LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, has opened its “Heroes of Bavaria” exhibit featuring 75 years of BMW Motorsports history, including 17 racing cars, some of which are being displayed on the West Coast for the first time, the museum points out.
The museum also notes that the exhibit was produced through a crowdfunding campaign that helped to transport the 17 cars to Tacoma.
Those who contributed to the funding are to receive special experiences, including private tours, and one of them will be able to purchase a one-day BMW performance driving school experience.
The crowdfunding effort continues through an Indiegogo website.
“We’re thrilled to be the first to display this unrivaled collection on the West Coast and share BMW’s many motorsports accomplishments with the hundreds of thousands guest who visit ACM each year,” Adam Langsbard, chief executive of America’s Automotive Trust, said in the museum’s news release.
“As proven by the extraordinary collection of race cars within Heroes of Bavaria exhibit, BMW rightfully earns the title of the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine.’ Their vehicles have been tried-and-tested on race tracks for the last 75 years.”
Museum curator of exhibitry Scot Keller will lead a curator talk and tour of the exhibit on May 13.
Among the vehicles on display are the first 1961 700 RS, the only 1972 3.0 CSL Group 2 rally car, and the 2000 Williams F1 racer that Ralf Schumacher drove to three podium finishes.
Route 66 museum dedicates world’s tallest gas pump
At 10 a.m. May 11, the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum dedicates its 66-foot visible-style gas pump, a new landmark in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
“That gas pump is one-of-a kind. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world and we are really proud of it,” museum founder and president Richard Holmes said in a news release. Homes added that the towering structure could not have been erected without the American Heritage Bank’s contributions to the program.
The museum opened in the summer of 2016 and already has drawn visitors from 36 states and 45 countries. For more information, see the museum’s website.
Special events this weekend
It’s “Hoods Up” weekend Saturday and Sunday at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island. Mothers will be admitted to the museum free when accompanied by someone purchasing an adult ticket.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, stages its Cars 4 Critters car show on May 12.
The National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio, continues its “Coffee & Donut” educational seminar series Saturday with “The Packards of Ohio: Pioneer in Transportation.”
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia stages its Demo Day on Saturday, this one featuring cars of the Targa Florio, the famed Italian open-road race, including a 1925 Alfa Romeo RL WW, 1926 Bugatti Type 35, 1927 Mercedes Sportswagen and 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spyder.
Also, the Simeone closes its “The Future is Now” exhibit after Sunday. Vehicles on display range from a 2014 McLaren P1 and 2010 Tesla Sport roadster to the 2016 Rutgers University Formula Racer RFR16 and Villanova University VU08 racer.
The Kansas City Automotive Museum in Olathe, Kansas, stages its third annual Scavenger Cruise on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. The cruise sends cars out to return with photographs of KC area landmarks within the allotted time period. In addition to prizes, owners of each participating car will receive a professional photograph of their vehicle.
Mark your calendar
The California Agriculture Museum in Woodland, California, accepts the loan on May 15 of Jack Alexander’s Best 1895 Cruse Oil Engine as part of its Images of Power exhibit.
The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, hosts its annual Pre-1942 Showcase Car Show on May 19. Car owners are encouraged to dress in period clothing and drive their cars on the Gilmore campus roadways during the day.
May 19 also is the day the Gilmore unveils its newest educational program, “The Abernathy Kids,” sharing the true stories of brothers aged 6 and 9 who traveled by themselves from New York City to Oklahoma City in 1910 in a 1909 Brush Runabout.
The Saratoga Automobile Museum in upstate New York stages its annual Spring Auto Show weekend May 19-20. The weekend begins with a road trip to tour a private car collection on May 19 with the car show at the Saratoga Spa State Park on May 20, when the show field will include a special display by the Antique Automobile Club of America.
The New England Auto Museum presents Four Hands on the Wheel, a documentary 1969 film about Mark Donohue, Roger Penske and the 1968 Trans-Am racing season, shown as part of a 50th anniversary celebration May 23 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The event includes a panel discussion and the display of Penske’s 1968 Sunoco Camaro and 1966 Daytona- and Sebring-winning Corvette.
The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles stages an opening reception May 24 for its next exhibits, “The Roots of Monozukuri and Fine Tuning,” both of which will feature sports cars from Japan, including a 1967 Toyota 2000GT and the 1991 Toyota Cresta “Kaido” racer.
The British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire, celebrates the 70th anniversary of Land Rover with “Adventure, Animation and Land Rovers,” a family-oriented program May 26-June 3.
The California Ag Museum in Woodland stages its Tractors & Brews event on June 7 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
On Father’s Day weekend, Beaulieu, the National Motor Museum in England, opens its new summer exhibition, “The Art of Kustom,” featuring automotive creations by Andy Saunders, who will drive one of his customs onto the museum grounds and will unveil his newest project, Metropolis, a transformed 1939 Peugeot 202 pickup, found in a field in France and believed to have been requisitioned by invading forces during World War II.
The France Family will receive the fifth annual Cameron R. Argetsinger Award for contributions to motorsports on June 28 from the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, New York. The program will be held at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. Previous recipients were Chip Ganassi, Richard Petty, Roger Penske and Mario Andretti.
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia will offer its first Race Car Summer Camp for those aged 10-16, July 9-13. The camp will use motorsports to explore STEM subjects, and each camper will design and race a CO2-powered car. For information and registration, visit the museum website.
The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, welcomes its Class of 2018 at a gala ceremony July 19. Those being enshrined are Kiichiro Toyoda, founder of Toyota; Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk radio fame; Frank Stronach, founder of automotive supplier Magna International; and Mike Jackson, chairman of AutoNation dealerships.
Super round-up, sadly being mortal prevents being in all places but I will enjoy the LeMay, thks
Do you know the model name of the car that is parked in front of the super tall gas pump? It has a beautiful design.
It’s an Auburn 851 or 852 built from 1935-36, I believe, but this body style looks unusual.