LeMay: America’s Car Museum – Grand Opening

17 May

June 1st, 2nd & 3rd, it’s been on my calender for quite some time.  Why?  Because I eat, drink, and sleep automobiles.  My two boys are named after cars, I stay awake at night thinking about cars, and I’ve written 100′s of articles about… you guessed it – cars.  June 1st and 2nd mark the grand opening dates of Lemay: America’s Car Museum.  If you follow my blog, you’ve heard of it before.  A collection that started with one man’s passion has grown into a world class museum, focused on America’s love affair with the automobile.

What once was a collection of cars crammed into every square foot of the old Marymount Academy in Parkland, WA will now be a state of the art 165,000 square foot, four-level museum.  Resting just off of I-5, next to the Tacoma dome in Tacoma, WA, America’s Car Museum is a sight to behold.  At first glance it’s clear the museum was designed after the hood of a car.  The long sloped design of the building itself resembles something like an old Duesenberg.  Herold LeMay isn’t with us anymore, but I’m sure he’s looking down from the heavens with an approving eye.

Young or old, new school or old school, ACM will be a gathering place for automotive enthusiasts of all kinds and levels.  ACM won’t just be a place to display cars, it will be a place to gather, learn, and grow.  You can eat there, dance there, learn there, and ultimately, the love affair of the automobile will be instilled upon all who enter.

June 1st & 2nd & 3rd, 2012.  ACM will be hosting a number of parties on the night of June 1st, with free car shows on the 2nd and 3rd.  Other activities and events like go-karts and music concerts will also be a part of the festivities.  Not to mention, Saturday the 2nd will mark the first tours in the new museum.  Tacoma is now home to a landmark museum that should be on anyones “to do” list.  Be sure not to miss it!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

A Brief Respite At The Car Show

5 May

It’s been several weeks since I’ve had an opportunity to write and though I have the itch to do it on a daily basis… the rigors of daily life and my new job usually get the better of me.  However my boy Cooper and I were out washing the family minivan today and came across a sign for a car show at the local high school on our way home.  Naturally, we dropped by to admire the mix of classic American iron and import tuners that were there.

1956 Chevy

If it isn’t raining here in the Northwest it’s drizzling, but that didn’t seem to deter this group of enthusiasts that had shown up to display their pride and joy.  A favorite of mine at every car show are the 1955 to 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Airs that are almost always present.  In my mind there are muscle cars, classic cars, and hot rods.  These three groups generally make up the majority of entries at an average car  show… with a scattering of imports, exotics, and european examples.  Bel-Airs have always been the epitome of the classic car scene and occasionally you’ll find one that is a prime custom hot rod.  One of the most beautiful cars ever made, the Bel-Air will forever be on my bucket list of cars to own.

Today exotic super cars are producing well over 600 horsepower, with some examples like the Bugatti Veyron punching out over 1000.  I was a Junior in High School when the Ford GT was being plastered all over magazine stands and to this day has been the object of my desire.  What’s not to love about an American built exotic with 550 supercharged ponies wailing behind you.  Exotics and super cars had been somewhat slow in their progression until the Ford GT hit the scene and then all of a sudden it became an all out horsepower war!  When done properly, retro cars like the Ford GT can be among the most desirable and the call back to the original GT-40 was done perfectly here.  This graphite GT is immaculate and one that I would very much like to own someday.

Ford GT

A car show isn’t a car show unless there is at least one Mopar present and this sublime green Road Runner is among the most sought after Chrysler built muscle cars of all time.  The horsepower war is alive and well in 2012 but the 60′s was the when the original fast car frenzy began and the Mopar clan of cars were among the most potent.  With several high output engines as options Road Runners could range from just over 300 horsepower to a blow your doors off 400 +.  This pristine 1970 was equipped with the legendary 440 cubic inch power plant that produces just shy of 400 horsepower.

1970 Plymouth Roadrunner

There were many other examples that I could spend all day discussing at the show but of course life must go on… unfortunately.  However, Cooper and I did enjoy a nice break and we’ll be looking for more car shows in the near future as Summer draws near.  The Grand Opening of the LeMay museum in Tacoma is just a month away which will be a world class event.  Until then… stay tuned for more automotive antics as time permits.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Flying Cars Aren’t Just For The Jetsons

4 Apr

Every twenty-year-old has suspected that they would be driving a flying car by the time they were 65 for decades.  So far, the twenty somethings of the 1960′s and 1970′s have been awarded with hybrids, EVs, and insanely fast super cars, but no flying cars.  No one can complain about the leaps and bounds that the automotive industry has progressed over the years.  Yet, with all the technology we have today, isn’t a flying car feasible?  The answer is yes.

Flying cars aren’t not just a futuristic fantasy anymore.  Thanks to two companies that are in a bit of a race to produce the first production flying car, flying across the state to the in-laws for Thanksgiving and driving to the grocery store in the same vehicle is quite possible.  Terrafugia, an American company has developed a prototype, fixed wing airplane.  They call it the “Transition Street-legal Airplane” and transitions it does.  With the wings locked in the flight position, it looks like your run of the mill kit airplane, with the exception of headlights, taillights, and a steering wheel.  When you’re done flying the wings fold in half and tuck themselves along the side of the vehicle.  It’s gangly looking, it’s long, but it’ll drive around town just fine and runs off of 91 octane gasoline that can be pumped at any gas station.

The Transition has a competitor from the Netherlands that takes a much different approach.  While the Transition seats two, drives like a limousine, and flies with fixed wings, the Dutch Personal Air and Land vehicle (PAL-V) drives like a sports car on three wheels, seats just one, and flies like a helicopter.  Both vehicles have documented successful tests of driving and flying.  Both drive, both fly, but both take very different approaches.  The Transition needs a traditional run way to take flight while the PAL-V can take off from a tradition road.

I may be following a faulty trend but I think there my quite a few people flying and driving the same vehicle by the time I’m 65.  With both prototypes proving that they can successfully fly and drive, I would imagine that both companies with be working with investors to take things to the next level.  The very wealthy may be flying to grandmothers house and pulling up to the drive in the same vehicle within a couple of years.

[Source: NPR]

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 86 other followers

%d bloggers like this: