The Strøjer Samlingen Museum in Denmark is home to more than 120 cars from around the world, including those from the Danish royal family, James Bond movie cars and many more. And now, home to the 100th BAC Mono supercar.
Ten years ago, Neill and Ian Briggs founded the Briggs Automotive Company in Liverpool, England, and to celebrate 100 cars and a decade in business, they produced a car in British Racing Green but also with visible carbon fiber bodywork and gold-trimmed body, wheels and interior.
That 100th car was acquired by the museum in Assens, Denmark. According to BAC, the car, which weighs less than 1,300 pounds, has a 305 horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, reaches 60 mph i 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 170 mph.
The BAC Mono is a considered by its makers to be the “world’s only single-seater, road-legal supercar.” The delivery in Denmark marked the 38th country in which BAC has delivered one or more of its vehicles.
“Over the past decade, there have been a number of occasions where I’ve had to stop and pinch myself – and delivering Mono #100 to Strøjer Samlingen is one of those times,” said Neill Briggs.
“The collection is absolutely phenomenal; these are the cars that I used to have posted up on my bedroom wall as a youngster, and now the Mono is lining up in the middle of all of them. It’s been a humbling and emotional experience.
“We’ve had an exceptional decade since myself and Ian first registered the business back in March 2009, when our vision was just to create a car that offers the ultimate driving experience. Not in our wildest dreams did we foresee us reaching 100 cars in such a short space of time and accomplishing what we have around the world – it’s been incredible to say the least.”
“I am very, very happy to have the 100th BAC Mono in my museum – it is an honor to welcome the car and I extend my congratulations to BAC for reaching three figures in style,” said museum owner Jørgen Strøjer-Hansen.
“All of our cars have interesting stories and the BAC is no different. This is a car that me and my family have loved for many years and finally we have the 100th model in our collection.”
Since its launch in 2011, Mono has gone from strength to strength and enhanced its reputation around the globe. In fact, Mono has now been exported to over 35 territories worldwide, with dealership agreements in USA, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Japan and Sweden.
California museum seeks British cars
The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento is putting together an exhibit of British cars and is looking for vehicles to showcase. The exhibit runs from August 23, 2019, through January 27, 2020. Ideally, cars will be stock, or with only subtle modifications, and in “presentative” condition.
The display will focus on pre-1975 vehicles and the wish list is long — from Edwardian to London cab and from Swallow sidecar to E-type Jaguar, and is available on the museum website, as are other details about the loans.
Petersen joins Miracle Mile discount effort
Beginning June 7, the Museums of the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles will offer a $2 admission discount to visitors who visit at least two of the museums on the same day. Those museums include the Petersen Automotive Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Craft Contemporary. The promotion runs until September 1.
Racing research center gets new leader
After 13 years at the Corning Museum of Glass, Daniel DeRusha has joined the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen, New York, as executive director.
DeRusha is part of the collector car community, owning and regularly driving a 1928 Franklin Model 12B sedan and a 1977 MGB. He also is past president of the H.H. Franklin Club.
Special events this weekend
The British Motor Museum stages a 2-in-1 car show June 8-9 with the Classic and Vintage Commercial (Vehicle) Show and the Classic Van and Pick Up Show sharing the museum grounds, which means there will be more than 500 vintage lorries, trucks, buses and vans on display.
It’s “Hoods Up” weekend June 8-9 at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island, where the engines in the museum’s 75-car collection will be available for viewing.
The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut, stages its second “Barracudas, Sting Rays & More Show Cars from the Sea” car show on June 8.
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia presents Part II of its History of Le Mans Demo Days events from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on June 8. Featured will be a 1962 Cunningham C-4R roadster, 1953 Jaguar C-type, 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, 1954 Ferrari 375MM Pinin Farina Spider and 1958 Ferrari 250 Tests Rossa.
It’s Vintage Cycle Weekend at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, on June 8-9 with hundreds of motorcycles on display and with lots of vendors as well. There’s even a special parking area for spectators arriving on their bikes.
