grown from there. There are many French makes represented but also US and British makes are shown as well. Many of the cars show front wheel drive and rear engine designs from the 1920s and 30s and the collection includes what may be the largest group of Tatras outside of the Czech Republic. This is my observation only and no claim of this is made by the museum. The lighting is a bit difficult to work with for photographers, but the cars are not roped off so it is possible to work between and around the displays. This is a very nice spot and is very affordably priced. Put it on your list for a visit.
Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada ★★★★
Formerly named the Reynolds-Alberta Museum and now simply the Reynolds Museum, this fine collection of automobile, agricultural, technical and aviation machines is located about an hour south of Edmonton, Alberta. The museum consists of a Main Hall, which we feature here, and a separate Aviation Hangar which we show on a separate page on our Aviation & Technical page. The Auto section of the museum features some very nice vehicles and also includes Special Exhibits that rotate through once or twice a year. For agricultural buffs, the collection of magnificent older farm machinery is probably second to none. A unique feature, and the main thing that stuck in my mind from an earlier visit me made back in 2005, is the massive 1913 stationary steam engine (now electrically operated) that holds pride of place in the front window of the Museum. This is a very fine museum and well worth your time if you are in the area.
WAAAM - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum, Hood River, Oregon ★★★★
What a nice museum this is. Located along the Columbia River in somewhat out of the way Hood River, Oregon, the museum is quite large and packed to the gills with both planes and cars, with a few motorcycles added to the mix as well. On this site I have listed this museum in both the Automobile and Aviation sections. The museum was opened in 2006 and has had hangar space added on twice since then. Nonetheless, the only possible criticism of the museum, and I offer it only as an observation, is that the collection seems to be growing faster than the exhibition space and the result is that the museum is rather more crowded than a visitor might prefer. The museum’s website claims that this is one of the largest collections of still flying and driving antique planes and automobiles in the country. It is also a very active operation with a large cadre of volunteers. All or nearly all of the machines are in flying or driving condition and on the Second Saturday of each month the museum hosts Fly In - Drive In days filled with activities for all. The planes are all civilian rather than military, and I have to say that both the planes and cars appear to be very well maintained. Allow plenty of time for your visit and by all means try to time it for one of the events so you can see these beauties in action. I have listed this museum in both the Aviation and Automotive sections of this website.
Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Solvang, California ★★★★
An excellent and eclectic private collection of around a hundred vintage cycles ranging from the 1900s up to 2001. Star of the collection is one of only ten Britten motorcycles ever made, and the only one that has never been raced. Many of the bikes on display have a racing heritage, including bikes ridden in World Championship races by famous racers such as Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini. An excellent collection of posters and other memorabilia are also on display. There are some Harleys, Indians and other American bikes, but the majority of the collection reflects a European style road racing heritage and a high percentage of the bikes are either from Europe or were raced there. A very nice little museum and well worth a visit. Solvang is located about 125 miles north of Los Angeles and just a short distance inland from Santa Barbara. We visited Solvang early in 2015, but in 2020 I’ve gone back and reworked all of our photos to take advantage of better software to improve the pictures and as a result have been able to increase the number of photos shown.
Wisconsin Auto Museum, Hartford, Wisconsin ★★★★
We came across this fine museum entirely by chance. Wisconsin has been the home of a number of automotive manufacturers including Nash, Hudson, Tucker and Kissel, which was based in Hartford. The Museum is located in a very attractive period building that once was the Kissel factory and proved well worth the visit. Lots of great cars you won’t necessarily see in other collections with displays creatively done and enhanced by the building itself. We visited the musuem in 2009, but in 2020 I’ve gone back and reworked our photos to take advantage of better software to improve the pictures.
Museum of Automobiles, Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas ★★★★
This museum in rural Arkansas, northwest of Little Rock, is based on the collection of former Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. It is located in a lovely part of the state within the confines of Petit Jean State Park. The collection is moderately interesting, with very little that could be called exotic, but the ambience is very comfortable and fully in keeping with the mid-america sensibility of the collection. The cars are in excellent condition, and of special note the information panels provided for each car are very well done and informative. The museum is also the headquarters of the Mid-America Old Time Auto Association. It’s a bit out of the way, but if you are passing through Arkansas this museum is well worth a visit.
Sterling McCall Cadillac Museum, Warrenton, Texas ★★★★ (museum closed in 2013)
Sadly, this to be another small museum that has been closed. Mr. McCall died in 2013. The museum’s website is no longer up and I see an online mention for an auction of cars from the museum in 2012. As with other closed sites on this website, I will leave my comments and photos up in memory of a fine display of automotive history that sadly has been lost to us. We visited the musuem in 2005, but in 2020 I’ve gone back and reworked our photos to take advantage of better software to improve the pictures. My original comments as follows:
In rural Texas a ways east of Austin we happened to spot this place and pulled in for a visit. Sterling McCall is a long time Texas Cadillac dealer and car collector and the museum displays lots of cars, not all of them Cadillacs, in a stylish setting. You can tell from the few photos we’ve posted that there are actually quite a large number of cars on display at this location. We had a nice time and had the place all to ourselves as we were the first ones to sign the guest book in several days. The caretaker was delighted to see us. A wonderful example of a good ol' low key rural attraction that is well worth the visit next time you get to Texas.
