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HomeCar CultureCommentaryNative son’s Jaguar featured as Scottish design museum opens

Native son’s Jaguar featured as Scottish design museum opens

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As is fitting for a new museum opening in a harbor setting, “Ocean Liners: Speed and Style” is the featured exhibit at the new V&A Dundee, which welcomed its first guests this past Saturday. 

The museum showcases designs by Scottish natives and one of the exhibits for the opening was a full-size clay model of the Jaguar I-Pace electric utility vehicle designed by Ian Callum. 

Scottish native Ian Callum designed the I-Pace electric sport utility. Displayed in the museum is a special full-scale clay model of the vehicle to show its design development

“Scotland has a long history of design excellence and the V&A Dundee is a fantastic opportunity to showcase this on a global stage,” Callum said as the museum opened. 

“It has been an honor as a Scot to be involved with the opening of the new museum, and I hope our I-Pace exhibit can help inspire the next generation of design talent.”

It was as a child that Callum became inspired. At age 14, he sent sketches with a letter to the vice chairman of Jaguar asking for advice about how to become a car designer. He worked for Ford and TWR, where he did designs for Aston Martin, Volvo and Nissan, and has been design director for Jaguar since 1999.

Callum’s brother, Moray, also is a leading automotive designer, having led the studios at Mazda and Ford.

“Automotive design is hugely complex,” Ian Callum said as the new design museum opened with his I-Pace on display. “Although much of the design is done digitally, clay models are still important – they are our first chance to see the car in reality. 

V&A Dundee design inspired by sailing ships

Housing the new V&A Dundee on the city’s revitalized waterfront is a stunning building by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The design, comprising complex geometry, was inspired by the cliffs along Scotland’s east coast. The museum, which includes both Scottish design galleries and room for traveling exhibits, was founded by the Victoria and Albert Museum of art and design in London.

Newport museum donates electric cars to children’s hospital

Grayson drives electric vehicle in the hospital | Museum photo

With funds raised through its “Fast Five” raffle, the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island has donated the first of two mini electric cars to Hasbro Children’s Hospital and its Pediatric Rehab unit. The cars will be used so children can drive themselves to treatments or operations. 

The raffle is being held in conjunction with the showing September 26 at the museum of Fast Five, the fifth installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise, and the addition of a Ford GT from the movie (train heist scene) to the museum’s collection.   

‘Project Facelift’ continues at California museum 

Last year, the California Automobile Museum purchased the building where it is housed in Sacramento and also put a new roof on the structure. 

“However, as many new homeowners discover, our Museum needs some help,” the staff has realized. “We need to paint, repair, install new lighting, upgrade our electrical, install an HVAC system, landscape, make us more accessible, and resurface our parking lot.” 

Electrical upgrades have begun, the building exterior is scheduled for fresh paint in October, and a drought-resistant landscape is under way. Next major goals are climate control and lighting. 

Donations can be made through a special webpage that is part of the museum’s re-launched and updated website.

California Automobile Museum undergoing upgrades to its building | Museum photo

Free admission: Museum Day is Saturday

The Smithsonian is coordinating Museum Day on Saturday, September 22, with free admission offered at many museums across the country. For example, the Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine, the America On Wheels museum in Allentown and the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento are open free with a special ticket available through the Smithsonian Magazine website. Here’s the link.

Special events this weekend

The Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine offers a Demo Day on September 20 with talks at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum stages its annual collector car auction on September 21-22 in upstate New York. In addition to vehicles such as a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 and 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I being sold to benefit the museum, a 1990 AM General Humvee will be sold for the Feed Our Vets program and a 1964 Pontiac Catalina Safari will be sold to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central NY. The auction also features 44 vehicles from the Dennis Dammerman Collection. Visit the auction website to see the complete docket. 

The National Corvette Museum’s NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will be the site of “Cars, Karts and Coffee,” a free car show Saturday starting at 9 a.m., and with go-karts available for $20 per race until 11 a.m.

Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, will stage a book signing from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on September 22 featuring Peter Brock and his latest work, The Road to Modena: Origins and History of the Shelby – De Tomaso P70 Can-Am Sports Racer.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, hosts the Road Map Collectors Association show on September 21-22 and the Matchbox toy show on September 23. 

Mark your calendar

The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento opens its special “road trips” exhibit on September 28.

America On Wheels in Allentown, Pennsylvania, opens a new exhibit, “Fabulous Fins of the ‘50s and ‘60s” on September 29.

Located just across the road from the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the GM Corvette Assembly Plant stages its annual “Vettes, Hot Rods & Families” car show on September 29. 

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles opens its newest exhibit, “Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School” on September 29. The exhibit kicks off the museum’s year-old 25th anniversary celebration.

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, is doing a road trip by coach on September 29 to the Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI at Laguna Seca. 

The British Motor Museum, located on the grounds of the former RAF Gaydon base, hosts the third annual Gaydon Military Show on September 30.

The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has joined with other local museums to provide a “Planes, Trains & Automobiles Camp” from October 1-5 during Fall Break at the local schools. Campers will visit the Corvette museum, Aviation Heritage Park and the Historic Railpark and Train Museum. For details, visit the camp website.

https://10514.blackbaudhosting.com/10514/Planes-Trains–Automobiles-Oct-1-5

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles will fete Wolfgang Porsche at its 24th annual gala, scheduled for October 5.

The British Motor Museum will use its social media feeds to present “Archive Live!” throughout the day on October 5. The interactive feeds not only will go behind the scenes at the museum’s own archives, but will help visitors understand how to preserve their own family documents and photographs.

The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento stages CruiseFest on Fulton Avenue on October 6.

The AACA Library & Research Center’s yard sale is scheduled for October 9 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The Beaulieu museum in England continues its annual Autumn Lecture Series on October 12 with Steve Waddingham, historian at Aston Martin Lagonda, talking about “Aston Martin: A History.”

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, celebrates its 30th anniversary with a Gala scheduled for October 14. In addition to dinner and silent and live auctions, the evening will feature music by Franc d’Ambrosio of Phantom of the Opera fame.

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles stages its annual gala on October 5. The event will honor Wolfgang Porsche and will feature car collecting comedians Jay Leno and Tim Allen.

The Simeone Foundation Auto Museum in Philadelphia offers an in-depth conversation and book signing at 2 p.m. on October 13 with Luca Dal Monte, author of Enzo Ferrari: Power, Politics and the Making of an Automotive Empire. 

The Simeone Foundation Auto Museum in Philadelphia offers the world premiere of Maserati: A Hundred Years Against All Odds, the first comprehensive film about the marque and its history, to be shown at 7 p.m. on October 23. The event includes a conversation and discussion featuring producer Philip Selkirk and director Luca Dal Monte, a former Maserati director of marketing and public relations.

The Simeone Foundation Auto Museum in Philadelphia plans “An Evening with Hurley Haywood” featuring the sports car racer on October 26.

From October 27 to November 4, the British Motor Museum invites children to serve as junior detectives to find the “Missing Plans” and to learn how to do secret car designs in invisible ink. The adventures begin daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m or 2 p.m.

The British Motor Museum hosts the “Large Model Aircraft Show” on October 28 with more than 100 large static radio-controlled aircraft on display.

On October 31, the Simeone Foundation Auto Museum in Philadelphia presents its 11th Spirit of Competition award to Roger Penske on an evening that will feature Amelia Island concours founder Bill Warner as master of ceremonies.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, hosts a Corvette Racing Weekend on November 9-10 with driving events, a dinner featuring racers Doug Fehan and Tommy Milner and Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter, and other activities.

Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].

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Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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