Classic (postwar-70s) museums & collections

Former 30,000-sq-ft museum at Gateway Canyons Resort displaying the Hendricks Collection - 50+ significant American automobiles assembled by John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel.

Large classic-car sales showroom in O'Fallon, part of a national chain, with rotating inventory displayed museum-style and free admission.

Branch showroom of the national Gateway Classic Cars chain, with browsable inventory of classic, exotic, and collectible cars.

A large automobile museum on a 90-acre campus exhibiting 400+ vintage and collector vehicles and motorcycles from all eras across numerous historic buildings, and hosting several affiliated partner museums.

Nonprofit Modesto museum celebrating the "American Graffiti" cruising culture with classic cars, hot rods, and memorabilia in a recreated-storefront setting.

An 8,000 sq ft museum opened April 2021, built around the restored historic "Dean's Service" gas station, showcasing classic cars and local artwork, supported by collector Stephen Tebo.

Free auto museum inside the TerryTown RV Superstore showroom near Grand Rapids, with 100+ rare vehicles.

Largest Cadillac collection in the world, 80+ cars assembled by retired eye surgeon Dr. Steven Greenberg and his wife, housed in a former Cadillac dealership across 4 buildings.

Private collection of roughly 45 high-end classic and collector cars owned by a Cincinnati banker, considered among the best private collections in America.

A 12,000-sq-ft museum in a former armory along Route 66, displaying dozens of vehicles (antique, vintage, muscle, military, racing) plus Route 66 memorabilia and antique motorcycles.

Operating vintage Sunoco filling station and free vehicle display at Hemmings Motor News headquarters, showing roughly 25-36 collector cars, trucks, and motorcycles used in Hemmings publications.

A private, world-class collection of concours-quality and preserved-patina cars curated by Jim and Nancy Henderson in Mobile, viewable by appointment and occasionally by chance.

Gardens-and-museum complex on Cape Cod whose automobile gallery, housed in a reproduction Shaker Round Barn, displays roughly 40 American-made cars from 1899 to 1962, many on loan from area collectors.

Small-town vintage auto museum in Rudyard in a 1947 field-rock former farm-implement building; part of a three-museum complex.

A private classic-car and motorcycle collection/clubhouse (est. 1996) displaying dozens of vehicles spanning roughly a century, including Buick, Plymouth, Pontiac, Jaguar, Studebaker and a Messerschmitt.

Classic car museum in Nocona, self-described as "The Classic Car Capital of Texas."

Was billed as the world's largest Hudson automobile collection (60+ vehicles), assembled by Eldon Hostetler and donated to the Shipshewana Event Center in 2007.

A large hot-rod shop/showroom (roughly 200,000 sq ft facility) displaying customs and classics; functions partly as a public-facing showroom.

Small downtown Chanute museum showcasing Howard Alger's classic car collection along with other memorabilia.

Located in Chattanooga, birthplace of the tow truck, documenting the towing/recovery industry with ~24 historic tow trucks (1913-2002), a Hall of Fame and the world's largest toy tow truck collection.

Former private museum in Rio Rancho (operated 27 years) displaying 60-70+ restored antique/vintage cars and trucks (1907-1966), including Great American Race vehicles.

Two-floor museum in a former Scranton Electric Company industrial-motor repair building, combining classic cars with 20,000+ pieces of 1950s-60s pop-culture memorabilia.

Free roughly 150-vehicle collection on historic Route 66 in Duarte, assembled by the Justice Brothers (early NASCAR/racing sponsors and automotive-chemical pioneers), featuring vintage race cars, motorcycles, and memorabilia.

Gift shop in the White Mountains with a small museum showcasing antique cars and motorcycles restored by the owner.

A nonprofit museum (12,000 sq ft) displaying a rotating collection of ~30 vehicles (classics, exotics, imports) refreshed every 4-6 months, with exhibits on KC automotive heritage and driving simulators.

Local history museum with a dedicated gallery on Kenosha's manufacturing legacy (Jeffery, Nash, Rambler, AMC); cars rotate annually.

