Asheville NC Car Museum

1957 Cadillac Eldorado. They only built 400 of this model that year! Hey, it's older than me too!

On a trip to Asheville, we discovered that there is a car museum there. Let's go!

1957 Cadillac with rear "suicide" door. 

This is the Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum, in Grovewood Village, a very nice section of Asheville (with an "e") NC. The museum is open from April thru December, so check it out!

1927 LaSalle Phaeton. The LaSalle brand was one step cheaper than Cadillac. Sales for the LaSalle brand peaked in 1929, and by 1940 the brand was discontinued. 

This museum was founded in the 1960s by Harry Blomberg, who was Asheville's Cadillac and Pontiac dealer for many years. The collection is from the 1950s and earlier, so there are some fun cars to see. 

Admission is free, although they suggest a $5 donation to view the collection. Apparently Mr. Blomberg was a high school dropout, but I'd have to say he was a successful guy to have owned car dealerships for over 50 years!

Mr. Blomberg also sold British MG cars at his business. This is a 1950 MG TD. There was no fuel gauge, just a light that came on with 3 gallons of gas left!

Mr. Blomberg opened a gas station in 1925, added car repairs in 1927, and in 1937 became the local Cadillac dealer!

1914 Ford Model T. By 1918, half of the cars in the USA were Ford Model Ts. 

In 1913 Frederick Chandler started a car company in Cleveland Ohio. This is a 1928 Chandler with a straight 8 engine and 3 speed manual gearbox. Chandler production peaked in 1927, but over production and debt forced the company out of business after the 1928 year model. 

Chandler

1929 Ford Model A. The model A came after the model T, and car makers have used weird combinations of letters and numbers ever since!

1940 Packard 120 Coupe. The Packard company started in Ohio in 1899, and moved to Detroit in 1902.  The 120 in the  name is the wheelbase in inches. 

Packard merged with Studebaker in 1954. 

Rear bumper! During WWII the Packard company also built engines for airplanes. 

1932 Chevrolet Coupe. This car had mechanical brakes, and Chevrolet switched to much better hydraulic brakes in 1936, while Ford continued with mechanical brakes until 1939. 

This is a 1916 wood spoked Overland wheel! That's one of the little clues that tell you this is old! The Overland Automobile Company started in Terre Haute Indiana in 1903, and soon moved to Indianapolis. 

In 1908 John Willys bought Overland, renamed it Willys Overland, and moved the company to Toledo Ohio. Besides cars, of course Willys was one of 3 companies to build jeeps for WWII, and after several mergers became the Jeep company. 

REO! Lots of history involved with this company, as well as inspiring the name of rock band REO Speedwagon.

1923 REO Touring Car. The company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (REO) and from what I read you should pronounce it as one word REO, not the initials R. E. O. No connection with the cookie OREO!

1928 Pontiac Sedan. 

1925 Dodge Touring. I had never seen this badge and hood ornament before this!

1925 Dodge

1955 Cadillac. The pink Cadillac that Elvis Presley gave his mom was a 1955 also. 

More from the Dodge Brothers

1959 Edsel Corsair. It's important to remember that the Edsel name was a new brand for Ford, not just one car model. Also worth noting, it was one of the biggest flops ever! Less than 10,000 Edsels have survived. 

1926 Cadillac seven passenger!

Another quick note on the Chandler brand; Bob Hope worked for them when he was a young man in Cleveland Ohio!

There was one motorcycle in the museum, this 1946 Model U Harley Davidson