In This Issue
- President’s Message
- Mission Statement
- 2021 Annual Conference
- Conference Scholarship
- Curatorial Spotlight
- Reciprocal Admission Program
- NAAM on Social Media
- Member Museum News
- Classified Ads
President’s Message
By: Jarrid Roulet
Greetings NAAM Members:
What a difference a year can make! As things reopen, I am reminded how far we have come in one year and it’s super encouraging to see how things have progressed.
With states and organizations being allowed to reopen we are also seeing a resurgence in larger get togethers. As of last month, states like Minnesota where I am, are now able to hold larger events. For Minnesota, it was a huge success for the Minnesota Street Rod Association when we were allowed to hold one of our largest events “Back to the 50’s. With 10,630 registered participants it reminds me that the car culture is alive and well and the travel industry is back up going even if it’s limited. It also signals that people are feeling more comfortable to be out and about with vaccinations being more widespread. We hope this will be an indication of things to come for all museums in every state.
As things progress, I hope to see more and more member organizations posting on social media about new and existing programs that are back on. I have already seen a few posts come in about participating in local and regional shows along with returning to concours level events. This is encouraging for all members and I am super excited to see our member museums breaking back into the market.
NAAM’s board is also working hard to reintroduce ourselves to the museum community. As we look at opportunities to engage with our current members, we are also looking to expand our reach and grow the organization in 2021. With our new social media program taking shape, you will find our Facebook page grow, our group discussions increase, and the content grow exponentially. We owe this to our new board members Vreni Fernandez and Jason Vansickle along with volunteers Antigone Jackson from the Museum of American Speed and Terry Coppens from the Stahls Museum. They have all played a pivotal roll in making things happen each week.
Social media is only one facet of what NAAM as an organization is working on. From new sponsor programs and membership drives, the team is very busy and will continue to be busy in the coming months before the next conference.
Although Covid has changed our industry forever we’ve seen museums become stronger, more streamlined, engage in new technologies and I look for NAAM to follow suit. With that in mind, I am optimistic that the best is yet to come.
Jarrid Roulet
President, National Association of Automobile Museums
MISSION STATEMENT
The National Association of Automobile Museums is a professional center of excellence for automobile museums and affiliated organizations that supports, educates and encourages members to operate according to professional standards of the museum industry.
2021 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The theme for the 2021 conference is The Next Generation. This theme is multi-faceted, as we plan to not only discuss engaging the next generation of museum visitors through exhibits, experiences, and retail, but also the next generation of the automobile industry and how the next generation of the automobile will impact the way museums will collect and interpret the past, present, and future of transportation.
Session topics include programming ideas, building a solid foundation for student engagement, advancing learning opportunities in our museums, promoting scholarship in the auto museum industry, and a digital archives case study, among others! Full conference schedule and registration coming soon.
In addition to the seminars, attendees can look forward to a full day of educational tours in Louisville where we will visit some of Louisville’s best locations. Of course, there will be plenty of networking opportunities throughout the week allowing us to all share and learn from each other.
Bowling Green, KY is centrally located in the United States, making it a drivable destination for many NAAM members. For those needing to fly, Bowling Green is approximately an hour drive from the Nashville International Airport (BNA) or an hour and a half drive from the Louisville International Airport (SDF). November typically sees moderate weather and temperatures, neither too hot nor too cold.
For those museums unable to send a representative in-person, a virtual component will be available for the sessions only. More details and information will be available in the coming months.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors.
Official insurance provider of the
National Association of Automobile Museums
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2021 HOST HOTEL INFORMATION
The host hotels for the conference, Mainstay Suites and Sleep Inn, are brand new adjoining facilities offering both suites and single rooms. They are located just a stone’s throw from the National Corvette Museum (NCM). They have extended to us an incredible nightly room rate ($55 per night) to make attending affordable. Attendees should make their room reservation by calling the hotel directly, using the number below, and asking to be in the National Association of Automobile Museums room block. This is the only way to be included in the room block. Reservations in the block cannot be made online.
