http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/ Latest blog entries from America's Car Museum en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:20:21 PDT Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:20:21 PDT LeMay - America's Car Museum CMS http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/2012-bank-kirkland-concours-delegance/ This 1933 Marmon V-16 Convertible Coupe owned by Aaron Weiss of San Marino, Calif. was named "Best of Show" at the 2012 U.S. Bank Kirkland Concours d'Elegance at LeMay - America's Car Museum (ACM) today. The event, which raises money for Seattle Children's Hospital, featured more than 120 cars, motorcycles and boats on the Haub Family Field at America's Car Museum. ... Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:02:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/americas-car-museum-gives-sneak/ LeMay America’s Car Museum (ACM) opened its doors Saturday night during a one-night only sneak peek for 650-plus partygoers at the “Hard Hat & High Heels” fundraiser, the first event to take place on the nine-acre Museum campus. ... Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:09:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/slice-history-on-auction-at/ Hard Hat & High Heels attendees will have the unique opportunity to bid on a painting of the gala’s “Guest of Honor,” a 1927 LaSalle. Tacoma artist Carolyn Burt’s painting of the Museum’s Mille Miglia conquering car will be one of many items and experiences on auction at the September 24th event. ... Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:31:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/cant-be-missed-events-on/ Two can’t-be-missed” events are on tap at America’s Car Museum… ... Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:03:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/students-an-eye-on-cars/ Since LeMay-America’s Car Museum’s collection spans over 100 years of automotive history, we offer unique opportunities to introduce students to various educational activities that are designed to enhance a student's experiences with this important part of our American heritage.  Education has been (and will always be) a key component to the museum's interests. During the summers of 2010 and 2011, the 'Coffee Cruise-in Open House', events held at our Fife headquarters, allowed members of the Fife High School Key Club to have a chance to participate as judges for something we call the “Favorite Three” pick of the morning. The goal is to expose the students to the sport of car collecting. ... Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:01:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/2011-event-series-hosted-traveling/ Whether you live in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, or the East Coast, LeMay - AMERICA’S CAR MUSEUM is actively hosting and attending events throughout the country - and now, the world! Here’s a sneak peak at the exciting events happening in 2011. Click here for more details on these and other events. ... Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:51:00 PST http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/teeny-tiny-productions-starting/ Starting from the Beginning…In 2009, Burt Richmond & Diane Fitzgerald, long-time residents of Chicago’s historic Old Town neighborhood and car enthusiasts, had their first exhibition of microcars and minicars.  In conjunction with the 60th Old Town Art Fair, which was just 2 blocks away, Diane and Burt displayed eight small cars (complete with information plaques) in front of their home and received an overwhelming response.  The small, fuel-efficient cars attracted so much attention that Diane and friends Rebecca Hoffman and Wendy Jarchow, decided to produce small car events - exhibitions and invitational car shows - to piggyback with Chicago's summer festival season – and Teeny Tiny Productions was born. ... Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:37:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/healey-rendezvous-2010/ Late June, early July saw the bucolic hamlet of Eugene, Oregon experience a British invasion… of the four-wheeled variety… and ACM (in the form of yours truly and wife Denise) was there to record it. Over two hundred Austin-Healey enthusiasts descended on the town as part of “Healey Rendezvous 2010.” Cars ranged from lovable little “Bugeye” Sprites to every iteration of the so-called “big Healey.” A large contingent of rare Nash Healeys also made the trip to Eugene. ... Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:33:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/groundbreaking-photos-news/ In case you missed the excitement from our June 10th Groundbreaking ceremony and celebration, you can view photo slideshows on our flickr page, from KIRO TV, feedtacoma.com and a LeMay Museum Volunteer, Russ Wilcoxson or you can catch up on news articles from New York Times blog, AutoWeek, The News Tribune and Cap Rate Advisor![photo via RenCrist Studios] ... Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:15:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/tres-petite-concours-an-exhibition/ First time-ever, free-to-the-public exhibits of vintage microcars and minicars in two historic neighborhoods: Old Town and along Armitage Avenue in Chicago, IL.CHICAGO, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tres Petite Concours: An Exhibition of Micro & Minicars is a display of small cars from Chicago collections "a museum on wheels" that seeks to enlighten and entertain, emphasizing compact size, fuel efficiency and curb appeal. The Tres Petite Concours presents 10-15 microcars and minicars circa 1950s & 1960s.  These are free, public events scheduled for two weekends this summer: along the 1700 block of North Sedgwick Street in Old Town during the 61 st Old Town Art Fair (June 12-13, 10am-6pm) and situated along the 900 block of West Armitage Avenue, in Chicago's Lincoln Park during the 12th Annual Armitage Sidewalk Sale and the 42nd Annual Sheffield Garden Walk & Festival (July 17-18, 11am-6pm). "I fully endorse The Tres Petite Concours," said Vi Daley, Alderman of the 43rd Ward where the exhibition will take place. "In addition to being a fun complement to   Chicago's summer festivals, the Concours will also enhance the appreciation of Chicago by presenting the charm of the neighborhood while supporting the local merchants." Microcars are passenger cars with 500cc or smaller engines and Minicars are 501cc to 999cc. Some of the cars that will be displayed include Citroen Deux Chevaux (2CV), BMW Isetta and Fiat Cinquecento, which is reminiscent of Luigi in the animated film Cars. These microcars delight people of all ages! LeMay - AMERICA'S CAR MUSEUM (Tacoma, WA) is presenting sponsor for The Tres Petite Concours Exhibitions.  CEO David Madeira characterized the importance of the relationship stating, "The Teeny Tiny Productions team's excellent reputation, expertise, enthusiast network and passion for the automobile make them a perfect partner for us".         Vintage Microcar Club (Evanston, IL) is promotional sponsor for The Tres Petite Concours Exhibitions, partnering with Teeny Tiny Productions and keeping small car enthusiasts in touch and informed. [via Teeny Tiny Productions]*      *      *About Teeny Tiny Productions, Producer of The Tres Petite Concours: Teeny Tiny Productions is a motorsports event planning company with extensive experience producing and hosting car and motorcycle events. The company is especially committed to the presentation and conservation of very small cars. ... Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:57:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/guest-blog-tacoma-wise-investment/ by John Finke, Regional Director for the National Development Council As you walk through Harold and Nancy LeMay’s extensive collection of classic and vintage automobiles, you are struck by the vastness of the collection and its contribution to American road history. While only a fraction of the collection is currently on display, one can’t help but recognize what a tremendous draw the world’s largest car collection will be once it is housed in a new facility. The National Development Council has partnered with the City of Tacoma in economic development efforts for more than 30 years.  When the City expressed its interest in assisting the Harold E. LeMay Car Museum, it was clear to us how important the transaction would be to Tacoma and to the entire Puget Sound region.  At a time of economic recession, the project will be a job generator – now and in the future. With the groundbreaking set for June 10, 2010, the project will immediately create 165 construction jobs.  Once the museum opens, it will employ a staff of 90 permanent full-time workers.   In addition to its employment impacts the museum is expected to become a major tourist attraction, drawing an estimated 500,000 visitors a year.NDC, working with the City of Tacoma, led the effort to structure the complex financial package that provided much of the $34 million necessary for the first phase of the project to break ground.  We brought New Market Tax Credit funding and a Housing and Urban Development Section 108 loan, and we worked with a host of partners, including the City of Tacoma, US Bancorp Community Development Corporation, our own HEDC New Markets, Inc. and Consortium America to create the funding necessary to allow the museum construction to move forward. On behalf of the entire financing team, we at NDC offer our enthusiastic congratulations to both the LeMay - America's Car Museum and the City of Tacoma as construction begins on this world-class museum facility!  ... Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:03:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/museum-featured-on-discovery-channel/ The Discovery Channel's award-winning Profiles Series will air a half hour show featuring the LeMay Museum story on the Discovery Channel on Friday, May 28 at 7:00 am (both Eastern and Pacific times). ... Wed, 05 May 2010 15:24:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/young-designers-contest-envisioning-cars/ Hagerty's Operation Ignite is hosting a Young Designers Contest for youths who would enjoy combining their art skills, personality and creativity into their very own masterpiece - the futuristic design of their favorite collector automobile as it would look if built 50 years from now in 2060.The top five finalists, as selected by public vote, will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Monterey, Calif., for final judging at the Hagerty reception during the week of the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance - the world’s premier celebration of automotive history where only the most beautiful and rare automobiles that combine ultimate design, art and technology are displayed.Click here for more information! ... Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:56:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/2010-wa-hot-rod-hall/ I had the pleasure last night to attend the Washington State Hot Rod Hall of Fame’s Annual awards banquet at the Tacoma Convention Center.  For those of you who have not attended this event in the past, I would recommend making it next year:  the 2011 banquet will be held at the Everett Holiday Inn in conjunction with the Cruizin' to Colby show. In addition to a  large and enthusiastic crowd (estimated to be over 600), there was a nice selection of raffle prizes and several new inductees were named, in addition to the 40+ past inductees who were honored:Outstanding Young Hot Rodders:  - Andy Patton - Nick Lampert 50 Year Club Awards: - Beach Barons - Mo-Taters - Pacific NW Region Porsche Club - Pushrods of Hoquiam, Rakers 2010 Club of the Year: - Seattle Rod-Tiques Inducted Members: - Don Amundson - Larry Berkovich - Jon Byers - Russ Divers - Mike Mooney - Henry Nelson$7,000 was raised  for the favorite charity of the group, The Burned Children Recovery Foundation, and an announcement was made about the reforming of the Northwest Car Club Council. The Council was originally formed about 50 years ago to help legitimize the car clubs of the era and the stated mission today is to advocate the hobby to the many young people who will become the future of the hobby. MC Lance Lambert did an outstanding job of both keeping the event going, and having some fun along the way!  ... Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:04:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/auto-alley-at-puyallup-spring/ Its springtime… the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, more people are pulling their cars and motorcycles from their garages, and in Puyallup it’s time again for the annual Puyallup Spring Fair. It’s a smaller and less crowded version of the Puyallup fall fair with lots of fun activities and several new attractions this year, including what is being billed as “Auto Alley”. The Spring Fair’s Auto Alley is showcasing the LeMay - AMERICA’S CAR MUSEUM with a cool display of cars from our collection as well as our fabulous volunteers and friends.There is something for everyone" we’ve got a row of T-birds, some Corvettes from the local Corvette Club, and a few Mustangs thrown in the mix, too. (You might even see Elvis!)  I personally love John Austin’s 1939 Austin, and Dennis Laine’s Packard is gorgeous, plus the cute mini-car display with the Isetta and Fiat Multipla and others is such an eye-catcher (I’ll take 2, please!).If you’re stopping by the Spring Puyallup Fair, check out Auto Alley and say hello to us and enjoy our cars. If you find your favorite there, tell us about it! ... Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:43:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/heritage-horsepower-82-year-old/ This past week, the LeMay Museum had the honor of participating in the 2010 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) at the Jacob Javitz Center in New York.This year, the Museum's Heritage & Horsepower exhibit was comprised of collector cars from the Bulgari Collection, the Museum's Steering Committee member John Lyons, Manny Dragone and Bonhams & Butterfields.The impressive collection of classics created quite a buzz amid the hottest new concepts in automobile technology and the latest vehicles from the top auto manufacturers: Dragone's 1929 Packard 645 Deluxe 8 Rollston Custom Roadster was deemed the "82-Year-Old Star of the New York Auto Show"!   [photo and story via wheels.blogs.nytimes.com] ... Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:38:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/playing-in-rain/ I had the pleasure last weekend of being one of three winning drivers in the wettest race I have probably ever competed in . . . and I grew up racing in Seattle! The event was the International Conference of Sports Car Clubs (ICSCC) 6-Hour Enduro, which is the traditional season-opener at Pacific Raceways in Kent.  The team was Lowe Group/Frost Engineering and we were driving the same Bridgestone-sponsored BMW M3/GTR that we raced in the 7th Annual NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill last December.  My co-drivers, Jim Gallaugher and Jerold Lowe, did a great job of taking an early lead and holding it, despite spirited challenges from some clearly fast competitors. Jerold handed me a car in the lead when the rains came -- and boy did they come! It was really a matter of trying my best to see out of a very wet and dirty windscreen and maintain a pace to keep us in the lead.  I had a blast, and the soaked and tired team received a well-deserved victory.  Next stop . . . Pikes Peak!  ... Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:50:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/restoring-vehicles-lemay-collection/ We had another awesome presentation last Saturday the 20th at Marymount Academy: Tom Towers on Restoring Vehicles & the LeMay Collection.  Tom shared some of his best highlights and stories from his many years of working for Harold and Nancy LeMay as their personal car restoration guru.  Many of the vehicles that Tom and his crew have restored are now viewable at the LeMay Museum at Marymount. His quality restorations speak for themselves, but Tom was quite the storyteller, himself!  Apparently, Harold LeMay met Tom at a swap meet in California.  Tom sold him a truck and once Harold knew that he had a vehicle that Tom was delivering to Washington, he really started buying left and right at that swap meet . . . various fenders, radiators, and more found their way to the bed of the truck ‘til there was no room left!  The work that goes the restorations that Tom described is just incredible. I thought it was amazing all the time and effort that went into the 1920 Stutz Fire Truck restoration. Tom mentioned that they re-manufactured the Stutz radiator badge, and Harold requested that two be produced - one for the vehicle and one for his desktop . . . how’s that for a cool paperweight?! These are a few of many anecdotes that Tom shared in his presentation you can download here. The next Educational Guest Lecture is lined up for May 8 at 5:30 pm with some of the original Catholic Dominican nuns from Marymount Academy, Sister Esther and Sister Pauline . . . I know that I certainly won’t be missing that one! ... Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:34:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/2010-top-amelia-island-car/ RM Auctions and Gooding & Company sold 156 cars at Amelia Island for a combined total of $35.2m.  The scene-stealer and top seller was the 1931 Voisin C20 V12 Mylord Demi-Berline, which fetched a record $2,750,000 US.  Click here to see the top 10 sales. [via sportscarmarket.com][photo via topspeed.com] ... Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:25:00 PDT http://www.lemaymuseum.org/blog/march-5th-sponsor-summit/ On Friday, March 5th, we welcomed our sponsors to our new Fife facility for the 1st Annual Sponsor Summit.  We continue to be amazed and thankful for the quality products and the high caliber of people who make up our sponsor group.  The day started out with brief introductions, lunch, a tour of the facility and a review of the Museum progress.  After each sponsor presented an overview of their company, the group talked about ways to promote our businesses and grow revenue over wine and hors d'oeuvres sponsored by Hedges Family Estate and The Upper Crust Catering.Thank you to all the sponsors who participated:Atlas CopcoBuffalo RestorationsBuffalo ShipsBusiness Interiors NorthwestCarrot Stick MarketingCarToysDreamtime Visual CommunicationsGarage PlusHagerty Insurance Agency, Inc.Hedges Family EstateJ. H. Large Truck Repair, Inc.The Tacoma News TribuneNorthwest Harley-DavidsonSitecraftingStars of Karting/Pacific Grand PrixThe Upper Crust CateringWashington LiftruckThe summit was such fun, we plan to hold a summit at a different business each quarter! ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:43:00 PST