What is the best type of automotive museum?

Automotive museums are unique, both in the museum world and from a traditional business standpoint. Having created an automotive museum myself, Miles Through Time Automotive Museum, I can attest that, from a business standpoint, a museum is a terrible “business idea.”

But therein lies the predicament. No stand-alone museum is a great business, but that is not why they exist. In most cases, museums are created out of philanthropy.

Wealthy people accumulate “stuff” over a lifetime and when they are near the end or reach the end, their “stuff” becomes a “collection.” These collections either become the beginning of a museum or are absorbed into a preexisting museum, which makes that museum better.

Art, furniture, rocks, vehicles, clothes, literature, houses, property, buildings, and anything collectible can one day become a collection at a museum. These collections usually make their way to the Smithsonian, Universities, or government-run museums, like city or county institutions.

There are obviously exceptions for everything, but the main reason most “collections” end up in already well-established and well-funded institutions is that it is easier than creating something new.

The ones that are able to contribute to the big art and history museums also help to diversify the collections, so visitors are able to see a wider variety of artifacts on display that otherwise may not have been able to share.

When it comes to vehicles, things get a little more loose. You don’t have to be a multimillionaire to have a collection of cars or memorabilia. In fact, some of the oldest and largest collections of automotive memorabilia are worth an exorbitant amount more than what was invested into the collection over a lifetime.

The automobile is also way more mainstream than, say, lunchboxes. An old large collection of lunchboxes could be neat, but it’s just not the same as vehicles that have been around for over 100 years and over one and half billion have been made.

Creating a “car museum” can be as easy or complicated as you want.  The easiest way to open a museum comes from already having a collection and just opening the doors to the public. 

Allow the public to view the automotive collection (open regular hours) and share the history of what is on display, and you’ve got yourself a museum. If you own everything, including the building, and don’t need to charge admission, all you have to do is open the doors.

However, if the museum needs more, more space, more staff, more signage, and more money, things begin to get much more complicated very quickly. Automotive museums have gotten clever over the years to help support the museum.

The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing utilizes the fame of the museum’s founder, Don Garlits, to help draw visitors to the museum. The museum also serves as the Drag Racing Hall of Fame, which incorporates more racers like Don to be a part of the museum.

The Automobile Gallery has an amazing collection on display in a contemporary setting. The atmosphere is so amazing that the museum is a fantastic option for a variety of events, and the museum has multiple event spaces to optimize the opportunity.

The Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History is a bit more traditional. The collection includes one of the largest Indian motorcycle collections in the world, plus automobiles from the early 19th century and a firearms collection. 

When you visit the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum, you are able to visit 5 different museums that are all a part of Springfield Museums. Rather than go it alone, Lyman and Merrie Wood become a part of something larger, and now you can spend the entire day going through all the history on display.

All of these automotive museums are unique and offer a taste of automotive history in their own way. I encourage you to learn more about what each museum offers and, hopefully, you have the opportunity to visit in person.

Have a great week!

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

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