Throughout the week, NCM will be providing a shuttle service to transport attendees to and from the host hotel and NCM locations. The shuttles will be running before the first session and after the last session.
Hosted by: National Corvette Museum
Conference Dates: November 16 – 19, 2021
Host Hotel: Mainstay Suites and Sleep Inn (Adjoining hotels)
Host Hotel Address: 554 Corvette Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Host Hotel Number: (270) 904-9400
NAAM Group Rate: $55 per night
2021 CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP
NAAM is dedicated to helping its members grow professionally through informative annual conferences and networking opportunities. To fulfill this goal, NAAM offers up to 3 conference scholarships each year. The scholarship program is designed for museums with limited financial resources to pay for their staff to attend (annual budgets under $500,000). Awards included $1,000 for travel expenses, plus complimentary conference registration. These valuable scholarships are made possible thanks to our generous sponsorships.
Apply Now: The application process is easy, completed online, and if you have any questions feel free to contact Christine Bobco at [email protected]. The deadline is October 15, 2021.
How: Please visit the NAAM website for scholarship criteria, guidelines and the online application.
NAAMY AWARDS – Coming Soon!
CURATORIAL SPOTLIGHT
A Busy Summer as We Return to Normal
By Jason VanSickle
Curator, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
With a year of quarantine, uncertainty, and event cancellations, getting back to a sense of routine is refreshing. I had a feeling summer 2021 would be busy, but it is hard to believe we are in the “second half” of the year.
We faced our challenges and shutdowns at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum along with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Our museum was closed for both the NASCAR Brickyard 400 weekend and the rescheduled 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, the first time the event proceeded outside its traditional May date and in front of empty stands. Our museum reopened in January, and we quickly pivoted to finishing up our 2021 temporary exhibition, Rocket Rick Mears, which opened in time for May.
This year, we started our event calendar with the rescheduled Amelia Island Concours. Last year’s Amelia event was the last event before the various shutdowns, so it was interesting that it was the first event back. Our 1921 Duesenberg Grand Prix car participated in a static display to celebrate the centennial of the Duesenberg’s tremendous French Grand Prix victory. Despite the later date, the weather was great, with relatively mild weather and no rain.
While we prepped the Duesenberg for static display, our restoration team prepared six vehicles to run during pre-race ceremonies for the Indianapolis 500. It usually takes our team a few days to prep the race cars for the demonstration runs. As vintage race cars are finicky, all but one ran race morning with historic Indianapolis 500 drivers. Though IMS limited the capacity to 140,000 spectators, a year with limited or no fan attendance made the race feel packed. We are looking forward to a full capacity race in 2022.
As many of our cars run on methanol fuel, it is necessary to “pickle” the vehicle to keep the corrosive methanol from destroying the fuel lines and other components. We used this opportunity to film our restoration team for our upcoming YouTube series RESTO. We are excited for the public to watch and understand what it takes to get vintage race and passenger cars demonstration ready. We also look to add more operational videos to this content.
The Museum also participated in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. There was some unknown to the planning for the event with every changing COVID situation. We selected our 1951 Indianapolis 500 winning Belanger Special Kurtis Kraft to participate in demonstration runs. As the cars are shipped over the sea via a container, the Kurtis-Kraft left the IMS Museum for the United Kingdom during the rescheduled Amelia Island Concours. It was an interesting activity to plan a transport from Indianapolis to Savannah, Georgia, while I was 800 miles away in Amelia Island. Despite a few hiccups that included an added flight layover in Amsterdam for myself and one of our restoration team members, Goodwood was a blast. Former Formula 1 and sports car driver Jochen Mass was our driver over the weekend. He was excited to drive the Kurtis up the hill. Mass has experience driving various pre-and post-war Mercedes race cars. It was very entertaining to hear his stories and his grasp of motorsports history.
