Gilmore Car Museum Continues to Grow with Grand Opening of The Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum on Sunday, September 28

The Gilmore Car Museum will once again make history as it celebrates the Grand Opening of the new Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum and Research Center on Sunday, September 28, 2014.

Located on the grounds of the Gilmore Car Museum, this 10,000 square-foot building is dedicated to maintaining and exhibiting collectible Cadillacs and LaSalles, with the focus of the new museum and research center being to protect, promote and share the exciting history of these premier automobiles as well as their impact in the United States and worldwide over the past 100-plus years.

Throughout history, Cadillac has set the standard for automotive excellence since 1902, when Henry Leland persuaded the owners of a failing Detroit car company to reorganize and build cars using his precision-designed and manufactured engine.

In the beginning, Henry Leland had worked as a precision machinist for Colt firearms in Connecticut before moving to Detroit and starting his own machine shop. His precision and demand for accuracy led Cadillac to become one of the most prestigious American autos and is referred to as “The Standard of the World.”

LaSalle was introduced in 1927 to fill the price gap between Buick and Cadillac, and was produced through 1940. The marque is credited with moving General Motors’ styling away from engineering and creating its own department: the “Art and Colour Design Studio” headed by Harley Earl.

The Cadillac & LaSalle Club was established in 1958 to encourage the preservation of early Cadillacs and LaSalles. Then in 1995, determined to preserve the Cadillac legacy, several members of the Cadillac & LaSalle Club founded the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum and Research Center (CLCMRC) and the process of site selection, building designs, and fundraising began.

“After an exhaustive survey of potential museum partners across the Country, we are pleased to be joining the Gilmore Car Museum,” said Paul Ayres, President of the CLCMRC. “The Gilmore is rapidly becoming the nation’s premier auto museum,” he said.

The all-new 10,000 square foot museum structure is modeled after a 1948 dealership design from the pages of General Motors book “Planning Automobile Dealer Properties” of that year.

The grand opening of the Cadillac-LaSalle Museum will contain the excitement and anticipation reminiscent of how the new model year cars were unveiled each September at local dealerships. Prior to the opening, the showroom windows will be completely covered with a banner announcing “See the New Standard of the World – Cadillac for 1948.”

On Sunday September 28th, starting at 2:00pm as part of the Museum’s Dedication Ceremony, the covering will be removed to unveil the new Museum and welcome the public inside for the first time.

Michael Spezia, Executive Director of the Gilmore Car Museum, expressed, “With the addition of the Cadillac-LaSalle Museum to the Gilmore campus we now become one of the more unique historic destinations, not just within the car collecting hobby but with the general public as well.”

Within the new Museum, guests will find nearly two-dozen automobiles within, including a very rare 1903 example from of Cadillac’s first year of production; a 1937 LaSalle Convertible Sedan, 1957 Cadillac Brougham used in the film "Driving Miss Daisy,” as well as a 1992 Indy 500 Pace car and the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen show car.

Prominent in the showroom on opening day and paying homage to the vintage dealership’s facade will be two 1948 Cadillacs – a 60 Special Sedan and a 75 Series Limousine.

Besides the fantastic automobiles displayed within the new museum structure visitors will also find an array of artifacts, memorabilia and educational exhibits that tell the entire story of Cadillac and LaSalle. There will be tributes to Cadillac’s founder Henry Leland, to the firm’s production history, its support of the Arsenal of Democracy during World War II and its history of providing Presidential limousines.

Hundreds of Cadillac & LaSalle automobiles, owners, enthusiasts and Club members are expected to attend the event, which is open to the public. Special guests will include Dave Leone, Cadillac Brand Lead Executive Chief Engineer, Margaret Dunning, who at 104 is a renowned philanthropist and auto enthusiast, as well as many other Cadillac design and engineering retirees. Cadillac & LaSalle owners who are members of the national Cadillac-LaSalle Club can also take part in the weekend-long Cadillac Fall Festival.