The Crawford Auto-Aviation Collection and Cleveland History Center host Crawford, Coffee & Cars on June 9 from 8 until 11 a.m.
Sam Grate, curator at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in northeastern Indiana, will discuss “The Cord Corporation at 2 p.m. June 9 in a “Sunday Spotlight” presentation..
The Tatra Museum in Koprivince, Czech Republic, celebrates the auto and truck producer’s centennial June 8-9 as part of its host city’s Engineering Days.
The Vauxhall Heritage Centre in Luton, England, opens its collection of 75 vehicles only once a year. This year that event is June 9 and features the 50th anniversary of the Bedford CF van and the 40th birthday of the British-built Astra model.
Mark your calendar
The Museum of Automobiles in Morriltoa, Arkansas, hosts the Mid-America Old-Time Auto Association’s 61st annual Petite Jean car show and swap meet June 11-15
LeMay Collections in Tacoma, Washington, stages LeMay Motorcycle Days from June 13-23 with 200 motorcycles on exhibit and with rounds of motorcycle soccer.
The Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island and the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia and the California Agriculture Museum in Woodland, California, offer free admission to father’s on Father’s Day.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, stages its annual Father’s Day Weekend car show with a car coral and flea market. At 3 p.m. on June 15, the museum also presents a special program on the restoration of Tucker 1044 and at 10 a.m. on June 16, a program on the Tucker Tin Goose.
The Henry Ford museum’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, is the site for the annual Motor Muster car show June 15-16. Featured this year are the “Fabulous Fins” of the 1950s
“Daredevils: A Century of Spine-tingling Spectacles,” a special summer exhibit, opens June 15 at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.
The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento offers free rides in cars from its collection for Dad and the family on June 16 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, will stage its annual Father’s Day car show on June 16.
The Kern County Museum in Bakersfield, California, hosts Sports Cars at the Museum on June 16 from noon until 4 p.m.
“Planes, Trains & Automobiles” is the theme for a summer camp June 17-21 at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The camp is designed for students entering the 2nd through 5th grades.
Author Dan Albert will discuss his book, Are We There Yet?: The American Automobile Past, Present, and Driverless, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. June 22 at the Simeone Foundation Automobile Museum in Philadelphia.
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 Lions Drag Strip Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California, holds its grand opening June 22.
Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr, architect of Disneyland and its Monorail, will be at Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on June 22 signing his new book, Bob Gurr: Legendary Imagineer 0— Life and Times, Disney and Beyond.
The National Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but on June 24-25 it will offer a special high-performance drivers education program at Virginia International Raceway in Dansville, Virginia.
Back to the Future 2 will be presented at Drive-In Movie Night on June 28 at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento.
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 Mustang Owner’s Museum near Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced monthly “Fords at the Museum” car shows to be held the last Saturday of each month from 7 until 10 a.m. starting June 29.
LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, will be the finish line for the 2019 Great Race and plans to celebrate with a “Shine Time” car show on June 30.
The British Motor Museum hosts its seventh annual “BMC & Leyland Show” on July 7, featuring vehicles produced by the British Motor Corporation, British Leyland and The Rover Group. Featured will be the 90th anniversary of the BSA front-drive car, the 60th of the Morris Oxford Farina, the 50th of the Austin Maxi, the 30th of the Rover R8 and the 25th of the Rover SK3. The show also celebrates Triumph National Weekend.
“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.
The North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, will honor NASCAR champion and New England native Joey Logano at a special event July 19.
From the 1960s into the 1990s, the Hale Farm & Village in Cleveland hosted a car show. On July 21, the tradition returns with a car show that will include vehicles from the Crawford Auto-Aviation Collection and those from private collections and other entrants parked among the farm and village’s historic buildings.
The British Motor Museum hosts “the biggest rally of classic Fords in the UK” on July 21. More than 400 classic Ford vehicles, all between 50 and 100 years old, are expected for the 11th annual “Old Ford Rally,” which this year includes the Capri 50th anniversary and the Sunbeam Alpine 60th birthday celebrations.
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].