Now, as we enter August, Monterey Car Week is quickly approaching. We have two front-drive Miller race cars selected to participate in the Miller Class at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Though these vehicles will be a static display, we commenced the appearance prep work for the event in mid-June. In addition to the two cars at Pebble, we are sending two race cars for static display at the Monterey Historic Reunion at Laguna Seca Raceway. Our 1964 Indianapolis 500 winning Sheraton Thompson Special Watson Roadster driven by A.J. Foyt and 1970 Johnny Lightning Special Colt driven by Al Unser will participate in their IndyCar class.
The NTT INDYCAR series participated in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix racing through the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. A vintage IndyCar group invited us to exhibit the 1971 Johnny Lightning Special as a static display. This was the first time in 50 years that the Johnny Lightning Special was displayed publicly with its “sister car,” the Joe Leonard Samsonite Special.
With these events, we work with the organization regarding what vehicles we will provide. In many cases, we are invited, and the organization requests vehicles that match anniversaries or unique display that helps advance their programming.
As many of these events draw various NAAM members, it is great to meet colleagues from different museums. During Ault Park, I had the chance to run into Sam Grate and Brandon Anderson from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum and Derek Moore (National Corvette Museum) and Christine Bobco (NAAM News Editor and Administrative Assistant). It is great to talk about the various vehicles each NAAM member organization brings and gives a chance to catch up between NAAM meetings.
It will be fun to see what the rest of the year holds and looking forward to planning summer 2022.
RECIPROCAL ADMISSION PROGRAM
Did you know NAAM has a Reciprocal Admission Program to promote professional development and networking opportunities among member museums? There are 105 museums that are members of NAAM and to date 38 have joined the program. Sign your museum up today! Just email [email protected] to sign up.
NAAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the NAAM Facebook Page and search NAAM Private Group to join the NAAM members only group. This space is in conjunction with the NAAM Online Community and is a great place to share successes and challenges, gather ideas, and network with member museums.
MEMBER MUSEUM NEWS
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum Plans Multiple Events for the ACD Festival
(AUBURN, IN) – Beginning on Sunday, August 29th, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum will kick off a host of events to take place during the 2021 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival. After a one-year hiatus, the annual Labor Day Festival returns with events beginning on Saturday August 28th and continuing through Saturday September 4th. A complete schedule of Festival events and details can be found at acdfestival.org.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum will kick off Festival week as a participant in the Annual Garage Cruise, taking place on August 29th from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M. The 2021 Garage Cruise has been dubbed “The Year of the Restoration Shop.” Take a Sunday drive to visit the garages and shops of local automotive enthusiasts and business owners for a behind-the-scenes look at their automotive projects. The museum will have its Collections & Conservation Center and Collections Storage Facility on the tour. Visit the National Auto & Truck Museum at 1000 Gordon Buehrig Place, Auburn, or any of the Garage Tour stops for tickets. For more information call (260) 925-9100.
The ACDAM will also host a free concert outdoors at the Education & Exhibit Plaza on the museum campus on Thursday, September 2. The Sweetwater All Stars will be on the main stage at the plaza located adjacent from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. Music starts at 6:00 PM and ends at 9:00 PM. Food trucks and cash bars will also be available throughout the event. Members of the community and supporters are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets out to this family-friendly event. To purchase VIP tickets, which includes prime reserved parking for your vehicle, VIP tent, and more benefits, please visit acdamstore.com/products/classic-car-concert-vip-ticket. Only 50 VIP tickets are available, so be sure to get yours early!
On Friday, September 3, professional racecar driver, Lyn St. James, will be at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in the Gallery of Racers and Record Setters for a meet and greet event from 1:30 P.M. until 3:00 P.M. Lyn St. James is a former American race car driver and is the first woman driver to reach over 200 mph on a racetrack. She competed in the IndyCar series, with eleven CART and five Indy Racing League starts to her name. St. James is one of nine women who have qualified for the Indianapolis 500, and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award. Artifacts on temporary loan from St. James’ career from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and The Henry Ford will be on display at the museum during this program and during the ACD Festival. Museum admission is required to attend this event. Visit automobilemuseum.org for museum information, including admission prices.