The Gilmore Car Museum, located in Hickory Corners, near Kalamazoo in Michigan, is renowned for its collection of over 375 extraordinary vehicles, as well as its 90-acre park-like campus made up of historic buildings. A small town train depot, 1930s gas station, 1941 diner, and a re-created auto dealerships including 1918 Franklin, 1928 Ford Model A, 1930s Lincoln are just a few of the buildings currently on the ever-expanding grounds. The Gilmore Car Museum also serves as home to the Classic Car Club of America Museum, the Pierce-Arrow Museum, the H.H. Franklin Club Museum, the Model A Ford Foundation Museum and Lincoln Motorcar Foundation Museum, which also opened on the Gilmore campus earlier this year.

To learn more about the Gilmore Car Museum and the Cadillac & LaSalle Club please visit GilmoreCarMuseum.org and CadillacLasalleClub.org.

Rare 1938 Mercedes – Hidden Away During WWII in a German Bunker and Found 60 Year Later – Featured at Michigan International Auto Show

An ultra-rare 1938 Mercedes 540K Sport Tourer, which had been hidden away in a World War II-era basement-bunker in Germany and discovered nearly 60 years later, will be featured this year at the Michigan International Auto Show.

This magnificent automobile will be part of the Gilmore Car Museum’s showcase of a dozen historic vehicles during the 16th annual show, February 6-9, 2014, at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.

Only two 540K Sport Tourer models were ever built, with this car being the sole survivor.

“It’s amazing to think that an automobile of this caliber and historical importance survived WWII,” remarked Jay Follis, Marketing Director for the Gilmore Car Museum. “In a war that cost 65 million lives, devastated much of Europe, and saw so many works of art and cultural treasures destroyed or stolen and lost forever, it’s simply astounding.”

Discovering this ultra-rare automobile, hidden in a WWII-era basement-bunker after 60 years, sounds like a story right out of an Indian Jones movie. The car’s original owner lived in Dresden, Germany, and shortly after receiving it, World War II broke out with Germany being the epicenter. In an effort to protect his car from the ravages of war and conceal it from enemy troops, he knocked out a portion of his basement, drove the car in and concealed it by bricking up the doors and windows to make a kind of bunker. It remained there, remarkably surviving the 1945 bombing of Dresden, for nearly 6 decades.

Prior to World War II, Mercedes-Benz was arguably one of the world's most prestigious European automakers and the choice of the cars of kings, captains of industry, and the rich and famous alike. Built between 1936 and 1939, the supercharged Mercedes 540K has become legendary for its exquisite beauty and breath-taking performance, and is coveted by collectors worldwide. In all only 406 in 12 different body styles were crafted before war halted production, yet only two 540K Sport Tourers were ever produced.

With the fall of the Nazi regime and the end of WWII, Germany was divided by the Allies with Dresden becoming part of Soviet-controlled East Germany. This remarkable auto remained hidden until after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when it was finally discovered. The vehicle was complete and in its original condition, only showing the typical deterioration from age and neglect. Given the rarity and importance of the car, the decision was made to have it completely restored, which was finished in 2005. That same year, it debuted at the world-renowned Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it was awarded a Best in Class award.

This custom-built Mercedes features a Mother-of-Pearl dash, V-windshield, disappearing convertible top, and could reach speeds well over 100 mph. In 1938, it sold new for an estimated $12,000. While that may not seem to be a high dollar amount today, it was a substantial price compared to Chevrolet’s convertible at $755 or the Ford Deluxe convertible sedan at $900.

Today, being the only remaining example of the two 540K Sport Tourer models made and for its incredible story of survival, this magnificent automobile is considered one of the rarest Mercedes-Benz in existence.

When asked what the car’s current value is, Follis simply stated, “It’s a question we’re often asked. But how do you attach a number to something with such significant historic value? How do you put a price on that or to something which is the only one in the world?”

Those attending the International Auto Show in Grand Rapids will have the exclusive opportunity of viewing this automotive treasure as part of the Gilmore Car Museum display, in the Grand Gallery.

The 16th Annual Michigan International Auto Show is presented by the Grand Rapids New Car Dealers Association and is one of 14 consumer expositions produced by ShowSpan Inc., in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1945, ShowSpan – a John D. Loeks Company – has grown to be one of the largest producers of consumer shows in the Midwest.

