One thing I’ve learned from creating my own “car museum” is that it doesn’t take long to run out of space. I started Miles Through Time Automotive Museum in 2017 with only one car I inherited from my grandpa.

The building I was given the opportunity to create the museum in, was about 7,500 square feet. Once you remove the square footage for the entrance, office, and lounge area, 7,500 wasn’t very big. I believe the most cars I was ever able to fit in the museum was about 30, and they were shoved in tight.

Within the first year of being open, I was able to pretty much fill the building with cars. Over the next two years, I struggled with space, until I was able to move to a larger location.

The move wasn’t what you’d expect. We didn’t move 30 cars to the new location and keep growing. We pretty much started over from scratch, but this time with about 7 cars. 

However, just like the first time, additional vehicles were added very quickly to the museum. Within months of opening the new location in May 2020 (not ideal), we had enough vehicles to make the museum look full.

Within 15 months, the opportunity presented itself to expand the museum again, and we desperately needed the extra space. The additional space didn’t quite double the size of the museum, but it was close.

By the time the new expansion was opened to the public (known as gallery 3), we had enough vehicles on display that it looked completely full. Another 15 months went by of gradually rearranging vehicles to fit more, and we expanded into gallery 4, which, again, almost doubled the size of the entire museum.

This was a big expansion that took a few months to fill in, but eventually it did and today, space is again a big issue. Despite being 4 times larger than when the museum first opened, we need more space. 

Hence, the reason we have grand plans for a much larger facility capable of housing the current collection with growth for more. You can see a glimpse into the vision HERE. Of course, nothing is possible without financial assistance at this point.

Miles Through Time Automotive Museum is not unique in this sense. I’m not actually aware of a museum that couldn’t use more space. The Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine is about the same size as Miles Through Time.

I’ve been able to visit this museum and meet Sydney, the man behind the museum. The museum is packed with beautiful cars, and I have no doubt that if there was more room, Sydney would be able to fill it.

Marconi Automotive Museum is another museum I’ve had the privilege of visiting. I did not get a chance to meet Dick Marconi, who passed away in 2024, but his son John is extremely passionate about continuing on the legacy.

They host a lot of charity events in this museum, which definitely dips into space for cars and they have some beautiful ones. John can tell you the story behind every single one of them, which is what I appreciate.

The Northeast Classic Car Museum is the largest car museum in the northeast. They have over 200 vehicles in an 89,000 square foot, repurposed factory building. I have not had the privilege of visiting this museum yet, but I would imagine, despite their size, they still have space issues.

There are a lot of additional expenses with getting big. Although it would be nice to just add on a new wing, most of the time it just isn’t practical. I suppose space constraints help balance out vehicles throughout all the museums. 

When a museum doesn’t have the room for vehicles anymore, it creates an opportunity for them to go to other museums, like Miles Through Time, or they go to auction to help fund other museum projects, which also allows the vehicles to go back into the public domain where, hopefully they will be used, shared and enjoyed.

In the end, we are just the temporary caretakers of everything. We will be long gone, and a new generation will step into the role of caretakers. Part of a museum’s job is ensuring those future caretakers exist. 

Car shows, cruise-ins, meet-ups, automotive TV shows, family, role models all play their part in ensuring future generations care.

Make sure your friends and family know about the Automotive Museum Guide so it is easy for them to find all of these important places to visit.

Plan your next trip, discover your new favorite, or find the nearest museum

 Sean Mathis
Creator of Automotive Museum Guide
Founder of Miles Through Time Automotive Museum

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