On Saturday, September 4, the museum will host its annual Connecting Rods Lunch from 11 A.M. until 12 P.M., and the annual Gatsby Gala from 7 P.M. until 11 P.M. The Connecting Rods Luncheon is an opportunity to join others from around the globe with a connection to the Auburn Automobile Company. Enjoy lunch with past employees and their relatives for this special event. Museum Curator, Sam Grate, will deliver a special presentation that examines the life of Robert Wiley and the impact of the Export department at the Auburn Automobile Company. Tickets are required and can be purchased at acdamstore.com/products/connecting-rods-lunch-tickets.
The Gatsby Gala is a 1920s themed evening of dancing, period inspired cocktails, and a live big band! Master the dance floor with The New Millennium Jazz Orchestra and celebrate with friends and family! The rhythm will be swingin’, your feet will be tappin’, and everyone will be dancin’. Make a statement, and take part in a dazzling experience. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the event lasts until 11:00 PM. Tickets are $50 for non-members, $30 for members, and $250 per table of eight. For more information call (260) 925-1444, or visit acdamstore.com/collections/gatsby-gala-ball to purchase tickets.
– Walter J Fisher, Marketing & Communications Manager
Piston Foundation Founders Club
The Piston Foundation announced the launch of its Founders Club. The Foundation is seeking 25 philanthropic car enthusiasts with a deep interest in the future of car culture to provide leadership support for the Foundation’s mission and future.
Robert P. Minnick, CEO and founder of the Piston Foundation, explained that he had grown tired of wondering how new generations would become engaged with the automotive pastime or where car enthusiasts would find skilled restoration specialists.
He said, “For years, car folks have been talking about the diminishing number of auto restoration specialists and technicians and what to do about it. Enough talk. Let’s create something that will help us build a sustainable future for collector cars. We called it the Piston Foundation because not only is it the platform we need but also lets people know what we are: an independent non-profit organization dedicated to car culture.”
The mission of the Foundation is to fund scholarships and apprenticeships to support skilled trade education in the collector car industry.
COO Jeff Mason said, “Our priority is to help people who want a rewarding career with cars. The good news is that we can also help the millions of car enthusiasts that want to keep enjoying the machines that need more TLC every year that passes.”
He noted, “For two generations, America has under-funded vocational education and stigmatized skilled-trades, like car restoration, as the consolation prize for students who didn’t take the college-at-all-cost approach. Until the Foundation came along, an aspiring collector car technician has not had a clear path and little financial support to overcome tuition cost barriers.”
In recognition for their significant and enduring commitment to skilled-trade career opportunities and the collector car community, founders will be listed on a limited-edition Founders Club poster created by renowned automotive artist Chuck Queener. The original poster art will be auctioned to raise additional funds for the Foundation.
Founders Club members will serve on the Foundation’s advisory board and help guide the development of our programs.
One of the first members of the Founders Club is Harvey Siegel, the real estate developer, financier, and amateur road racer behind the resurrection of VIRginia International Raceway. “These manmade motorsport devices are cars of so many different ilks: race, classic, truck, even motorcycles. They’re so varied in character that they need to be preserved, revered, driven, shown, and enjoyed for years to come. To allow all this to fall away out of the lexicon of our culture would be a crime. By funding skilled-trade education, we are making a significant move in the right direction.”
Mr. Mason added, “Now is the time to promote collector car career opportunities and channel the charitable giving of car enthusiasts into education and apprenticeship programs that will create the next generation of technicians. Doing this while interest in skilled trades is growing and before car-craft skills are lost means we can attract more young people into rewarding automotive careers and support the collector car industry that we enthusiasts depend on.”