Vintage Motors of Sarasota, Sarasota, Florida ★★★★
Sharing the same building with the Sarasota Classic Car Museum, this lovely space was an unanticipated find. This is a sales facility for vintage and classic machinery and not a museum, therefore the inventory will change continuously. At the time of our visit the cars were beautiful as you can see in the photos. No entry was charged and we were free to browse and photograph the cars at our leisure. Whether you are shopping for a vintage automobile or, like us, just want to see some pretty cars; this is a pretty cool spot.
Sarasota Classic Car Museum, Sarasota, Florida ★★★
Said to be the second oldest continually operating car museum in the country, the SCCM does have some history behind it. It is housed in an old wooden structure without any windows so it can it be fairly dark in places and the need for numerous support beams makes for difficult sight lines in viewing or, especially, photographing the cars. Despite being comparatively expensive to visit, I’m sorry to say the museum shows a fair amount of neglect and one wishes it could be kept in a neater condition. The cars are clean, no problem there, but as you will see in the photos there is a disappointing amount of clutter around them with items just leaning on the walls, etc. I can’t say which of the cars are actually in the permanent collection as many of those featured in the museum’s website were not present when we visited. The special exhibit on at the time of our visit in February 2020 was not particularly well done, with not especially interesting cars and little in the way of information. I’d prefer to not share such negative comments, but this is an expensive museum to visit and I found it not worthy of the admission price for each of the reasons given. If you are in the Tampa/Sarasota area, I’d recommend the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum in Pinellas Park as a much better place to see interesting cars; and at about half the cost of admission.
The Great Race 2016 (rally event), Lusk Wyoming ★★★
I’d heard of The Great Race before, but this year we learned at the last minute that it would actually be passing near where we would be. So we made a small adjustment to our route and caught them at their planned lunch stop in the small town of Lusk, Wyoming. The route changes every year and it’s a hoot if you ever get the chance to catch them. They have scheduled stops for mid-day and evening, and then of course the starting time the next morning. About 100 great cars 1972 and older, with scoring on overall best performance but with an added handicap system to reward older cars. Lots of fun, look it up!
National Packard Museum, Warren, Ohio ★★★
Located in part of the former factory in the hometown of Packard Motor Company, this small but interesting museum tells the Packard story and gives you a close up view of some beautiful cars. Lots of period photographs and ad copy add to the experience. The folks were very kind to us and let Kathy sit in one of the cars for a photo. Our visit was way back in 2003, ten years before I ever even thought of this website. We only took a few photos, but one day we hope to return and do a better job. I reworked the photos in 2020, but was unable to do much with them as they were taken with my very first digital camera, a good one at the time, but still only 3mp.
Western Development Museum, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada ★★★
There are four branches of the Museum of Western Development in Saskatchewan. The one located in the prairie town of Moose Jaw is the one designated as the Transportation Museum. It houses a large and eclectic display of old cars, trucks, planes, trains and agricultural equipment that factored into the history of the development of the province. As you will see from the photos, the variety of machines is extensive, and while the vehicles displayed are not all in prime condition, for a rural publicly funded museum there is much of interest to be found. On this site I have listed this museum in both the Automobile and Aviation sections. The printed information on the vehicles is extensive and very nicely done. Moose Jaw is a charming place and if you find yourself in Saskatchewan you will want to visit it. When you do, allot a couple of hours to the WDM; you’ll have a good time.
R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, Lansing, Michigan ★★★
This museum has grown a lot between our two visits; the first in 2003 and the second eighteen years later in 2021. In some ways I believe that I enjoyed the museum more on our first visit. I remember it then as a small but charming place, while now I think of it primarily as overly crowded. Too many cars in too small a space, especially in the downstairs area. Interesting cars placed too close together to be able to appreciate. This is unfortunate, but not that uncommon with older museums. The collection continues to grow, but the museum is unable to expand the space in order to house the collection to best advantage. Still, Lansing is a nice town to visit and the museum, located right downtown, is a pleasant place to stop by to see some nice cars and trucks. For the Oldsmobile or REO aficianado there are many informational displays to be enjoyed.
Snook’s Dream Cars, Bowling Green, Ohio ★★★
A genuine drive by, never heard of it before kind of experience and a real hoot. Owned and operated by Bill Snook and his son Jeff, it’s an amazingly eclectic gathering of british sports cars together with plenty of sort of odd ball Americana. Lots of fun if you happen past. Our visit was way back in 2003, ten years before I ever even thought of this website. We only took a few photos, but one day we hope to return and do a better job. I reworked the photos in 2020, but was unable to do much with them as they were taken with my very first digital camera, a good one at the time, but still only 3mp.