A newly built (2022), climate-controlled 501(c)(3) museum displaying a rotating selection of American, English, French and German classic cars from the early 1900s to the early 2000s. Founded by collector Jim Taylor.

County historical society museum with an auto wing, the Kesling Automobile Collection donated by Dr. Peter and Charlene Kesling, displaying 30+ vintage automobiles.

A large purpose-built car museum next to the Tacoma Dome (opened 2012), growing out of Harold LeMay's collection (once the world's largest private car collection). Broadly American, spanning the 20th century.

A separate LeMay family entity (distinct from LeMay-America's Car Museum) housed on the 88-acre historic Marymount Military Academy campus in Tacoma, holding the bulk of the LeMay family's roughly 1,500-vehicle collection, once Guinness-recognized as the largest private antique/vintage vehicle collection.

Private collection of 30+ British and European classics, including Jaguars, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, MG, Triumph, and Bentley, housed in a 1920 former Willys-Overland dealership building.

8-acre private collection in Moriarty with 700+ automobiles plus roughly 1,000 antique toy trucks, trains, and tractors.

~100,000-sq-ft non-profit (founded 2019) celebrating SoCal car culture and motorsports, with 150+ classic cars, race cars and hot rods. Immersive sets recreate a 1960s speed shop and the historic Lions Drag Strip.

Museum on the ground floor of the Bellflower Mayne Events Center preserving historic LA County Fire Department apparatus and memorabilia.

Nonprofit museum displaying a premier private collection of limited-production, high-performance, and exotic automobiles.

Small free/interactive museum in Rapid City featuring cars from the 1950s-1980s, including Cadillacs and retired race cars.

A museum displaying show-condition American and imported classics primarily from the 1940s-1970s, plus automotive memorabilia such as gas pumps, signage, license plates and advertising.

Private collection of auto dealer and entrepreneur Malcolm Pray spanning over 100 years of automotive history, displayed across two garages and used for educational programming for students.

Privately founded non-profit displaying a broad multi-marque collection of 170+ vehicles including classics, hot rods, customs and imports, plus one of the largest displays of auto memorabilia, antique gas pumps and signage.

Privately owned non-profit automobile museum in Glendale housing over 170-200 vehicles spanning more than 100 years of automotive history, plus an extensive collection of automobilia, antique gas pumps, and neon signage.

Private Arvada-area collection of sports/vintage racing cars (historically up to 15 McLarens), roughly 15 Corvettes, and motorcycles, built by the Mathews family since around 1970.

A small museum in Cottondale (near Northport/Tuscaloosa) specializing in classic American cars from the 1940s through the 1970s.

A private collection museum in Young Harris, GA overlooking Lake Chatuge, assembled by Jerry and June Smith, spanning nine decades of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, many offered for sale.

A large private collection in Mooresville ('Race City USA') centered on NASCAR and vintage race cars plus movie cars, pedal cars, antique toys, motorcycles and tractors.

Private collection in Mooresville featuring over 150 vehicles, described by Super Ford Magazine as the largest private collection of retired NASCAR and vintage race cars on public display. Cars once driven by Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, and Jeff Gordon are included.

Mercedes-Benz USA-operated restoration, parts, and sales facility in Irvine with a showroom displaying historic vehicles, some on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany.

The only microcar museum in the Caribbean, with ~30 microcars and bubblecars from England, France, Italy, Germany, China, Japan, the US and Puerto Rico.

A nonprofit museum and event venue displaying 65+ rotating vehicles from 1907 to the present, including custom, muscle, exotic and classic cars. Grew from the Morgan family collection and opened to the public in 2019.

Agricultural/rural heritage complex in Mount Pleasant with traction steam engines, antique tractors, antique cars and trucks, gas engines, a historic mill, and a 1915 farmhouse.

A nonprofit, co-op style 'living' museum inside the Old Clarkesville Mill, averaging 125+ full-size vehicles plus 5,000+ model cars, memorabilia, signage and art. Community-owned displays change frequently.

