“Wheels of Change: Cars & Culture of the 1960s” is the theme of a new exhibit opening April 5 at the Saratoga Automobile Museum in upstate New York, where the dramatic design, safety and vehicle-size revolutions of the 1960s are showcased.
Featured vehicles include a 1967 Toyota 2000GT (in gold, and formerly owned by Twiggy), a 1963 split-window Chevrolet Corvette, a 1963 Rambler American 330, a 1966 Volkswagen 21-window microbus, a 1966 Jaguar E-type, a 1969 AMC AMX, the stunning 1960 Plymouth XNR concept car, a 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV, and others.
Also being featured at the museum in conjunction with the exhibit is the work of automotive artist Chris Osborne.
“I have a passion for the romanticism of automobiles,” Osborne is quoted in the museum’s news release, “My acrylic paintings feature iconic personalities with the cars they owned, drove, were filmed with, or wrote about in prose or song. By staging figurative models and actual cars I can create a design unique to my vision, enriched by exhaustive research and biographical study.
“Each painting, whether it be a commissioned work, or something that sprung from my imagination, is a story from beginning to end,” she added. “I am the happiest when putting that story to canvas.”
Indy museum salutes Penske’s 50 years
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has opened a special exhibit, “Team Penske’s First 500,” which runs through mid-November and honors the team’s 50th anniversary at Indy, its 500th victory in major racing events and the sweep of the Indy Car and NASCAR events at Indy in 2018.
Though the 1969 Indy 500 is remembered for Mario Andretti’s victory, it also was the first 500 drawing an entry from Penske Racing, the 4-wheel-drive No. 66 Sunoco-Simoniz Lola T152, which was driven to a seventh-place finish by Mark Donohue.
Easter ‘bonnets’ open at Beaulieu
From April 6 through Easter Monday April 22, England’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu will feature “Bonnets Galore,” with daily drives around the museum grounds and with hoods open inside the museum to reveal the engine excellence of such vehicles as the 1920 Sunbeam 350hp “Blue Bird,” the 1899 Renault, 1924 Bugatti Type 35, 1948 Land Rover prototype, 1950 RT London Bus and 1959 Austin Mini.
The museum also presents bonnets of a different kind in its Palace House, where there will be a display of Easter bonnets and Victorian costumes.
Bonhams HQ becomes one-day art museum
On April 12, Bonhams New Bond Street salesroom in London will feature a one-day art exhibit, “Age of Endeavour,” a celebration of 100 years of Bentley artifacts including posters, photographs and trophies, as well as four Bentley vehicles. The one-day event is open free to the public.
Volkswagen shares museum art in ‘rolling studio’
Not only does Volkswagen sponsor a day of free entry to the Nationalgalerie-Staatliche Museum zu Berlin, but the car company also has created a rolling art studio in one of its T6 vans that extends the museum beyond its walls to share art with children and teenagers.
Special events this weekend
April 5th is the registration deadline for the teen driving day being held in conjunction with the Kentucky Safe Driver Program at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green on April 13.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will be the site of the Keystone Region Studebaker Day on April 6. From May 17-October 20, the museum features a new exhibit, “Studebaker Cool: 114 Years of Innovation.”
The National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio, hosts Warren’s McGuffey School and the first Lego League Titonics robotics exhibition on April 6 from noon to 2 p.m.
A 1908 Auburn Model G Touring will be featured Saturday at 2 p.m. as the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in northeastern Indiana presents its monthly “If These Cars Could Talk” presentation. Museum curator Sam Grate will share the story of the car, which was rescued from the wreckage of a tornado and was donated to and restored at the museum.
The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, hosts a reunion of the Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild and launches an exhibition of more than 100 members’ model cars on April 6. The exhibition runs through October 1.
T.J. Pagano will offer instruction in pinstriping with sessions beginning at 11 a.m. and noon April 6 at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento. Adults and children are welcome in both sessions.
On April 6, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles opens “the world’s first exhibition focused exclusively on electric motorcycles,” with 21 bikes included in the “Electric Revolution” exhibit. The exhibit runs until November.
Mitch Bishop, co-author of IMSA 1969-1989: The Inside Story of How John Bishop Built the World’s Greatest Sports Car Racing Series, will autograph copies from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 6 at Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California. That evening, the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo hosts a “Tribute to IMSA” celebration dinner and gala featuring IMSA racers.
LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, is offering free spring-break admission through April 19 to visitors aged 12 and under and half-price admission for students aged 13-18 when accompanied by a paying adult.
Mark your calendar
“USAC Stars: From Dirt Tracks to the Brickyard” is the theme of a panel discussion at 6 p.m. April 9 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum featuring U.S. Auto Club racing champions Brady Bacon, Tyler Courtney, Dave Darland, Justin Grant and Kody Swanson.
The Miles Through Time museum in Toccoa, Georgia, opens for its 2019 season on April 10. The museum will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The 50th anniversary of Mario Andretti’s victory in the 1969 Indianapolis 500 will be celebrated April 10 with a dinner at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, where the evening program includes a “fireside chat” with Andretti.
April 10 is LA Speed Week Day at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, California, where a mini-auto racing film festival will be offered in the Packard Ballroom starting at 10 a.m. At 1 p.m., the museum will show Rocket and a 2:30, Thunder Road.
