New building or add expansion?

I love discovering new automotive museums. Sometimes, it is a museum that has been around, but it took me a while to find it. Sometimes, it is a brand-new museum.

However, what I love most is discovering automotive museums growing. I am living proof that just about anyone can start a “car museum.” I was a 33-year-old with a car I inherited and a vision, nothing else. No car collection, or any collection of any kind.

There was no money to buy or build anything. I did have design resources, though, thanks to my wife Torie, and a small building I could use because the owner liked my concept. I spewed out a bunch of hypothetical ideas while walking around his old dealership. I did not know the guy, and I had never been to the town the building was in, but apparently, he liked what he heard.

Imagine how easy it would be to open a car museum if you already had a small collection. Perhaps you already own a warehouse where the cars are being stored. It wouldn’t take much more to open a car museum, just a little bit of paperwork.

The easy part stops after the initial creation. I will admit there are plenty of “car museums” out there, that are pretty much just private collections that you may be able to visit.

There is nothing particularly wrong with these types of museums, but they are also the most likely to disappear after they pass away. They also aren’t usually too concerned with any of the normal issues other museums face.

Most museums struggle in one way or another. Sometimes it’s financial, sometimes it’s with staffing (lack of), and almost always with space. I’ll admit, Miles Through Time Automotive Museum struggles with all three.

When I get to see a museum grow, it means they are doing something right. I got to visit the Tucson Auto Museum on one of my cross-country trips last year. It was a great little museum jam-packed with cars and memorabilia. 

Tucson Auto Museum is in the process of getting its new location ready to move into, and it’s much larger.  The new location is exactly what the museum needs to continue its path of success.

The Haas Moto Museum is another museum that has been able to prosper by moving the museum to its new location. There are over 230 motorcycles on display in this museum and they are all beautiful.

The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum has a beautiful collection. Not only the brass-era cars but also the period-correct clothing. This museum is partnering with the Pioneer Air Museum, which will allow a new 90,000-square-foot exhibition space. You can learn more about this project HERE.

 My bonus mention this week is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. This museum makeover is exciting and extremely impressive. The approximate cost of the re-imagination is $89 million. $15 million will give the museum a state-of-the-art restoration facility and $10 million will be earmarked for an endowment to allow the museum to acquire additional artifacts.

I also have to mention the American Museum of Speed with its 90,000-square-foot expansion. I tried to go through this museum as fast as I could because of the limited time I had, and it still took me over an hour. You could spend a long time at this museum already. It’s amazing, and another 90,000 square feet is mind-boggling.

Since 2017, when I created Miles Through Time Automotive Museum, I’ve moved it once, which was also an expansion, and then expanded two more times since then.

Within the next 3 years, I’ve got to find a way to move the museum one more time. If there was a building large enough, that would be great, but most likely we would have to build it.

Creating a car museum was easy. Keeping it open, profitable, and enjoyable for visitors, is anything but easy. Any of these museums that have been able to not only remain open, preserving and sharing automotive history but actively growing and prospering, deserves kudos.

I’m still learning and apparently have a lot to learn. While I don’t see an $89 million dollar budget in the museum’s immediate future, perhaps there will be a way to raise a few million dollars to be able to purchase land and build a simple metal structure. 

After all, from day one, Miles Through Time was not a complete museum; I just called it one, with my loan car on display. I envision Miles Through Time constantly being improved and added to even after we find a way to build a forever home.  There is always something we can do to improve the visitors’ experience and create a better environment to be caretakers of automotive history.

If you ever want to get involved with helping Miles Through Time, you can reach out to me via email or at the museum. We also accept donations online HERE or by check.

Miles Through Time Automotive Museum is just one of many, so I encourage you to go out and discover your own favorites. I am, of course, biased towards the museum I founded, but it would not be what it is today without all the different people choosing to get involved. 

Have a great week!

SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S 3 AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUMS.

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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