Missouri and Illinois automobile museums roll back time
BRANSON MO NEWS:
By Jim Winnerman • Special to the Post-DispatchSprinkled across Missouri and Illinois are a wide variety of car museums exhibiting the history of the automobile. So, if you have a fond recollection of the first car you purchased, or still covet a sports car you could never afford or are fascinated with an automobile manufactured decades before you were born, you can find them on a display nearby.Almost all of the museums have their own “theme.” Some exhibit cars in scenes from the time period they were popular, while others, such as the Pontiac-Oakland Museum in Pontiac, Ill., showcase cars produced by only one manufacturer.
Other museum themes are meant to rekindle recollections of a historic event, such as the display of the taxicab Lee Harvey Oswald used after his assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Some are impressive in size, like the 500-plus collection of convertibles waiting to be discovered in Lebanon, Mo.A few museums have the cars on display for sale, so a visit might be an opportunity to fulfill a dream. All the museums are worthy of a visit, but be sure to check the museum websites for the days and hours they are open, and to learn more about what is on display.Auto & Farm MuseumHalf of this 90,000-square-foot building displays 140 classic and antique automobiles, and the other half is devoted to historically significant farming equipment.Cars range from a 2004 Ferrari F1 to a 1908 three-seat Buick. Most automobiles are post-1960, and many are for sale.Auto World MuseumThis museum of more than 100 automobiles exhibits the personal collection of William E. Backer, an engineer who loved all things mechanical. The oldest car is a 1896 Ford Quadricycle, the first car developed by Henry Ford. With no reverse, four bicycle wheels and powered by an engine with just …
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