The National Corvette Museum’s NCM Motorsports Park will stage a special “Drive Toward a Curve Day” program on April 12 to fight Parkinson’s Disease. The track in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will off an all-day, lead-follow lapping program with $50 of the $125 entry going toward the charity. The track stages its teen driving day being held in conjunction with the Kentucky Safe Driver Program at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green on April 13.
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia hosts the Kimber Festival 2019 on April 12-13. Though termed a “festival,” the two-day program is an academic conference about MG and its history, including design, production, technology and participation in motorsports.
The California Automobile Museum offers a “Know Your Car 101” class on April 13 at Paul’s Automotive in midtown Sacramento. The class runs from 10 a.m. until 11:30 and registration is open until April 12.
April 17 is Mustang Day at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in York Springs. The program starts at 9 a.m. at the AACA and after lunch moves to the racing museum.
SEMA’s CuS.T.E.M. Car Experience visits the LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, on April 19. The program introduces middle school students to the automotive customization hobby through STEM education experiences.
On April 20, the LeMay celebrates the successful first year of its Powering the Future Learning Lab with a “Brewing Up Biofuels” event from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. with workshops, demonstrations (and tastings) featuring area brewers and scientists.
Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu hosts its annual “Simply Audi” car show on April 21.
The National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, hosts the Michelin NCM Bash 2019 from April 25-27 with displays, seminars, and other activities, from a “ladies oasis” to laps around the track.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is organizing a bus trip to the New York International Auto Show on April 27.
The Lingenfelter Collection in Brighton, Michigan, hosts its annual Charity Spring Open House event April 27 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Ken Lingenfelter’s collection of more than 180 vehicles will be open to the public to benefit the American Cancer Society.
“Tucker: The 50 Production Cars” is the subject of a special program May 11 at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where one of Preston Tucker’s grandsons will be among the speakers.
“Mario Andretti: ICON” is a special exhibit that opens May 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The exhibit is designed as a comprehensive 50th anniversary celebration of Andretti’s victory in the 1969 Indianapolis 500 race.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, opens a special “RCR 50: Only in America” exhibit featuring 50 years of Richard Childress Racing in May.
“My dream is longer than the night,” a radio play about Bertha Benz and her influence on the early motorcar, will be performed May 3-5 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany.
More than 40 vehicles that have played roles in science fiction films will be featured in a new exhibit, “Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy,” opening May 4 at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. the exhibit runs through March 15, 2020.
The Simply Ford gathering May 5 at Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu will feature the 60th anniversary of the Ford Anglia 105E and the 50th birthday celebration for the Ford Capri.
The British Motor Museum stages its fifth annual “Gaydon Land Rover Show” on May 11-12 with a special appearance on May 12 by the Ferguson 4 Wheel Drive Club and its vehicles.
The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, California opens its new Fireball Gallery of automotive art with a special event from 6 until 10 p.m. on May 11.
“Colors of Speed — 50 Years of the 917,” a special exhibition of 10 of the famed Porsche racing cars, opens May 14 and runs through September 15 at the Porsche Museum in Germany.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, hosts the C4 Gathering from May 16-18.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opens two new summer exhibits on May 17 — Studebaker Cool: 114 Years of Innovation, and Harley-Davidson: History, Mythology and Perceptions of America’s Motorcycle. Both exhibits run through October 20.
Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu hosts both its silver-anniversary spring autojumble (swap meet) May 18-19 and a 60th anniversary celebration of the Mini.
LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, offers Model T drivers education classes May 18, June 8, July 7, August 4 and September 8.
The IMS Museum presents the 21st annual Indianapolis Historic Racing Exhibition on May 23-25 when around 70 Indianapolis 500 racing cars are expected to return to the track for exhibition laps and to be displayed in the museum parking lot inside Turn 2. The event is open to cars that raced at Indy between 1911 and 1994.
Britain’s National Motor Museum and the Montagu home at Beaulieu will host a major exhibition of sculpture from May 25 through July 14. “Sculpture at Beaulieu” will feature more than 350 works by more than 60 sculptors.
LeMay Collections stages LeMay Motorcycle Days from June 13-23 with 200 motorcycles on exhibit and with rounds of motorcycle soccer.
The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, will stage its annual Father’s Day car show on June 16.
The Miles Through Time museum in Toccoa, Georgia, hosts its second annual car show from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on June 22.
The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, California, hosts its seventh annual vintage trailer show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 29, with more than 40 vintage trailers and campers on display.
“The Car. The Future. Me” is the title of an exhibit scheduled to open July 13 at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, UK, to explore “futuristic car design and (to) challenge your idea of how we will interact with the cars for the future,” the museum said.
The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, inducts new members Sergio Marchionne, the late chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles; Janet Guthrie, the first woman to qualify as a driver in the Indianapolis 500; Richard “Dick” Dauch, co-founder of American Axle Manufacturing; and Patrick Ryan, creator of the first auto dealership finance and insurance department, on July 18 in Detroit.
On August 3, the British Motor Museum will be the site of the Classic Mini Mosaic world-record attempt that is expected to draw more than 600 classic Minis. The following day the museum will be the site of the National Metro & Mini Show.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, inducts racer Briggs Cunningham, Corvette designer Tom Peters, and Dollie Cole, Corvette enthusiast and widow of former GM president Ed Cole, into its hall of fame on August 30.
“Legends of Speed,” a showcase of nearly two dozen historic racing cars, opens November 2 at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].
