General Motors engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, known as the father of the Chevrolet Corvette, land speed-record setter Ab Jenkins, stock car racing stars Fonty Flock and Ray Evernham, and Steve Olvey and Terry Trammell, the doctors who put injured drivers back together, are among the 2023 induction class for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Joining them in the ’23 induction class will be former racing executive Henry Banks, motorcycle racer Dick Burleson, drag racer Darrell Gwynn, and flyer Art Chester, the museum said as it revealed its 35th annual induction class.
New venue in the UK
TheCarCrowd bills itself as an automotive investment platform based in Nottingham, UK, and has opened what it calls a “must-visit destination for UK petrolheads and classic car enthusiast,” a new cafe at its collection.
“A rotating selection of TheCarCrowd’s investment models will be on display for visitors, regardless of whether or not they hold a stake in the carefully selected collection,” according to the news release. “To that end, visitors will always have something new to look at, particularly given that new cars are offered for investment on a regular basis. Among the cars available to view at TheCarCrowd are a range of ‘80s hot hatches including a Renault 5 GT Turbo and Peugeot 205 1.6 GTI, plus a Ford Sierra Cosworth and an ultra-rare Spyker C8 Spyder. These will shortly be joined by the getaway driver’s favorite – the 177mph Lotus Omega.
“With a 20-space private car park, TheCarCrowd café will be a perpetual ‘cars and coffee.’ Additionally, one Thursday night each month will have a special theme, attracting vehicles of a certain type, manufacturer or period.”
The facility on Mansfield Road in Notts is open Thursdays and Fridays.
Beaulieu adds 28 Lalique mascots
The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England, has announced the acquisition of 28 Lalique glass car mascots. The purchased was made possible by grants totalling more than 200,000 British pounds from several British art funds and a private donor, the museum said.
“Master glassmaker René Lalique’s stunning work represents an era when car mascots were the ultimate luxury, capturing the grace and power of the cars they adorned,” the museum reported. “The collection includes an original Breves mount, which allows light to shine through them – and visitors can see their full beauty by pushing a button to light up the dragonfly star exhibit.”
Lalique was born in France in 1860 and apprenticed under jeweler and goldsmith Louis Aucoc. He opened his own studio in 1885. His first radiator mascot was commissioned by Andre Citroen for his personal Citroen 5CV.
Blackhawk posts show schedule
The Blackhawk Museum at Danville, California, hosts a series of car shows, including Boyz Under the hood on April 16, the 40th annual NCCA All Corvette show on May 1, the Alfa romeo Car club of NorCal on June 4, the Z Owners of NorCal on June 5, the inaugural Jon Snyder Memorial Father’s day car show on June 19, the NCCA Vette Magic 46 show on August 7 and the EAst Bay Street Dreams on September 10.
Special events this weekend
Through June 19, Mauto, the auto museum in Torino, Italy, offers “L’automobile come opera d’arte,” an exhibit showcased in the museum’s restoration center showing how automotive restoration has benefited from the work and techniques of those restoring works of fine art.
National Mustang Day will be celebrated April 15-16 at the Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, with the opening of the museum’s newly expanded exhibit area and a driving cruise, car show, seminars and a Shelby panel presentation and more. At 1 p.m. on April 16, author and GlobeRiders founder Helge Pedersen will present “40 Years on 2 Wheels” and do a book signing.
The North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, opens its outdoor event season April 16 with the inaugural New England Racers Reunion. The event, taking place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, will include all eras of racing vehicles.
“Open Road: The Lure of Motorcycling in Ohio” opens April 16 at the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The exhibit features motorcycles rarely displayed in public. The display will be supplemented by ride-ins, lectures and demonstrations.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, celebrates National Mustang Day on April 17 with a cruise-in car show co-hosted by CJ Pony Parts. Museum admission will be free for anyone arriving in a Mustang.
Mark your calendar
The Third Thursday Zoom program on April 21 by the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, Ontario, features “Lost Car Rescue: Behind the Scenes of a Canadian Car Show.”
The Ducati Museum and factory in Borgo Panigale, Italy, re-open to visitors April 21. Visitors to the museum are welcome daily except on Wednesdays and factory tours are available on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. The re-opening of the museum will feature a special exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Paul Smart’s victory in the 1972 Iola 200 race.
It’s Cars & Coffee from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville on April 23.
Stahl’s Automotive Collection in Chesterfield, Michigan, celebrates its Tucker 48 (#1015) on April 23 with Preston Tucker’s grandsons Mike and Sean Tucker, with Tucker expert Mark Lieberman, and with a presentation of the movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream. There will be two sessions, one at noon and the second at 5 p.m.
The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee hosts its 11th annual Earth Day Celebration on April 23 with a zero-waste event that includes live music after the 27th annual spring river cleanup.
The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento hosts the Tuner Showdown car show from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 23.
The spring lecture series at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England, continues April 23 with Alan Chandler discussing petroliana collecting.
The 2022 lecture series at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, concludes April 24 with historian Mark Tomlonson presenting “The History of a People’s Car.”
The British Motor Museum at Gaydon celebrates national Drive It Day on April 24 with a special car show.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, hosts its annual Michelin NCM Bash from April 28-30. Events include an assembly plant update, focus on the C3 with the National Corvette Restorers Society, laps at NCM Motorsporets Park, a Michelin tire tech talk, a Z06 and ’63 split-window demonstration and a car show, among others.
A second wave of vehicles arrives September 22, 2022, and runs through May 14, 2023, in “The Allure of the Extreme” supercar showcase at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opens three new exhibits on May 21 — Orphan Cars, ATVs and AMCs.
It’s the “Simply Ford” show May 22 at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, UK.
The book club at LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, meets online again on May 24 to share Auto Biography: A Classic Car, An Outlaw Motorhead, and 57 Years of the American Dream by Earl Swift.
The California Automobile Museum at Sacramento hosts a Memorial Day car show featuring Vettes and Vets from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m on May 30.
The Blackhawk Museum at Danville, California, hosts a series of car shows, including Boyz Under the hood on April 16, the 40th annual NCCA All Corvette show on May 1, the Alfa romeo Car club of NorCal on June 4, the Z Owners of NorCal on June 5, the inaugural Jon Snyder Memorial Father’s day car show on June 19, the NCCA Vette Magic 46 show on August 7 and the EAst Bay Street Dreams on September 10.
A new summer event, the MCACN Muscle Car Meet Up, will be held at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, on June 25. The event will be the summer version of the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, which is staged indoors in Illinois during the winter.
The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, UK, opens a new exhibit, “The Story of Motoring in 50 Objects,” on July 3.
The summer art show is scheduled for July 9-10 at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento.
The Revs Institute in Naples, Florida, hosts a combined meeting of the World Forum for Motor Museums and the National Association of Automobile Museums from November 9-12.
Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email larrye@classiccars.com