Museum opened May 2024 with roughly 90-105 American vehicles from the 1950s-70s, including 17 trucks.

A private collector's museum in the Lake Chelan Valley built by Leo and Polly Miller, showing a range of classic automobiles and automobilia.

Private collection in Willard assembled by owner Jack Smith, comprising roughly 50 restored classic cars plus about 50 additional unrestored vehicles.

A Jackson-based organization presenting itself as a museum of automotive history, but which primarily operates as a restoration shop, custom build service, and vintage car rental/event venue with a large VIP lounge.

General automobile collection of 150-200+ vehicles (1890s-1980s) housed within the Old Montana Prison Museum complex; one admission covers all five museums.

An 18,000-square-foot museum in Concord (formerly 'Backing Up Classics Auto Museum') displaying more than 50 antique, classic, and muscle cars, affiliated with the Morrison Motor Cars dealership.

Antique and classic car/motorcycle museum in Rapid City built from Bill and Peggy Napoli's personal restorations since they married in 1969; also functions as a classic-vehicle sales lot.

A free family-founded non-profit displaying 25+ historic automobiles from the 1910s-1960s integrated with antique agricultural equipment reflecting the valley's farming heritage.

By-appointment Oxnard museum focused on French Art Deco-era automobiles and coachbuilding (Bugatti, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago), founded by collector Peter Mullin; occupied the former Otis Chandler museum building.

Historic non-profit museum atop Petit Jean Mountain, opened 1964 by future Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. Displays ~50 vehicles from 1904-1981 including several of Rockefeller's personal cars.

A museum in Concord dedicated exclusively to the Ford Mustang, displaying vehicles spanning multiple generations of the model.

A museum built around the collection of casino magnate William F. Harrah, displaying 200+ historic cars across four themed galleries with period street-scene settings, from Brass Era through postwar classics.

Located in original Auburn Automobile factory buildings, NATMUS displays hundreds of historic cars and trucks (antique through concept), plus 4,000+ die-cast models and a large petroliana collection.

Located in original Auburn Automobile Company factory buildings, a National Historic Landmark restored in 2005, covering broader auto/truck history distinct from the adjacent ACD Museum.

Operated by the Corvair Preservation Foundation on historic Route 66, this is the only museum dedicated solely to the Chevrolet Corvair, displaying cars, trucks, powertrain displays and memorabilia.

A museum dedicated solely to the Chevrolet Corvette, adjacent to the GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant. Its 115,000-sq-ft campus displays 80+ Corvettes among 100+ significant cars and 50,000 artifacts.

Large private museum near Dubois with one of the world's largest private display collections of U.S. military vehicles, in a 160,000-sq-ft facility.

Located in Warren, OH (Packard's birthplace), presenting rotating displays of Packard automobiles with documents, engines, tools and artifacts, plus an annual motorcycle exhibit.

A private collection of 100+ low-mileage original classic cars maintained by National Parts Depot founder Rick Schmidt in Ocala, FL, viewable by appointment.

A private collection focused on famous vehicles from movies and TV, including James Bond's Aston Martin, Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari 308, the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am, and Evel Knievel's jump bike.

Formerly a free car/motorcycle and celebrity-memorabilia exhibit inside the Celebrity Hotel & Casino in downtown Deadwood.

Renowned Sylmar collection of 250+ American and European automobiles (1898-1997), including many Pebble Beach Concours winners, split between a free Museum building and an appointment-only Collection Hall with guided tours.

A 501(c)(3) (founded 2007) to celebrate the automobile and especially Connecticut-made cars. Currently in the development/fundraising stage, hosting car shows and events rather than a permanent exhibition.

Former Tucumcari museum with classic cars, vintage Americana, and a large Route 66 photograph collection.

Private collection of 90-100+ automobiles in 80,000 sq ft of galleries curated by owners Gunther and Maggie Buerman, spanning eight decades of automotive design in themed galleries (Corvettes, Ford/Shelby, Porsches, muscle cars, Mopars).

A 60-acre North Carolina state historic site at the former Southern Railway Spencer Shops, primarily focused on railroad history but also housing a significant automobile, truck, and motorcycle collection in its 'Bumper to Bumper' exhibit.

A non-profit museum across five connected buildings, best known for the world's largest collection of Franklin automobiles (Syracuse-built, 1902-1934), plus an extensive New York-built car exhibit.

Established in 1992 to showcase the history of Northeastern dirt Modified stock car racing, with exhibits of historic race cars, classic autos, and racing memorabilia alongside a Hall of Fame.

A volunteer-run nonprofit museum at Powerland Heritage Park in Brooks displaying cars, trucks, and motorcycles from 1909-1980.

Private hot rod museum/collection in Las Vegas displaying restored vehicles from 1910 to 1984, alongside memorabilia and antiques; offers guided tours.

A small, little-known nonprofit car museum in rural Jewell, GA, described by visitors as an "almost secret" roadside collection of classic automobiles.

A classic car dealership/showroom billed as an "Ultimate Man Cave," offering both display and sales of classic vehicles.

A 32+ acre outdoor "junkyard museum" in White, GA billed as the world's largest classic car junkyard, with thousands of vintage vehicles overgrown by forest, plus folk art and antiques; popular with photographers.

Muscle-car and classic-car showroom/museum in Sioux Falls displaying Shelbys, big-block Chevys, Mopars, and select modern exotics.

Sprawling 40+ building complex in Murdo started in 1954 by A.J. "Dick" Geisler, now run by his son Dave, with hundreds of cars, trucks, tractors, and motorcycles from a turn-of-the-century Oldsmobile to a 1980s Fiero.

A private automobile collection/museum.

World's largest private collection of Nash/Rambler/AMC vehicles, prototypes, and memorabilia on a 160-acre property in Elizabeth.

Town-supported museum displaying collector Bud Striegel's rotating roughly 35-vehicle collection of classic cars and motorcycles.

Private collection assembled by Indianapolis-area dealer Ray Skillman in a 65,000 sq ft showroom, with classic cars, Indy 500 race cars, Corvettes, muscle cars, antique bicycles, and restored neon signage.

A research-oriented automotive museum and archive in Naples, FL housing the Miles Collier Collections of over 100 significant automobiles built 1896-1995, called by the New York Times the finest sports car collection in America.

Nonprofit museum in Wallsburg (est. 1999) housing a large private collection of roughly 200 antique/classic cars, 150+ antique motorcycles (including Utah's largest Harley-Davidson collection), and around 200 antique tractors and farm implements.

Riverside museum honoring the history of the former Riverside International Raceway, with race cars and memorabilia; co-founded by Doug Magnon.

Colorado Springs museum (est. 1992) preserving antique/classic motorcycles from the early 1900s-1970s, including a motorcycle hall of fame.

A nonprofit preserving Rolls-Royce and Bentley heritage. Its ~5,000-sq-ft facility displays ~29 Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars (1929 Springfield Phantom I to 1989 Silver Spirit), plus a research library and technical garage.

Independent nonprofit dedicated to preservation of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars, housing about a dozen vehicles plus a research library.

Privately owned museum on Route 66 in Santa Rosa with 30+ restored classic cars, street rods, and motorcycles, run by restorer James "Bozo" Cordova.

Privately owned collection of 75+ vehicles from the early 1900s through the 1990s in Springfield, started by Guy Mace in 1990.

Free vintage car museum inside a Route 66 truck stop near the Texas border (Glenrio/Endee area), built from founders Emory and Barbara Russell's personal collection.

Large private collection (hundreds of vehicles) assembled by DFW auto dealer Sam Pack, focused on classic American cars, muscle cars, and rare Fords, spread across several private facilities.

A 17,000-sq-ft museum in Balboa Park displaying 75+ cars and motorcycles through a permanent collection plus rotating themed exhibits, from brass-era and classic cars to a strong motorcycle collection.