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HomeCar CultureBeaulieu re-opens with display of toy and pedal cars

Beaulieu re-opens with display of toy and pedal cars

Our weekly roundup of car museum news and notes

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When Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu re-opened this past weekend, it also unveiled its newest exhibition, “Motoring in Miniature — the Toys of Your Childhood.” The display includes more than 800 toy and pedal cars.

“Most of us have early motoring memories from before we learned to drive,” the museum said, “and that’s the shiny toys we gazed at in the toy shop window and spent hours ‘driving’ across the living room carpet or in the garden outside. These were the toys you were told to clear up, the toys you were proud of, the ones that you loved.

“No matter if you are 5 or 95, these are the toys of your childhood.”

The exhibit includes toys dating to the 1920s, including those of tin plate, wood, die-cast and slot cars, as well as pull-alongs, radio-control cars, motoring board games, jigsaw puzzles and computer games.

Motoring in Miniature game board

Beaulieu shuffles ‘Simply schedule

Cars such as this vintage Cadillac are expected for the new ‘Simply American’ show | Museum photo

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu has revised its schedule for “Simply” single-marque car shows.

While the Spring Autojumble, Hot Rod and Custom Show, Supercar Weekend and International Autojumble have been canceled, the single-marque car shows will launch July 19 with Simply Jaguar.

The revised schedule continues July 26 with Simply Japanese, followed by Simply Audi (August 2), Simply Land rover (August 9), Simply Volkswagen (August 15), Simply Mercedes (August 23), Simply Aston Martin (August 30), Simply Ford (September 13) and Simply British Classics (September 20), Simply Porsche (September 27), Simply BMW (October 4) and Simply Smart (November 8).

The new Simply Electric show has been postponed until 2021, but two other new shows — Simply American (August 16) and Simply Vauxhall (September 12) — have been added to the 2020 calendar. 

Attendance will be limited to 500 participants per event and tickets must be pre-booked. 

Volo will keep ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ paint scheme

Media outlets in northern Illinois report that the Volo Auto Museum northwest of Chicago will not change the paint scheme on its Dukes of Hazzard General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger, which means the Stars and Bars flag scheme will remain on the car’s roof.

“It’s a piece of history and it’s in a museum, museum director Brain Grams told the Arlington Height Daily Herald.

The car, acquired by the museum in 2005, is the last surviving ’69 Charger from the first season of the television series.

Grams said he museum also has kept Nazi insignia on vehicles and other objects displayed in its military area.

Auction will benefit museum

After racing at Indy, this March became the test mule for the development of the Buick racing engine | Museum photo

The 1982 March 82C Buick-powered Indy car that won the Road America 200 with Hector Rebaque in the cockpit will be offered up for bidding July 18 at Mecum Auctions’ sale in Indianapolis to benefit the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America museum in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The car, campaigned by Forsythe Racing was the first March 82C produced. After the season, it was sold to McLaren Engines Inc., and served as the test bed for the development of the stock-block Buick V6 racing engine that debuted at the 1984 Indy 500.

The car currently wears the Mac Tools livery in which it last raced in the later 1980s.

Indy museum displays Gurney Lotus tub

Lotus 29/1 driven at Indy by Dan Gurney has been returned to its 1963 race-day livery

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is in the process of restoring the Lotus 29/1 driven by Dan Gurney in 1963. The car’s tub has been returned to the white-and-blue Gurney race-day livery and will be on display at the museum from July 13-19 before the restoration process continues.

Special events this weekend

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, will host a “community comeback” July 10-11. On July 10, the Delton-Kellogg High School Class of 2020 will stage its graduation ceremony in an outdoor drive-in format on the Gilmore campus. On the 11th, the Grammy Award-winning group, The English Rain, a Beatles cover band, will perform in an outdoor concert on the Gilmore stage. For details, visit the museum website.

Although the Mercedes-Benz Summer Concert schedule has been canceled for 2020, the Mercedes-Benz Museum is participating in a drive-in outdoor performance of reggae music July 10 featuring Gentleman, with Tilmann Otto.

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Oklahoma isn’t a car museum, but on July 11 it hopes to share its runway with members of the Green County Classic Mustang Club and a P-51 Mustang WW2-vintage fighter airplane. 

Also hosting a car show on July 11, its 5th annual, is the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire at Londonderry.  

Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, will help introduce a new automotive magazine-publishing effort from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 11 when The Garage Media editors Tim Foss and Brian Brennan are at the store. The new titles are Classic Truck Performance and Modern Rodding, currently are published bi-monthly but plans call for them to go monthly in January 2021, when the company launches All Chevy Performance.

Mark your calendar

Studebaker museum celebrates the Hawks | Museum photo

The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, will present “Birds of a Feather: Studebaker’s Hawks,” led by archivist Andrew Beckman, at 1:30 p.m. (Central time) in the Wiekamp Auditorium on July 9. Masks and social distancing are required, as is pre-registration to [email protected].

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, hosts “Volvos at the Gilmore VIII” on July 18 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the following day, July 19, it’s the third annual “Corvette Envy” show from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., featuring a show of more than 300 Chevrolet sports cars plus a Corvette swap meet.

Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, will host a book signing from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on July 18 with Chris Pook, founder of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Pook will autograph copies of the book, Chris Pook & the History of the Long Beach GP.

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia plans to re-open July 23. 

The Crawford Auto Aviation Collection in Cleveland is scheduled to re-open to the public on July 25. 

Featured book from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. July 25 at Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, will be Developing a Champion: The Electramotive Nissan GTP Story by author Chris Willes.

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles launches its virtual version of Monterey Car Week on August 1. The event runs August 1-10 and 12-16. Visit the museum website for more information.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum opens a new exhibit, “Granatelli: Larger Than Life” on August 1 to celebrate the legacy of Andy Granatelli, one of motorsports most colorful characters and successful promoters.  

The British Motor Museum at Gaydon hosts its Land Rover Show August 1-2.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will host a cruise-in car show from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on August 2. Registered car owners will receive lunch, museum admission and a museum hat. To register, visit the museum website.

The RV/MH Hall of Fame (that’s RV/MH as in Recreation Vehicle/Motor Home) in Elkhart, Indiana, holds its Hall of Fame induction ceremony on August 3.

Youngsters aged 5-13 can take part in the Porsche Museum’s annual “Car Factory” summer program August 4-23 in Stuttgart, Germany. The program is offered in German and English and offered insight to automobile production.

The British Motor Museum at Gaydon hosts an electric vehicles festival car show on August 8 and a classics and vintage commercial vehicle show on August 8-9.

The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, is organizing The Carolina Cruise on September 5, when sections of Highway 29 will become a rolling car show.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opens two new exhibits on September 12 — “Yeah, It’s Got a Hemi!” and “Minibike Mania.”

The Miles Through Time museum in Clarkesville, Georgia, plans a “Cruise-In to the Museum” from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on September 12.

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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