Gilmore Car Museum

If you can make it to the Gilmore Car Museum you’re going to enjoy what they have to offer.

I’m on the road nearly 200 days ever year. Much of that time on the road is spent searching for new racetracks where I hope to get the chance to see their racing. There is a lot of flying and driving with my hobby. However, the racetrack visit only takes a few hours out of my day, usually at night. This allows me to see the local sights and attractions of whatever area I am visiting.

When I get the chance I’m always up for seeing a hall of fame or a museum. I really enjoy. seeing automobile museums. I had tried to see the Gilmore Car Museum a time or two in the past. Then in 2019 the moon and stars aligned. I had a few hours to spare. I drove up to Hickory Corners, Michigan for a visit to the Gilmore Car Museum. I almost didn’t have enough time to see all of what they had to offer. I almost didn’t have enough iPhone battery to take a photo of nearly every car I saw. However, if you breeze through my 600-plus photo album, and you like antique cars, you’re going to have a good time. Enjoy!

The folks over at Wikipedia had a thorough description of the Gilmore Car Museum. Thanks to them for sharing the overview.

The Gilmore Car Museum is located in Hickory Corners in the U.S. state of Michigan. The Museum houses one of Michigan’s largest collections of classic and vintage automobiles. Over 300 vintage and collector vehicles and motorcycles from all eras are on display in over a dozen vintage buildings located on 90 acres (36 ha).

Exhibits range from the early cars of the 1890s, to the Duesenbergs, Auburn Automobile, and classics of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as automobiles built in the “Other Motor City – Kalamazoo.” Also on display is a vintage Franklin dealership and the largest gallery ever dedicated to the Model A Ford. Featured are the Dust Bowl and Great Migration vehicles of the 1920s and 1930s, a Tucker 48, vintage pedal cars, Motorcycles, Hood Ornaments, Bicycles, Checker Taxi, including the actual Sunshine Cab Co. Taxi 804 from the television series Taxi and more.

On site is a 1941 Blue Moon Diner and a re-creation of a 1930s Shell Gas Station, where gas is always 18 cents a gallon.

The Model A Ford Museum

On display is the movie set and car as seen in the 1967 Walt Disney movie, The Gnome-Mobile. Museum founder Donald Gilmore and Walt Disney were good friends and after production of the film ended, Donald purchased the 1930 Rolls-Royce Sedanca Deville used in the movie from Disney Studios. After visiting the Gilmore Car Museum in person before its public opening, Disney gave the original movie set, a four-times-larger-than-life recreation of the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, to Donald as a gift. Both pieces are on display at the Gilmore Car Museum.

Admission to the Gilmore Car Museum actually includes 7 independent auto museums located on its 90-acre historic campus. They are the Gilmore Car Museum, Classic Car Club of America Museum, the Pierce-Arrow Museum (above), The H. H. Franklin Collection, the Model A Ford Museum, Lincoln Motor Car Museum and the Cadillac LaSalle Club Museum.

Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s visit to the Gilmore Car Museum.  Double click on a photo to begin the slide show or watch the photos at your own pace.  Hover over a photo to read the caption.

Gilmore Car Museum – Hickory Corners, Michigan