I did see several concepts that I had not before seen and the quality of the production cars on display was unbeatable and as good as a best of show at any concourse.

Sit back and enjoy this Episode of Legendary Collector Cars TV.

We are always trying a new way to bring our stories to you in the best way we can. Today marks the beginning of Legendary Collector Cars TV. These will not be every day or even every Post but they will provide you with more video and audio of the cars and activities that we want you to know about.

Following up on our previous Post telling you about our visit to the GM Heritage collection we decided to show you the difference between the old format we just posted prior to this Post and the new format we call Legendary Collector Cars TV. We ensure you that these will improve as we get use to the new equipment and format. Let us know how you like it. Is it better than the old style? How can we improve it? What would you like to see us do next?

We all have “Bucket Lists” of all those things we want to do or accomplish before we die. Some are momentous and will likely never be achieved while others are much less so but still very important to us. One such item on my Bucket List was to visit the GM Heritage collection. It is not a museum in the way that the public can visit. It is GM’s special place to keep and protect some of its more historical vehicles. It is also a building in an industrial part that lucky individuals like Katrina and I are ever allowed to visit.

On a dreary Saturday in March we were permitted to join a few select auto enthusiasts on a doors are open tour of the GM Heritage Collection and I was able to make another check mark on my Bucket List.

Below are a very few of the select photos from that visit. I will be bringing you many more over the upcoming weeks with focus on some of my favorite cars in the collection. Several great videos will also help tell the story.

In way of summary let me say that if you are ever given the opportunity to make a visit to the GM Heritage collection most certainly do so. Even if GM is not your preferred brand of transportation you will leave with a much improved perspective of GM and the historical contributions it has made. Competition breeds improvement.

I more than once was standing next to what looked like another production car but for some reason he didn’t seem quite like I remembered it. In every such situation, I was standing next to an late prototype of the production car. It was very interesting to see the minor changes that were made in the cars just prior to the final design getting approval for production.

Today, we will start with the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn

Michigan. I want to start by thanking Carrie Nolan Media Relations Manager for setting up or tour of this very special collection. It is more than a collection of cars it is a fantastic museum with some extremely rare and valuable items. Although our purpose was to study the cars; and even though we were blown away by the collection of cars, we found ourselves overwhelmed by the entire museum and spent the entire day there!

Today’s post will provide you with insight as to what the car portion of the museum is all about. In future posts we will show you highlights of the entire Henry Ford Museum and more. When we left the Ford complex we had a renewed respect for the Ford Motor Company and saw first hand examples of why Ford was able to survive without Government bailouts. A business model that can put this kind of complex together has the vision, talent and community interest to succeed.

The biggest surprise when entering the automobile portion of the Henry Ford Museum is the selection of cars. My first thought was that the museum will be filled with historic and significant Fords. After all, there is no shortage of Ford cars important to the history of the automobile! There are such cars in the Museum but there are also may other makes in the Museum ranging from Chevys to a Rambler, to a Bugatti and Presidential Limos.

No matter what your taste in cars or mode of transportation you will likely find at least one item on display that will take your breath away and make you just stand there, think back to another time and remember some special moment. I had many such moments as we walked through the collection.

There was the Nash Rambler convertible that was just like my sister’s first car; the Le Mans winning Mark IV; the VW Camper and vintage Holiday Inn room, maybe the most moving was the actual bus that Rosa Parks road on during the civil rights movement. You can even sit in the very same seat (in the front of the bus) that she went to jail for sitting in.

There are many more highlights of this visit that I will bring to you in future posts.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did putting it together.

I was a happy camper trying to decide which Yenko was best!

Private car collections are often the most fascinating and the most difficult to visit. Friend Andy Snetselaar arranged for me to visit him at his “best job” in the car world. He is the curator of the Albaugh Collection in Ankeny, Iowa. I can not tell you were but is a beautiful location but NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC other than one day a year. If you want to know more about this special day visit the Albaugh Classic web site.

I am a muscle car kind of guy but this was beautiful!

For more complete coverage of our visit go to our Museum Page dedicated to this wonderful Private Collection.

Here are just a few teaser photos of our visit.

Before there was a Corvette in 1953 there was the GM Motorama show that toured the Country. It was full of the most beautiful Dream Cars ever collected. In 1954 it included concept sports cars from each of the GM brands, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, and this one from Oldsmobile. Each was similar in format to the newly released Corvette but each brand’s concept was unique in its design.

