What did Kurt Cobain drive?

What kind of car did Kurt Cobain drive? We’re not sure what cars the Nirvana rocker might have driven during his life, but according to family members the only car he owned was a powder blue 1965 Dodge Dart that has gone on display as part of the “Growing Up Kurt Cobain” exhibit at the Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Ireland.

The exhibit, which includes art, clothing and the Cobain car, runs through September 30. The exhibit opened earlier this week with Cobain’s daughter, sister and mother in attendance. Items on display were provided by the family.

If you can’t get to Ireland, the exhibit moves to The Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile, for the winter.

“These items have never previously been seen by the public,” museum owner William Doyle said. “We have handled exhibitions of Michael Jackson, Cher, Prince and many other music and fashion icons and we expect this exhibition of Kurt’s life to be one of our greatest exhibitions curated by our museum.”  

“With this exhibition we hope to bring the focus back to Kurt’s roots, vision, and artistic genius to inspire everyone not to lose their creativity and childlike wonder,” said his sister, Kim.

Cobain always thought his family was from County Cork, but research shows his ancestors emigrated from Carrickmore in County Tyrone in 1875. 

‘Ride the Classics’ at the Gilmore

From 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. July 21, visitors at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, can take a 10-15 minute ride in a 1948 Packard, 1951 Cadillac, 1936 Cadillac, 1932 Duesenberg, 1935 Austin taxi or 1964 Checker taxi from the museum’s collection, weather permitting. The museum will offer similar programs July 25 and 29 and August 1, 8, 15, 19, 22, 25 and 29.

Throughout the day July 21, the Volvo Club of America will stage its biannual meeting at the museum with driving tours and a swap meet. Volvos will be parked on the C-Barn lawn across from the Blue Moon Diner.

On Sunday, July 22, the museum stages its first All-Years Corvette Show and Swap Meet.

Old-fashioned cruise in Allentown

America On Wheels museum, Friends of Allentown Parks and the City of Allentown, Pennsylvania, will stage an old-fashioned Classics & Cruisers on Hamilton cruise-in July 21 between 6th and 9th from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. 

Cars & Coffee ends at the Blackhawk

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, has announced that it no longer will host a monthly Cars & Coffee cruise-in. 

“The event has grown beyond our ability to actively monitor with our volunteers and staff,” the museum said in its news release. “The hazards caused by congestion within the Plaza, noise complaints from the surrounding residential area, and concerns of local law enforcement cannot be ignored.”

One Lap of Kentucky drives scheduled

The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will organize four Museum in Motion driving tours of its home state in October. Dates are October 8-13, 15-20, 22-27 and 29-November 2. 

Tours will visit Makers Mark Distillery, the Ark Encounter, Louisville Slugger museum, Kentucky Derby museum, a riverboat cruise and race-horse farms. 

Visit the museum website for details.

Special events this weekend

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, offers Model T driving experience classes July 21 and 28 and August 4 and 11, September 8 and 9 and October 20. 

The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, offers a special tour of the Nissan Heritage Collection on July 20. For details, see the museum’s website.

America on Wheels in Allentown, Pennsylvania, stages Classics & Cruisers on Hamilton between 6th and 9th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 21. 

Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda, Florida, hosts its monthly car show July 21 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The National Corvette Museum’s NCM Motorsports Park offers “Psychology of Speed with Andy Pilgrim” July 20 from 12:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. with the champion racing driver covering various aspects of racing.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in northeastern Indiana will host a Cars, Coffee & Donuts” event Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Tacoma Power’s Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive takes place July 21 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Washington State. At 2 p.m., the museum opens its CARnival, a family-oriented car show that will include a Hagerty Youth Judging program and viewing the Disney Pixar movie Cars 3 on a 40-foot outdoor screen.

The Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine hosts a truck and tractor show July 21-22.

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles hosts a Japanese Car Cruise-in and Super Street Meet starting at 9 a.m. July 22. More than 300 street, show and track vehicles are expected.

Mark your calendar

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, hosts its annual “Mopars at the Red Barns” car show July 28 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

It’s “Supercar Saturday” on July 28 at the Brooklands Museum in England, where high-performance vehicles — vintage and modern — will take part in runs up the Brooklands Test Hill and on-track demonstrations. 

The Kansas City Automotive Museum’s second annual The Great Car Show is scheduled from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on July 29 at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. As many as 450 vehicles can be accommodated. 

The Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine stages “The Fine Art of Murder,” a murder mystery dinner event, starting at 6 p.m. on July 29.

It’s the inaugural “Pride of Our Rides” car show August 4 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia where museum volunteers, those who help with Demo Days and other museum programs, will stage a show of their own cars. The show is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

England’s Beaulieu Museum hosts its Simply Japanese car show on July 29 and a new Supercar Evolution event August 4-5.

The British Motor Museum offers its fifth annual Classic Van & Pick Up Show on August 5. 

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia has added a second session for its Race Car Summer Camp, July 30-August 3. 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 Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine presents a watercolor workshop with artist Judy Taylor on August 8-9. The workshop will feature vintage antique auto advertising and will use a 1931 Franklin as a “live” model. To register, visit the museum website.

August 9 is “It’s Not All About the Cars” day at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, where tours of the museum’s art collection will be featured.

Ed Garten, vice president of the Society of Automotive Historians and dean emeritus and professor at the University of Dayton will present “The Volkswagen Beetle: From Hitler to Hippie to Icon”  at 1:30 p.m. on August 15 at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia has scheduled its 10th annual Motorcycle Exhibition for August 18-September 8 and promises a display of more than 40 historic bikes spanning 90 years. Themes this year include Indian Motorcycles 1902-1953 and Italian Motorcycles 1938-1988. At 6 p.m. on August 18 the museum will welcome Peter Starr for a screening of his movie, Bod’Or, about the 1976 24-hour motorcycle race at Le Mans.

The LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, will stage its annual car show on August 25 with more than 1,500 vehicles available for viewing, along with antique dolls, pin cushions, radios and more.

The National Corvette Museum celebrates its 24th anniversary August 30-September 1. The weekend includes the induction of Burt and John Greenwood, Tom Wallace and Mike Yager into the hall of fame.

“Riverside Revisited” is the theme of a special tribute celebration of the historic racing circuit scheduled for September 8 at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, California, just south of the runways of LAX. During the event, mechanic, fabricator, car builder, crew chief and Indy racing team manager Jimmy Dilamarter will receive the Peter Bryant Challenger Award for Excellence in Engineering.

The Kansas City Auto Museum will be among the participants in the American Royal BBQ Car Show, scheduled for September 15 at Kansas Speedway.