More information about the Founders Club is available by contacting Piston Foundation CEO Robert Minnick at [email protected] or calling (475) 619-2395.
BMW Z CARS – Freedom and Fun, celebrating the modern 2 seat roadsters that BMW has created for the past twenty-five years.
Presented in conjunction with the Z Series Car Club of America’s Z Fest, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Z3 production in Greer, South Carolina BMW Z Cars: Freedom & Fun presents the complete history of BMW’s Z-series roadsters and coupes, from the innovative Z1 through the latest G29 Z4. With 20+ cars on display, you’ll see the complete evolution of the Z3, Z4, and Z8, including the high-performance M versions and a pair of rare Alpinas.
We’ve included some rare competition machinery, too, including a never-raced and little-seen Z3 coupe, a Z4 GTLM, and TC Kline’s superlative Z4 Carbon Coupe. Get up close with these exotic machines and check out the details that make BMW’s Z-cars special!
As a bonus, the BMW CCA Museum will be displaying its permanent collection in The Ultimate Driving Museum. Come say hello to Yale Rachlin’s 2002, Mike Ura’s 2002 tii LUX, a stunning 2800 CS owned by four CCA luminaries, and several other BMWs with fascinating histories!
On display through November 2021 at the BMW CCA Foundation’s The Ultimate Driving Museum in Greer, South Carolina—right across Highway 101 from BMW Manufacturing, and just down the street from the BMW Performance Center. Location (with plenty of free parking) 190 Manatee Court, Greer, SC 29651
Corvette Powered Exhibit Now Open Until April 2022
What does it mean to be “Corvette Powered”?
It’s winning your class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finishing 9th overall in 1965, cruising over the waves at 60+ mph in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning the country’s most prestigious automotive award concerning custom and hot rod car owners and builders – the Ridler Award, and it ALWAYS means that there is a Corvette engine involved!
Visitors to the National Corvette Museum can now step into an exciting exhibit, Corvette Powered, that showcases vehicles, specifically mid-century non-General Motors/non-Corvette vehicles, that utilized Corvette engines, and drivelines.
At a time when America’s automotive industry was lacking, the small-block Chevy V8 engine changed everything. It was quickly discovered that other engines could not compete with Chevrolet’s engineering of the Corvette engine. As a result, some manufacturers, rather than developing their engines, approached Chevrolet and purchased Corvette engines or drivelines for their cars.
As Ed Cole once said, “when the 1955 Chevrolet engine was in the design stage, we were aware of its potential as the hot-rod-able V8. We wanted a high-performance V8, and we achieved our objective.”
The use of Chevy’s small-block was used in European and American sports cars to boats showcasing that the Corvette engine has powered more than just Corvettes over time. As explained by Director of Collections/Curator, Derek E. Moore, “this exhibit shares a piece of Corvette history and explores the stories of unique vehicles and their use of Corvette engines.” Vehicles to see in the exhibit include a 1958 Scarab, 1967 Bizzarrini Strada, 1965 Impala built by Chip Foose, a 1966 Excalibur, 1969 Mangusta, 1977 Avanti II, and more.
The new Corvette Powered exhibit explores select stories and the reason they chose Corvette engines to power their vehicles. Stories from Italy to America, Wisconsin to California, and from paved roads to glass-smooth lakes will grace the Exhibit Hall at the Museum until Bash of 2022.
– Mariah Hughes, Senior Media & Marketing Specialist, National Corvette Museum
Free to a Good Home
One used automobile turntable. Recipient to arrange and pay for transport from The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. For further information, contact Matt Anderson ([email protected]) or Cuong Nguyen ([email protected]).
Specifications
Manufacturer: Bumat – bumat.com/
Model: DSMA 65/60-12
Diameter 21.3 feet
Max Load: 5 tons
Height – 9.6”
bumat.com/pdf/e/dsma/DSMA_65_60-12.pdf
CLASSIFIED ADS