While the 1953 and 1954 production Corvettes had a 6-cylinder engine with a 2-speed “Powerglide” transmission and no side windows only curtains, this concept from Oldsmobile was a sports car with a V-8 and power windows.

This 1954 concept Oldsmobile Rocket F88 is the only one in existence. You may remember this car from the Scottsdale Barrett/Jackson Auction when it sold for over 3 million dollars.

For decades no one cared about this car, it was simply a collection of parts stuffed into wooden crates. It was rediscovered and restored to better than new condition. In 1954 the F-88 was one of only two F-88 concepts built. There is a rumor of a possible third car but that has not been confirmed and this is the only one known to still exist. Today the car is back on display as “the feature car” of the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum in Colorado.

Here are some of the other cars from the GM Motorama.

We will move another car into the Spoiler’s spot but it won’t be the same. We have owned the car for over seven years and it has become a solid part of our family.

Again, like when you drop the kids off somewhere for an extended stay you take photos to remember them by. Well, we did the same and we also took some photos of its new roommates. We have attached the photos of our Dan Gurney Spoiler II in its new temporary home and have also updated some photos of the other cars in the Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum. You can find these new photos on our updated site of a previous visit to the Muscle Car Museum by clicking here.

Here are the new reproduction Good Year F 70 x 14 belted Polyglas Collector Car tires.

We are getting ready to take our 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II Dan Gurney Special over to the Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum for a year’s rest in his museum. The car is all original/unrestored and we drive it little because as they say “it is only original once.” The car is a fabulous driver and Katrina and I both love to drive it but we need to limit it to special occasions and it is time for others to see it more.

These are the BF Goodrich 225×60 14 radials that are used on most street Muscle Cars.

We wanted to make the Spoiler II look its best for the Museum and decided to remove the BF Goodrich radials on the car and replace them with some authentic Good Year Polyglas collector car tires. We ordered up five tires including one for the trunk. You can too from our Online Store.

These are the Collector Car Good Year belted Polyglas tires that take the car back to the authentic 1969 look.

These are the correct tire for early 1969 without the white letter tire size on the sidewall. We prefer the BFG radial tires for driving and have been using them almost exclusively on our older cars. However, when it comes to making these old muscle cars look, and drive, like they did back in the day you have to go with the Belted Polyglas tires. Since they are both white letter you might think they would give the car the same appearance but the construction and sidewall of the two tires are totally different.

Here again are the BF Goodrich radials.

The modern day radial has a flatter and more vertical sidewall where as the old school belted Good Year has the rounded sidewall and smaller white letters. We think these tires really take the Spoiler II back in time and make it just right for the museum.

I have included some photos of the car with both sets of tire, what do you think? I can tell you the difference is even greater in person than in the photos.

If your pride and joy doesn’t look just right with those big radials, try a set of the correct size white letter or even white wall for your ride and see how much more authentic it will look. I have noticed at most of the car shows lately that the cars that draw the attention are the ones with the right DETAILS and nothing says detail like the right tires.

We won’t have a tire for everyone but we invite you to check out our Online Store for an application that meets your needs JUST CLICK HERE.

Our friend Tony Allers is mentioned at length for his role in bringing the Fiero back to life and gaining recognition for Smokey’s genius on this vehicle. We also now know that Ralph Johnson worked closely with Smokey on this invention and was actually the man who brought the original concept to life back in the early 50s.

If you car about engines, fuel mileage, political and big business intrigue you owe it to yourself to pick up this issue of Hot Rod and read the article on Smokey. Then go to our page and read the original Hot Rod article plus all of the new info supplied by Tony and some of our readers.

Cool Stuff!

We have also provided the address, hours and days of the week the museum is open as of the date of this post.

If you are anywhere near Alex City make sure you take a couple of hours to visit this museum, we have and it is one of the best to be found.

The time you need to visit these museums is like most others. You can make a quick walk through and see everything quickly in an hour or so. However, if you want to get the full impact of what is in these buildings and read all the data that is available then plan on a full day to study the cars and read all the signs! Unless your wife and kids are into drag racing or fast cars you best leave them at the motel pool side and enjoy yourself and Don’s place!

