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!

Technorati Tags: fiero, Hot Rod magazine, hot vapor engine, smokey yunick, Tony Allers

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.

Technorati Tags: Alabama, alexander city, Dodge Charger, Tim and Pam Wellaborn, wellborn muscle car museum

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!

Technorati Tags: antique car museum, Don Garlits, drag racing, Ocala Florida

Spike TV’s 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!

Technorati Tags: Alabama, alexander city, mopar, Muscle Car TV, wellborn muscle car museum

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.

Technorati Tags: Muscle Car TV, welborn muscle car museum, wellborn muscle car museum

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

Technorati Tags: ankeny, car collector, chevrolet convertibles, iowa

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.

Technorati Tags: aero car, challenger, charger, cuda, Dodge Daytona, hemi, NASCAR, pluyouth superbird, wellborn muscle car museum

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.

Technorati Tags: Charger 500, Dodge Daytona, ford talladega, mercury cycone, plymouth superbird, Road Runner, russwood, Spoiler, tim wellborn

Click here to view the embedded video.

Technorati Tags: Floyd Garrett, muscle car, museum

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.

Technorati Tags: Floyd Garrett, Moonshine, Muscle Car Museum, Rutherford County, Still

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!

Technorati Tags: Nethercutt Collection, Pebble Beach concours winner, San Sylmar

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

Technorati Tags: collector cars, Fantasy Car Collecting, hot rod, muscle car, Top Ten

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.

Technorati Tags: Alan Jackson, car collection, country music, muscle cars, tour

What’s better than a COPO?

Now, if you were really cool in 1969 a regular COPO wasn’t enough, you wanted a Yenko Camaro with the big 427. Bright yellow with black stripes would be a good choice of color. Then what did you do? You tweeked it, you wrenched on it some more and then went to the drag strip.

Here is the ultimate in street legal Camaro. It is a 427 Yenko Dragster with Cliff Ernst name on the side. Sit back turn up the speakers on your computer and listen to this special Chevy sing to you.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Technorati Tags: 427, camaro, cliff ernst, dragster, muscle car, Yenko

Cliff started his collection when he was disenchanted with eth amount he was offered as a trade-in on his 1973 Corvette, so he kept it. He now has 40-50 cars, specializin in Yenko Camaros. He also has 1955-57 Thunderbirds, Super Duty Pontiacs, Shelby Mustangs and even a 1932 V12 Packard.

It is housed in a very nice building where he also has fulltime employees busy restoring his next car, a 1969 Pontiac Trans Am.

We currently have photos of the collection posted on our site’s Museum Page, just Click Here.

In the very near future we will be posting videos of many of these cars being fired up and shaking the building with their wonderful sounds.

Technorati Tags: cliff ernst, cobra jet, don nicholson mustang, ruxton, Yenko Camaro, yenko nova

The Riverside International Automotive Museum just recently opened in Riverside, CA. It is located deep in an industrial park but hopes to soon move to its own building near the site of the old Riverside International Raceway.

I had my expectations up for what I might find at the museum and I was somewhat disappointed. There are a number of impressive race cars on display and some old track memorabilia but not enough to get the heart pumping. Museum Director Bruce Ward (no relation to Roger) was extremely pleasant and even escorted me through the collection pointing out many unique historical facts about the more significant cars.

There was a notable shortage of vehicles that would have raced at the famous road course. There was not one single old NASCAR or GTP car present and only a very small number of sorts cars. I hope as the museum grows these valuable assets will be found and placed into the collection.

There is a good representation of Indy Cars, especially from local hero Dan Gurney and his All American Eagle race cars but, to my knowledge, there was never an Indy Car race at Riverside.

This is the layout for the first sports car race held at the March Air Force Base in 1953.

Entry and gift shop at the museum.

Corvette race car.

There are a lot of cars in a little space.

For the real Riverside International Raceway fan this will be a little bit of a disappointment but it is a museum with a bright future. I hope when it reaches its final home there will be more photos of the old raceway, a variety of vintage NASCAR and GTP cars on display and maybe even some of the off road vehicles that once raced there.

Will I go back? Yes, I believe in a few years this museum could well be on the must do list but for now it is just a disjointed collection of interesting cars.

To read more about the Riverside International Raceway Museum and to see many more photos Click Here.

Technorati Tags: AAR, All American Racers, corvette, Dan Gurney, GTP, Indy Cars, Lotus, Maserati, NASCAR, Race Car, Riverside International Raceway, scca, Turn 6

The Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum is about only one kind of car, the Packard. It has the biggest collection of Packards and Packard memorabilia in the World according to staff at the museum.

When we walked in we were impressed but once we started walking around and discovered there were multiple rooms of cars we were ready to settle in for a long tour. We spent two hours at the facility and could easily have spent twice that.

In its day the Packard was the American Rolls Royce and was the car you had to have if you were a “somebody” in America. It didn’t matter if you were a Hollywood Movie Star or a President, if it was prior to WWII you wanted a Packard.The following are but a few of the fantastic vehicles on display at the Packard Antique Car Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. If you are ever in that part of the Country and have had enough beach time drive over to the museum and see the treasures they have for you.

In the meantime simply Click Here and visit our Museum Tour page.

Technorati Tags: antique car, car museum, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywookd Movie Star, memorabilia, museum, Packard, President

Trophy girls make you smile. In the 50s and 60s is was all about fast cars and beautiful women. (Or was it beautiful cars and fast women?) The photo above is the most famous of them all; Linda Vaughan. She was Hurst Golden Girl/Miss Hurst. She is still around today and has held up well.

If you like what you see here you should visit our Trophy Girl page and see lots more like this. You will recognize some familiar faces, cars and other things.

Click on the photo below to visit our Trophy Girl page.

Technorati Tags: drafsters, girls, race cars, racers, show cars, trophy girls, winners

Last winter Katrina and I decided to go On Tour for a day in the ZO6. It is an easy 4 hour cruise from our home to the Talladega Speedway . We jumped on the interstate, set the cruise control and a way we went. It was a warm Southern December day but overcast. We had heard of the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame but did not know what to expect. The travel guides we have research suggested we should allocate an hour for the tour. We spent four hours there! It was so much more than we had expected. There is even a library there which is a must see and if you are lucky Miss Betty Carlan, the Research Librarian the the First Lady of NASCAR, will be there to fill you with terrific stories of Back in the Day. We heard stories of the late great Dale Earnhardt, JR, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and the stories went on.

The cars on display were like a walk down memory lane. Go to our On Tour page for a full photo recap. You might also enjoy looking at our photo coverage of the Indy Car Museum in Indianapolis, if so Click Here. Another great Museum is the NHRA Museum in Pomona, CA, Click Here.

Technorati Tags: blog, car, Cars, Earnhardt, NASCAR, Pearson, Talladega Motor Sports Hall of Fame, Talladega Speedway, Yarborough

If you are any where near Bowling Green and you are a car guy or gal you have to visit the holly ground of the Corvette Museum. We are outside Nashville and it is a short hour and a half away. I recently jumped into the ZO6 and buzzed up the Interstate for another visit.

I always get goose bumps when I enter the displays. Memories flood my brain. Suddenly it is the mid-sixties and there is a visions in my brain. There is the straight axle Corvette fishtailing away from a stop light in Ottumwa, Iowa; the Route 66 TV series with Todd and Buzz begins to play; there is a memory of my first Corvette and my buddies cruising through the campus at Iowa State University on a spring day (3 guys in a Corvette, try that sometime); there is an image of a friend going full speed into a guard rail at a 1/4 asphalt track in Omaha during a Club event; there is winning an ISCA first place award for my 63 Split Window and there are lots of smiles tied to taking my kids for rides when they were little.

As you stroll through the Museum I am sure you will also have happy flash backs of Corvettes even if you have never owned or driven one. They are an American automotive icon. The Corvette is America’s Sports Car but it is so much more to many of us; it is a symbol of American pride, American attitude and American success.

If you want to see more on my tour of the Museum including the video go to the On Tour page.