Michigan International Auto Show: February 6-9, 2014

Thursday, February 6 3:00pm – 10:00pm
Friday, February 7 11:00am – 10:00pm
Saturday, February 8 10:00am – 10:00pm
Sunday, February 9 10:00am – 6:00pm

Admission: $10 adults, $4 children aged 6 to 14. Kids 5 and under are admitted free.

www.GRAutoShow.com

World's Largest Model A Museum to Open May 18 in Hickory Corners

The Grand Opening Celebration of the all-new Model A Ford Museum—the world’s largest public museum dedicated to the Model A—will take place Saturday, May 18, 2013 in Hickory Corners, MI.

Fashioned after a 1928 Ford dealership, the new museum is located in southwest Michigan on the campus of the renowned Gilmore Car Museum – America’s Signature Collection.

“The Model A is a car that all can relate to,” explains Michael Spezia, executive director of the Gilmore Car Museum.

“It was an affordable and very popular automobile that has been owned and enjoyed by millions of people,” Spezia continued. “We are proud and honored to welcome the Model A Ford Museum to our historic campus.”

Nearly 5 million Model A Fords were manufactured between 1928 - 1931 and marked the second commercial triumph for Henry Ford after the Model T. In fact, during that time period more people owned a vehicle produced by that Ford Motor Company than any other maker worldwide.

In late 1927 when Henry Ford announced the first all-new Ford in two decades would soon be available, he was greeted with such tremendous public enthusiasm that 400,000 Model A Fords sold “sight unseen” before the car was even unveiled.

“The legendary Model A Ford has become an icon of Americana,” says Stan Johnson, president of the Model A Ford Foundation, Inc. (MAFFI). “And the museum will preserve the car and the era.”

Johnson states representatives from Ford Motor Company, including Corporate Historian Robert Kreipke, will take part in the Grand Opening ceremonies. They’ll be joined by representatives of various national and regional Model A Ford clubs, as well as hundreds of Model A Fords from around the country at the event.

The Model A Ford Foundation, Inc. (MAFFI) was able to raise over $1 million dollars for the building project and completed the 12,000 sq. ft. museum in just under a year.

Among the nearly 30 vehicles, cut-away engines and various memorabilia in the new museum, exhibit highlights include:

* Thomas Edison’s Model A. This was the very first Model A Ford completed, was driven off the assembly line by Henry Ford on October 21, 1927 and presented to inventor Thomas Edison. Here it will be exhibited for the first time in decades to the general public. In 1943, Edison’s widow donated the car to the Henry Ford Museum, which has graciously loaned it to the Model A Ford Museum.

* A rare 1930 Model A school bus. This vehicle originally served the El Monte, California school district. It was rescued and restored by a Model A club in Placerville, CA and shipped to the museum in time for its opening.

* Authentic and unusual Model A Trucks. From an original United State Postal delivery truck to a unique dual powered-axle truck that was used in building the Hoover Dam and a tow truck that could be ordered with stylish sides and chrome side rails.

* Original 1920s and 30s clothing. These period garments range from styles worn by school children, housewives, and workers, to a prized wedding dress.

* Complete parts and service department. More like a time capsule, this display sports many brand new parts remaining in their original packaging or unopened crates from 80 years ago. The gas pumps located in front of the dealership still boasts only 18.5 cents a gallon!

“The Model A is a consistent favorite among car collectors and is also one of the most recognized autos of all time,” states Jay Follis of the Gilmore Car Museum. “For many it represents the antique car hobby itself.”

The new Model A Museum Grand Opening will take place Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 9am – 6pm, at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI.

A ribbon cutting ceremony takes place at 11am, with special guests and keynote speakers. Visitors can also enjoy historic lectures, presentations and tours and live music throughout the day.

This special event is open to the public with admission to the Gilmore Car Museum and campus only $5 each—less than half normal price. Those arriving in a Model A Ford will be given special parking near the Model A Museum and free admission to the entire Gilmore Car Museum campus. To learn more about the Model A Ford Foundation, Inc. and its new museum please visit www.MAFFI.org.

The Gilmore Car Museum - America’s Signature Collection is situated on a 90-acre historic campus near Kalamazoo, MI, midway between Detroit and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org or call (269) 671-5089.