Muscle Car TV will be broadcasting their visit to the Wellborn Muscle Car Museum in Alexander City, Alabama on May 22, 2010. We don’t make it a habit of telling you what is on TV but this is an exception. Tim and Pam Wellborn are friends and they have an outstanding collection of cars as well as one of the best Muscle Car Museums in the Country.

These two are diehard MOPAR/Charger folks but they own some of the other brands as well. You can rest assured what ever they own it is first class.

We had an opportunity to visit the museum prior to its opening and if the TV coverage is as good as the museum this will be one you will want to record and show your car guy buddies.

You will have to have cable or satellite TV to get Spike and Muscle Car TV so if you don’t already have it hooked up there is still time!

He has brought all but a couple of his famous Swap Rats into the museum as well as cars from many of his friends, competitors and others. The displays are not limited to the cars. There are trophies, memorabilia, racing engines, cut-a-way engines, and just about anything you can imagine right down to blown pistons!

If you want to see more photos of the cars in this museum and more about our tour, Click Here.

If you are a real Don Garlits fan then you will also want to listen to the audio from a part of an interview with Big Daddy. It is fun!

Although Tim Wellborn has a special passion for MOPARs he and wife Pam have a beautiful collection of muscle cars from all manufacturers.

This collector has one of every Chevrolet Convertible ever built up to 1975. If you want to see more, CLICK HERE.

We try to check out car museums when ever and where ever we find them. The smaller ones are often little more than a few poorly restored oddball cars displayed in a dusty environment. When we visit the bigger and better venues it is a real treat.

A new museum will be opening after January 1, 2010 in Alexander City, Alabama. It is the Wellborn Muscle Car Museum and we had an opportunity to get a preview while we were attending the 40th Anniversary of the NASCAR Aero Car Reunion at the Talladega Speedway put on by the Daytona Superbird Auto Club.

I have to honestly say this is one of the best museums I have ever visited. My feelings may have something to do with my preference for muscle cars or the fact that we were already having a wonderful time at the Reunion. Regardless, the Wellborns have hit a home run with their Museum.

It is almost like a 1969-70 time capsule. The Wellborns started with an old Chevrolet dealership and converted it into a wonderful museum. It is chucked full of expertly restored muscle cars (not all Dodges and Plymouths but that is where the emphasis was for this weekend). They have also included a wealth of auto related neon signs and memorabilia. The mind blower is the Parts Room that is full of NOS parts from “back in the day”.

If you are ever close to Talladega, Alabama make sure you detour over to Alexander City to see this wonderful automotive experience. Until then Click Here and see our tour!

If you prefer to take a quick video tour you can click on the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When Tim and Pam Wellborn invite car folks over for a visit they know how to do it right! During the 2009 Aero Car Reunion these Mopar collectors made even us humble Ford collectors feel special. The Wellborn Estate, known as Russwood, is a treasure in its own right but when you add some of Tim and Pam’s cars along with all the visiting Aero Cars it is truly a place like no other.

We started early in the afternoon and went well into the evening for our first day of the Reunion. There were wonderful cars parked all over the grounds of Russwood as well as the multiple garages of cars belonging to the Wellborns. There was a tour of their home, the garages, freedom to explore the acres of landscape and a constant flow of arriving Aero Car owners and their wonderful machines. If you would like to see more on this day’s events just Click Here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Floyd Garrett is a well known and respected muscle car expert with a fondness for the Chevrolet. However, that has not stopped him from putting together a well rounded collection of all the major brands. With the help of many muscle car collectors he has assembled a magnificent representation of the muscle car.

The collection isn’t limited to just muscle cars but that is certainly were the emphasis is. He also has some high quality race cars, a few classics and even a moonshine runner from the hills of TN.

In fact, Katrina and I got a big kick out of the photo above. It was taken September 31, 1950 somewhere in the hills of Rutherford County in Tennessee. It just so happens our home is located in Rutherford County and we were visiting the Museum on September 31, 2009, 59 years to the day later! When I get time I think I will walk back into the woods behind the house and see if there might be an old still out there.

We really enjoyed the Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum and even visited it twice in one week and spent more time looking the cars over the second time than we did the first. If you want to see some of our favorite photos from out visit simply, CLICK HERE to go to our web page review of the Museum.

There are more than 100 vehicles, six of which have won the top award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and unprecedented six times. This is truly a fabulous collection and you can’t miss the restored steam locomotive and private rail car.

