Get your motor running

Larz Anderson Auto Museum: Larz married Isabel Weld Perkins, a young debutante, in 1897. Soon after, they bought an 1899 Winton Runabout (they were both wealthy and could afford it). That began their obsession with the automobile. Their collection eventually numbered over 30 cars, and they formed the beginnings of the museum, which stands today in the Carriage House of what’s left of their old 64-acre estate in Brookline, Mass. It bills itself as “America’s oldest privately owned collection of automobiles.” The current exhibit celebrates the French motor car, but there are many other classic cars to gaze at. The museum also sponsors a lecture series, concerts, films, flea markets, auctions and other events. The story of Anderson and his wife and the evolution of the estate is almost as much fun to absorb as the cool cars.

Darryl Starbird's Rod & Custom Hall of Fame Museum: This is arguably the longest name of any car museum in the nation. But after you succeed in spitting out the words, the collection itself may leave you speechless. Located about an hour northeast of Tulsa, Okla., Starbird basically began in the 1950s as a body repair guy, but his love for his craft grew into an obsession, and he grew into a custom car legend. It’s difficult to put into words the cars that are on display here because they’re so unique. Suffice to say Starbird has taken many street rods, vans, pickups, sports cars and concept cars and turned them into works of art. Most auto museums emphasize style and technology over a period of years, but Starbird’s collection is unparalleled when it comes to showcasing great works of imagination in the automotive field. For a relatively small collection, it’s staggeringly slick.

Don Garlits Museums: “Big Daddy” Garlits is one of the legendary names in drag racing. So naturally he has a drag racing museum. But he also has an interest in classic cars, so there are two museums on the premises in Ocala, Fla., one for each area of interest. The drag racing museum is probably the more popular attraction, as it houses lots of classic dragsters and features exhibits on the evolution of the modern drag racer; the collection includes the Swamp Rat series, the hand-fabricated race cars that are most associated with Garlits’ career. But over the years Garlits has received lots of other classic cars, too, which he has restored and put on display. One of the more recent featured autos is a 1956 Chrysler Imperial once owned by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The charge for an adult ticket is $15, but that gets you into both museums. There is also an International Drag Racing Hall of Fame here, for the speed freak with a sense of history.

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Antique Automobile Club of America Museum: The title is fairly self explanatory. This has only been open since 2003, although the plans were put into operation about 10 years prior in order to complement an already well-respected library and research center. The AACA museum near Hershey, Pa., has a unique feel because the cars are placed in street and city scenes that help put them in context (the Golden Gate Bridge, turn-of-the-century New York City, etc). There is roughly an even mix of semi-permanent exhibits and temporary ones. Aside from a cornucopia of autos, the museum also boasts the largest display of buses under one roof in the U.S., for those public transportation buffs. Currently there is a Hollywood touch, as cars from both “Forrest Gump” and “The Good Shepherd” are being shown, as well as exhibits focused on pickup trucks through history and a tribute to the Buick. This is an eclectic and impressive facility that has something for everybody.

National Automobile Museum: Located in Reno, Nev., this venue houses over 200 cars from 1892 to the present, and most of them are from the collection of the museum’s inspiration, Bill Harrah, the late gaming pioneer. The current marquee exhibit is “Topless Convertibles of the 1950s,” which runs through October. But there are loads of other attractions, including experimental vehicles as well as one of the largest horseless carriage collections in the country. If the lifestyles of the famous turn you on, there is a dazzling gathering of autos once owned by celebrities, including Frank Sinatra’s 1961 Ghia hardtop, Elvis Presley’s 1973 Cadillac Eldorado and James Dean’s 1949 Mercury. There are static exhibits that pertain to particular periods of history, as well as changing exhibits. And there is a research library here too, as well as facilities for parties and banquets, or for that carburetor-themed wedding.

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