It’s called the Wunderground, the car museum that is part of Galpin’s Porsche Santa Clarita dealership in California,
Car enthusiasts tend to think “Ford” when they think of Galpin Motors, the family-owned dealership group founded in 1946 as Galpin Ford in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California by Bert and Jane Boeckmann.
They also think “custom cars” because of the dealership’s long history of customizing vehicles.
Through the years, Galpin added a variety of brands to its dealership group and a year ago opened the Santa Clarita Porsche store in a structure originally built for a Saturn dealership and later used to sell Mazdas and Subarus.
But unlike a typical dealership, the Santa Clarita store includes the Wunderground museum showcasing “a significant collection of rare and special vehicles from across the United States to help tell the Porsche story in a spectacular display.
“Immerse yourself in Porsche history and learn how the Porsche family and their team of designers and engineers developed their iconic style from 1948 to today.”
Included are Porsches formerly owned by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman as well as Porsche race cars.
Most recent additions to the display are a 1948 Gmund Speedster reproduction, 1961 356 B Cabriolet, 1965 356 SC “Sunroof” coupe (Steve Miller), 1960 356 Roadster, original and unrestored (Steven Kram), a 1964 356 C coupe (George Russo), and the 2008 Turbo S “Exclusive.”
The Wunderground, located beneath the main Porsche dealership, also houses the Boxenstopp restaurant specializing in German and American dishes and a boutique with Porsche Driver’s Selection and Porsche Design products.
Porsche pop up in Rhode Island
“When we opened in 2017, we made a promise to ourselves to always keep things fresh. We love it when members and visitors are excited to come back, knowing they can see something they didn’t see the last time,” Newport Car Museum founder Gunther Buerman said of the Rhode Island facility’s newest exhibit, the Pop-Up Porsche Gallery.
The museum, which showcases more than 75 vehicles in 6 galleries, already has several Porsches in its World Cars showcase. But opening May 1 was the Pop-Up Porsche display in the museum’s central event space. The pop-up, scheduled to run through October 31, features 9 Porsches, ranging from a 1956 356A Speedster and 1979 930 Turbo to a 2005 Carrera GT and 2019 Speedster Heritage model.
Those cars will be included in a special “Hoods Up” weekend May 8-9 with the powerplants on all of the museum’s cars exposed with hoods open.
Stahls picks up Chrysler Turbine
You may recall that the Pick of the Day a month ago was a 1963 Chrysler Turbine, one of only nine that survive. The car had been part of the Kleptz Collection. Well, the car sold almost immediately, and now we know where it went.
The historic Turbine went where everyone can see it, provided they pay a visit to the Stahl’s Auto Collection museum in Chesterfield, Michigan. The museum unveiled its latest acquisition late last week.
Miles Through Time adds fire truck
The Miles Through Time museum in Clarkesville, Georgia, has added a 1984 American LaFrance fire truck to its collection. But it’s not just a static display at the car museum; the truck will be used for special events with donations going to Kaleb’s Cause, a nonprofit that helps relieve some of the financial burdens on families with an ailing child.
Lamborghini museum reopens
The Mudetec Automobili Lamborghini museum reopened this week with a new exhibition, “Future is our legacy.”
“The title of the exhibition recalls the philosophy of Automobili Lamborghini: a company that constantly looks to the future, staying ahead of the times, without ever forgetting or celebrating its past,” the museum said of the exhibition that coincides with the 20th anniversary of the museum’s debut and the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini’s Countach.
Special events this weekend
The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, hosts a cruise to Petty’s Garage and the Ford Performance Racing School on May 7, followed by a Grill Party at the museum. On May 8, the museum offers seminars forced on the Mustang Club of America.
The National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, offers the Lucas Oil School of Racing May 6-8.
The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, hosts a Boats at The Barns showcase May 8 with classic wood, fiberglass and aluminum boats on display.
The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee expands visiting hours to 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and has launched its merit badge experience for scouts.
Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, features authors Rich Truesdell and Mark Fletcher and their book 1970 Maximum Muscle, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on May 8.
The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, will stage a members-only event May 9 from 9 a.m. until noon, offering rides in a 1964 Amphicar at Percy Priest Lake.
Mark your calendar
Although the museum doesn’t reopen until May 17, the British Motor Museum at Gaydon hosts the Gaydon Gathering, a monthly outdoor event for “motoring enthusiasts” on May 11.
Beginning in May and running into September, the LeMay Family Collection in Tacoma, Washington, hosts a second Thursday “Cars and Comedy” evening starting at 6 p.m. The museum says to bring a picnic and enjoy an evening featuring local comedians.
On May 13, the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, will offer Ladies Night @ Lane from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., a happy hour event that will offer basic skills instruction for changing a tire, checking oil levels, etc.
The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, hosts a first-generation Mustang car show May 15.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in northeast Indiana joins the 2021 Blue Star Museums initiative offering free admission to active US military personnel and their families from May 15 through September 6.
Vintage travel trailers will gather for a special showcase May 15 at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.
The SoBo Porsche Club will be featured May 16 in a showcase at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island.
The British Motor Museum at Gaydon reopens May 17 with a new E-type Evolution exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of the British sports car.
The Canadian Automobile Museum’s Third Thursday Zoom presentation on May 20 at 7 p.m. covers “The Oshawa Worker at War,” with Jeremy Blowers of the Ontario Regiment Museum talking about the Oshawa auto workers’ contribution to the war efforts for WWI and WWII.
The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, hosts a Ford and Mustang parts garage sale May 22.
The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum hosts a cars and coffee event from 8 a.m. until noon on May 22 at its restoration and storage facility in Macedonia, Ohio.
The Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island hosts a gathering of food trucks and craft beer from noon to 7 p.m. on May 22.
The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, opens a new exhibit, “A Recipe for Speed: Open-Wheel Racing,” on May 27.
Michael Schumacher and Paul Page will be inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame on May 27.
The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, opens a special exhibit, “RADwood on Display,” staring May 27, featuring cars and motorcycles and fashions from the 1980s and ‘90s.
May 29 is the date for the Mustang pace car show from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina.
The British Motor Museum at Gaydon hosts its annual half-term family activities week May 29 to June 6.
The North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, launches its 2021 outdoor events schedule June 5 with a showcase by the New Hampshire Muscle Cars, with visitors offered a chance to sit inside a 1,400-horsepower funny car during start up.
The Museum of Bus Transportation at Hershey, Pennsylvania, hosts its Spring Fling on June 5 to celebrate the “golden age” of bus and motorcoach transportation. Awards will be given for best of show 1950s and 1960s, oldest and traveled farthest to attend. For details, visit the museum website.
Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu hosts its Simply Porsche car show on June 6.
Hagerty and the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, launch a summer series of events with a series of displays in the museum and its parking lot on “the many styles of auto racing.”
June 12 is Motorbike Day at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The event will include a show featuring dirt, road, competition, scooters, mopeds and minibikes, a motorcycle-themed flea market and a ride through the Pennsylvania countryside.
The AMA Gypsy Tour charity motorcycle ride visits the North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, on June 13.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will host a “Sizzlin’ Summer Cruise In” from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on June 19. Among the event features will be a visit by Jimmy Rosen, his book on vintage gas stations, Got Gas?, and his 1947 Plymouth, and a Studebaker and Tucker parade.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, unveils a new exhibition, “Corvette Powered,” during the Memorial Day weekend. The exhibit will showcase non-GM vehicles (cars, boats and motorcycles) powered by the Corvette’s small-block V8 engine, including a 1958 Scarab, 1966 Excalibur, 1967 Bizzarrini Strada, 1977 Avanti II and others.
There are more than cars to see in Beaulieu, England, home to the National Motor Museum. From June 19 to August 30, the Beaulieu Palace House will showcase more than 250 sculptures in its gardens and inside the Montagu family home. And June 19 is the date for the annual Simply VW show.
The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, hosts a Father’s Day car show on June 20.
The North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, hosts the Nor-Eastern Pontiac Club for an outdoor car show on June 26.
Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].