In addition to the Nethercutt Collection there is San Sylmar which will take your breath away. It contains an additional 250 vehicles plus “floors” of mechanical musical instruments and huge pipe organs. During the private tours of this collection attendees even get a sample concert from these musical treasures.

Both collections are located in Sylmar, California across the street from each other. The Nethercutt Collection is free and open to the public, check their web site for hours. San Sylmar is also free but only available by appointment and private tour, again check their web site.

We have visited this collection and are still blown away with each visit. To see photos from our most recent tour visit our Museum page. We have provided three complete pages to this wonderful facility.

For a sample of the mechanical musical instruments click on the audio below. Listen for he nickel to go into the coin slot and then the mechanical machine begins to play the violin and more!

I have recently visited a number of museums and private car collections and the thought crossed my mind; “If I had the money what would I buy?” It is a very difficult answer because so much depends on how much money you have and what you want to do with the cars. We all have different levels of financial resources and like different cars. Some of us want to drive them others just want to look at them and still others aren’t happy unless they are working on them.

For sometime now there have been Fantasy Pro Sports, Fantasy NASCAR etc. I think it is time for some Fantasy Car Collecting!

So here is the deal. Pretend you have $500,000 dollars from a good pull on a slot machine in Vegas. The taxes are paid and you have a terrific spouse that says buy cars with it. We are also going to assume that you have a place to store them, insurance is not an issue and you can afford the gas.

There are only a couple of rules just to keep it fun. First, you have to buy at least 5 cars and no more than 10. None of the cars can be newer than 1972. You pick the cars and you set the prices, they have to be reasonable but it is understood condition and options make a difference.

Make your list and email them to me at Richard@LegendaryCollectorCars.com. I will post the best ones. I will also try to keep track of the particular cars that are selected most often. If possible I will try to create a list of the readers Top Ten Collector Cars. There is nothing to win just a chance to have some fun and share your ideas with other readers of Legendary Collector Cars blogs. Who knows maybe we can start a Fantasy Used Collector Car Lot on the web and start swapping, buying and selling virtual collector cars!

If you are having trouble getting started, I will kick it off with my own top 10 collector cars for $500,000. My list is based on variety, favorite cars and a desire to have at least one example from every decade from the 1930′s to the 1970′s. The list is in no particular order other than how they popped into my head.

Top Ten Collector Cars for $500,000 By Legendary Collector Cars:

1.  1932 Ford three window, full fender hot rod (California Kid Style); $50,000.

2.  1940 Ford Coupe hot rod, old school hot rod, dropped axel, black with red wheels and chrome centers with trim rings and a hot flat head; $45,000.

3.  1957 Corvette, all original with turquoise and white coves, 4 speed; $75,000.

4.  1967 Mustang Fastback, mild restomod, looks like a GT 350 in black with gold stripes, $40,000.

5. 1970 Z28 Camaro, all stock in Hugger Orange with white stripes and 4 speed, $40,000.

6.  1953 Studebaker coupe, restomod powered by Corvette and painted burgundy, $35,000.

7.  1970 AAR Cuda, all original and painted in yellow, $75,000.

8.  1964 Pontiac GTO tri-power, all original, 4 speed, black, $65,000.

9.  1969 Ford Talladega, the big 428 CJ in Maroon, $55,000.

10.  1936 Ford original dirt track race car converted to street legal use, $20,000.

Total $500,000

Have you ever wished you could visit some of the private collections of the rich and famous? I know it is a dream for many of us to see Jay Leno’s fabulous collection of cars but there are many more collections that are also worth seeing. Often these are tucked away in far distant locations or may be right under our noses and we have never heard about them. Today we are going to show you one of those collections that you may not have known about and likely have never seen.

We recently visited the Alan Jackson (Country Music Star of Stars) private collection and it was a visit to remember. Alan’s is not one of the biggest collections you will ever see but it is of very high quality. If you aren’t into cars you can also see some of Alan’s music awards, trophies, mementos, fishing trophies, and his private desk as well as much much more. If that isn’t enough just having an opportunity to visit his massive estate is a major treat in itself.

Thanks to the wonderful hospitality of the Alan Jackson family, the efforts of Gary Haneberg and the great Battlefield Antique Auto Club Association (AACA) of Franklin, Tennessee a lucky few members of the Club got the pleasure of touring this wonderful collection. We have posted a large number of photos of our tour that we want to share with you and hope you will enjoy.

To see the complete tour Click Here.