Technorati Tags: blog, car, Cars, corvette, Corvette Museum, Route 66

WE HAVE THE PHOTOS

When we go on tour it is usually to a museum or an event. This time it was quite different but very exciting. We went to the So-Cal Speed Shop headquarters and took a tour of the shop. It is wonderful to see old cars and see history in a museum but to see it in the shop were history is being created is very exciting. Not only did we get to see new cars under construction we got to see one of the hobby’s most recognizable stars in the all natural!

If you want to see more on that car, the Belly Tanker, you will need to check out our Feature Car page. You can see more images from the So-Cal Speed Shop by going to our On Tour page.

I have to thank the guys at So-Cal for being so generous as to open their work place up for tours. If you are like me, going to a body shop or speed shop is almost like going to the movies; its entertainment for me. Luckily, the guys at So-Cal realize they are special; they have made history and they are making history. Having the opportunity to see the inside of their business was a real thrill.

The good new, I am no one special you can also enjoy this privilege. Go to their headquarters in Pomona, CA; twice a day and take a tour and its free!

Check out their web site for hours and address.

Click here to visit So-Cal Speed Shop web site.

Technorati Tags: Belly Tanker, blog, car, Cars, Pomona CA, So-Cal Speed Shop

Katrina and I visited with the thought that this was going to be a little boring looking at all these silly little cars but truth be told we had a blast and will go back. Honestly, I do get a little tired looking at GTOs, Road Runners, Camaros, and Mustangs. You won’t find any of that here but if you really are into cars you will love the eclectic mix of European vehicles on display at this museum.

This is just a little too strange for me! It is about as small as you can go. Could you imagine a freeway full of these things in rush hour traffic? I do have a question for the designer though. Where are the headlights and brake-lights suppose to go? Would you need a seat-belt and shoulder strap in this? The Feds would have a nightmare trying to regulate this into production.

Now I remember these. My buddies and I use to pick one like this up and set it in front of the door at the bowling alley. It belonged to my Dad’s Boss. Dang good thing he never figured out who kept doing that.

No longer able to take the wife and kids to the river for the weekend? Try this little combo out. Might have to leave the wife or the kids at home not sure they will all fit in the car at once. May be they ride in the boat.

This is a little larger than most but it is wind powered and you make your own wind! Don’t think you will need an air-conditioner in this car but you probably need a strap around the chin for your hat.

At the museum you will also find some race cars, some beautiful roadsters and lots more for more photos check out our On Tour page. If you go to the Museum you will even see one of the largest vehicles I have ever seen but I am not going to spoil it for you, go visit and see it for your self.

To see more from the Lane Motor Museum Click Here.

Technorati Tags: blog, camaro, car, Cars, European Cars, gas mileage, gto, Lane Motor Museum, Mustan, Road Runner, small cars

I just returned from a trip to Southern CA and a visit to the Wally Parks NHRA Museum. It reminds me that the best museum I ever saw is always the last one I visited! There are so many great ones out there and this is one of the must sees. It is small but very rewarding.

I will share a few of my photos on this page but you can see many more on the ON TOUR page.

There were two highlights of the visit for me and neither one were dragsters. The first, as you enter the main entrance was there in all its glory; the Ala Kart by George Barris. This has always been one of my very favorite hot rods and I think an icon of the early years of the hobby. It is absolutely beautiful and way ahead of its time.

It was actually only the first time I have ever seen it in person. When I was a little kid I studied pictures of it in all the car mags back in the day and memorized every curve but this was the first time to ever see it in person and it was better than the pictures.

It was like meeting a movie star or a race hero. I wanted to ask the car for an autograph or maybe a tire track print. George and his brother Sam were prolific in their creations but the Ala Kart is arguably the pinnacle.

The second highlight is rather sexist but were the photos of Linda Vaughn, Miss Hurst Golden Shifter from the good old days. She remains a striking woman even today but back in the 60’s she was a knock out and the dream of every teenage boy that ever saw her. She was beautiful, sexy and loved cars! What more could any red blooded American boy ever ask for?

The few photos of her from back then brought back of surge of fond if not suggestive memories.

Put this museum on your list. I have been there a number of times and have never been disappointed. It is located at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona, California in the same complex as the drag strip.

Technorati Tags: Ala Kart, dragster, George Barris, Linda Vaughn, Miss Hurst Golden Shifter, NHRA Museum, Pomona, Sam Barris