The Steering Column
From your Co-chairmen

Jim Evans'
Left Hand Drive

One of the sure signs of the advent of summer is the steady increase in the size of the “Antiques & Classics” classified ad column in the Sunday Chicago Tribune.
If you read this column weekly year around (as I do) you know that it’s size correlates closely with the daily hours of sunshine, reaching a minimum in late December/early January (possibly only 3 to 5 ads), when it then begins to expand, as does the increasing green foliage and daily hours of sunlight, throughout the spring and summer, when it then maxes out to about a full page column length.
Along with the increase in classified ads comes an increase in print space in the auto section of newspaper devoted to hobby car interests: articles on cruise nights, on auction activities, on weird cars, on restoration houses and on anyone else whose public relations agency is earning their fees. One topic often mentioned that gets my attention is a piece on a collector car museum here and there.
Summer is a time for out-of-town vacations, and a time when many of us are out-of-town and looking for something to do. If you are among those of us who have had the epiphany of realizing that you have seen enough jumping dolphins, covered wagon reenactments, and horseshoe making to last a lifetime, you might want to consider checking out local car museums in your vacation vicinity as an alternative to feigning interest in the aforementioned dolphins, etc.
There are a large number of car museums to be found across the country. Some are dedicated to a specific marque, or to a specific activity (i.e. racing) and others are quite generic. Some of these represent the collections of private owners who have found tax benefits in calling their collections “museums”, while others are bona fide public institutions sponsored by legitimate enthusiast organizations.
The biggest problem with these museums is that they are often hard to find and “off the radar” of most tourist guides. Many of these museums are very low key places, operated by enthusiasts who quietly welcome any kindred spirit who finds them; some are actually collector car dealerships looking to build traffic; some are simply tax dodges for a savvy owner who is indifferent to the level of visitation at his collection/museum but who must keep the doors open to keep the tax man at bay. A good place to check for nearby car museums is the literature rack in your local hotel. Alternatively, you can plan your museum visits ahead of time by working with published sources.
Once you’ve arrived at a car museum, you will probably be quite pleased with the display. Many of these museums also have period dioramas and other period collectibles to match the cars. Some have cars owned or used by historically famous people. Some have cars that you will recognize from movies or races. Some have unique, one off models. Some have examples of bizarre engineering and crazy styling.
All, in my opinion, are more interesting than dolphins jumping through hula hoops. Perhaps you will agree after your vacation this summer should you choose to visit a car museum as part of your itinerary.
Safety Fast!   Jim Evans
Note: A partial nationwide list of car museums will be available at the July meeting for any interested club members.