this place has some really cool cars. Guaranteed to have some things even the biggest car buff has never seen. A lot of prototypes that never made it into production. The crazy thing is almost all these cars are registered, regularly maintained and driven on the street from time to time. I took the kids and they lost interest fairly quick even though there was a play area. Definitely a must see if your ever with a few hundred miles of Nashville. Hoping to go back tomorrow WITHOUT the kids so I can soak it all in. First up was a great temporary Harley exhibit: my favorite: here’s one of the prototypes. 1946 Hewson Rocket. I think this is the only one made: notice the registered tags: love the door handles: this thing was a competitor of one of the early ford models. Half the car for half the price. Think sold new for $120: and a very cool reproduction of 32 year old Henry Ford’s first car. The one he built in his basement and didn’t realize it wouldn’t fit through the door and ended up removing bricks from the wall to take on it’s maiden voyage during which he ran out of gas. (Sounds like something I would do): French car obviously based on airplanes. A passenger sits down low and looks out that window. These people must have been tiny: check out the gas level sight ? I think? On the left of the steering wheel: ALOT of citrons but this was my favorite. Coal powered. awesome!!! The coal is piled and burned in that hump on the left fender, the carbon dioxide and fumes are stored in the other hump which is then injected in the carburetor. I think I read that correctly? Once again notice the current plates. Would love to see this one going down the road: More citrons, this one was 4 wheel drive with a motor in the front and motor in the back. The back motor could be engaged to go twice as fast! Like 60mph I think? Another one. These are cool, I’ve seen one or two these going down the road at one time I think? This one had a signature inside? Fuzzy picture but, Any guesses? The panhards were cool: don’t remember what this was: here the two up top are a couple of jet propulsion cars? For kids?! Just the body no rockets this thing was really cool. There was a video playing of it driving around a field in the snow. It is a reproduction: about this time the kids lost interest in the kids area and came to bother me so I wasn’t able to read about anything else and We left shortly after so here’s a bunch more pics continues into another post. But here are the only wagon related cars: I didn’t get to read about this one but I’d did catch it’s a 1950 wagonette (I think) race cars too!:
I think, the hamster-cheeked Citroen was a wood gas burner. The end product would have been charcoal. That's probably the only car type of which you could make money by driving it, if you were to burn hickory wood. The charcoal waste could then be sold for smoking meat This has got to be the coolest and cutest car on display. Is it also a Citroen? I'm placing my order
Never heard of Skoda? But I think they still make them? Ivy? Is that correct? The one on the right only has 2,600 miles. Love the dash and steering wheel: This is cool. A two wheel gyroscope car. Don’t ask me I didn’t get to read about it: pretty sure this is the gyroscopic device which is used for balance I think?: I love some cut away machines. These actually moved and functioned. I’ve heard that Germans had to understand how an internal combustion engine worked among many other things before they could get a drivers liscence. This is a German model used specifically for that from that time 40’s I think.: two stroke: the boy spotted this one, “look a jaguar!!” So proud: last time I saw one of these there were two and they were slowly dying in a junk yard in Georgia. Never see. One this nice: volvo’s: a neat boat: here’s a close up of the motor. Gonna try to get my brother to come with me one time. When he does I’m gonna try and get his picture next to the “retard” and arrow: be thankful for your handheld diagnostic tools: more racers. That one on the far left is a Lamborghini. I thought it was a Ferrari: pretty sure they do all repairs, maintenance, and restoration in house. There were a lot of cars in various stages. Some getting minor maintenance to full scale restoration. : I think this is an Audi? It was pretty neat. The boy by this time was just running and jumping in front of all the shots. I love the dash and steering wheel on this one: another propeller car. I saw a show about this one. It’s LOUD!: I think this is a citron I think. “Lucy! You got some ‘splainin to do”: cool one, didn’t get to read about it: this one was cool, I never would have seen it if the kids weren’t so curious about everything. “Look out the window papa!” then there was this: y’all this is maybe a 1/4 of what’s in here. For example I didn’t see the amphicar. It might have been getting serviced but I know it’s here because I saw it driving in the lake a while back. Unless it sank... There’s planes on the ceiling a whole bicycle section as well as motorcycles. It’s just too cool. This took a lot of child neglect to download all these pictures so enjoy people. Next time I’ll do the scavenger hunt:
Great pics; thanks for sharing. I've GOT to visit that place. That is Denise McLuggage's signature on the Citroen SM. She passed away about 4 years ago. Author, professional racer, "first lady of racing". Her NYT obit: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/...uggage-auto-racing-pacesetter-dies-at-88.html
Wow! Your exactly right. I could make out the “Denise” now that I recall. This forum is better than google
They were originally Czech cars, until Volkswagen corporation bought them out around 1999. Now, they're basically Volkswagen products assembled in the Czech Republic My daughter had to learn all of that, before getting her's. I don't know how much she really did learn, being that she was never interested in that stuff Looks like you're going to end up a proud dad to a future alpha male who refuses to drink soya milk, being that all of the cars except for one Grizz Jr. is posing in front of are sportscars and he even walked boatwards. The only worry you should be having is about the girl types he brings home to show off to you That should be easy enough. Get him to walk up to it from behind and suddenly tell him to stop, because You want to get a photo with him standing next to the propellered dune buggy engine. I'd wait until you both exit the building, before showing him the pic, though. Fist-fighting within the museum might get you both a lifetime ban
Here. Knock yourself out: I always hated the exterior design, on those. They did, however, make a racing version, using fiberglass, which didn't look that ugly duckling, methinks:
