Automobiles as we know them today came into existence around the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1914, the mass production of automobiles was perfected by Henry Ford, resulting in cars becoming commonplace throughout the United States. Today, there are around 600 million passenger cars worldwide, which roughly equals one car per eleven people. And that number doesn’t include all the trucks and non-passenger cars being used throughout the world!
That is just an incredibly brief summary of the history of cars. If you’d like to learn more about cars, you should visit a car museum, where you can learn all about the history, manufacturing, culture and technology of cars. Here are five great car museums that are located in the United States…
1- Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum is located on Museum Row in the heart of Los Angeles, California. This museum is devoted to the exploration and preservation of the automobile and its cultural impact on America. There are more than 300,000 square feet of exhibits and dioramas to wander through, with over 150 cars, trucks and motorcycles on display. Permanent exhibits in the museum include the Hollywood Gallery: Cars of Film and Television, The Streetscape: The car and the City in Southern California, Alternative Power and the Hot Wheels Hall of Fame.
2 – Forney Museum of Transportation
Located in Denver, Colorado, the Forney Museum of Transportation specializes in anything that has wheels. Some of the fantastic classic and vintage cars to be found in this museum include Amelia Earhart’s Gold Bug Kisse, a 1934 Pierce-Arrow Limousine, a 1927 Rolls Royce, First Generation Classic Two-Seat Thunderbirds, and a 1923 Case Tractor.
3 – Saratoga Automobile Museum
This Saratoga Springs, New York museum’s mission is to preserve, interpret, and exhibit automobiles and automotive artifacts. It showcases the technical, design, social and economic impacts of cars. There are plenty of events going on year round at this museum including events such as the Wine and Food & Fall Ferrari Festival, ATA British Motorfest, All Ford Show, Hemmings 5th Annual Sports and Exotic Show and SAM’s Halloween Car Show.
4 – The Auto Collections
The Auto Collections doubles as both a museum and a showroom. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Auto Collections features hundreds of classic cars. You can see cars that once belonged to the rich and famous, such as Johnny Carson’s 1939 Chrysler Royal Sedan and W.C. Fields’ 1938 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 Fleetwood Limousine. There are historic cars a la the 1957 Jaguar XKSS and the one-of-a-kind 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Mayfair Special Roadster, and the best from car manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce, Duesenberg, Mercedes-Benz, Pierce Arrow and Cadillac.
5 – Unser Racing Museum
The Unser Racing Museum in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico specializes in race cars and the world of racing. The museum covers the start of racing in the United States in places like Indianapolis and Pikes Peak and continues onto present day by exhibiting the latest in race technology and allowing visitors to experience a racing simulation. There are plenty of racing cars and memorabilia on display from throughout the decades.
About the author: Julie Rukavina writes for Car Rental Express, a great company that provides cheap car rentals in North America and other places around the world.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Petersen Automotive Museum.