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California Automobile Museum (1987–present)
California Automobile Museum (1987–present)
Former names	Towe Ford Museum (1987–1997), Towe Auto Museum (1997–2008)
General information
Status	Operational
Type	Museum
Architectural style	Warehouse
Address	2200 Front Street
Town or city	Sacramento, CA 95818-1106
Country	United States of America
Coordinates	38°34′13″N 121°30′42″W / 38.5703872°N 121.5117473°W
Current tenants	California Automobile Museum
Groundbreaking	June 1986
Completed	September 27, 1986
Opened	May 1, 1987; 37 years ago
Owner	California Vehicle Foundation
Technical details
Floor count	1
Floor area	72,000 square feet (6,700 m2)
Other information
Parking	Free
Website
	http://www.calautomuseum.org/

California Automobile Museum is an automobile museum located in Sacramento, California. It has a collection of over 150 classic cars, race cars, muscle cars and early models displayed throughout 72,000 square feet (6,700 m²) of museum space. The mission of the California Automobile Museum is to preserve, exhibit, and teach the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives.^[2]

History

The California Automobile Museum was the first automobile museum in the west to be established in perpetuity.^[3] Founded in 1983 as the California Vehicle Foundation, the museum opened to the public in 1987 as the Towe Ford Museum, displaying the largest collection of Fords in the world, courtesy of Edward Towe, a Montana banker.^[4] Karen McClaflin is the executive director of the museum.^[5]

The first car to be donated to the California Automobile Museum was a restored 1938 Buick sedan, a gift from John Joyce, president of the Golden One Credit Union, which is still on display at the museum.^[6] In 1997, the museum was renamed the Towe Auto Museum, as they began displaying vehicles of all makes and models. In 2009, the Board of Directors officially changed the name of the museum to the California Automobile Museum, reflecting the expanded mission it has grown into over the last 25 years.

Exhibits and attractions

Approximately 40% of the 150 vehicles are owned by the California Vehicle Foundation, while the remainder are on loan from private exhibitors. The cars on display represent a cross-section of cars driven in California over the last 120 years and are arranged in chronological order.^[7] In addition to the static displays, the museum also has "rolling exhibits" which change frequently and display specific types of automobiles like Japanese or micro cars. While the museum can be experienced alone, docents are available to offer personalized tours free of charge.

The museum also offers "Sunday Drives", an opportunity to receive a ride in a museum car free with admission every third Sunday of the month along with five cars to sit in on everyday basis.

Some of the notable cars on display include:

One of the 40 surviving 1997 General Motors EV1
A 1982 Porsche 911 SC Targa formerly owned by singer Linda Ronstadt
A 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000C CHP used in the “CHiPs” TV series
A 1974 Plymouth Satellite formerly owned by Gov. Jerry Brown
A 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 formerly owned by Road & Track editor Tony Hogg
The 1963 Shelby Cobra Replica used in the movie Ford v Ferrari
A 1956 Cadillac Eldorado formerly owned by actress Rita Hayworth
A 1951 Nash Rambler Convertible used by Marilyn Monroe to promote her movie "Monkey Business"
A 1940 Lincoln Town Car formerly owned by Henry Ford's wife Clara Ford
A 1933 Lincoln KB formerly owned by Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini
An 1896 Ford Quadricycle Replica
An 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen Replica
1909 Model T touring car

External links

Official Website

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "California Automobile Museum - History". California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
^ "About Us". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum.
^ "How the Museum Got Started". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
^ "Edward Towe attends Founders' Day at California Automobile Museum". Valley Community News. October 11, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
^ "California Automobile Museum". Retrieved December 10, 2021.
^ "First Donated Vehicle". HTML Document. California Automobile Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
^ "Permanent Collections: California Automobile Museum". California Automobile Museum. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.