Martin Auto Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 2008 |
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| Location | 4320 West Thunderbird Road Glendale, Arizona |
| Type | Car museum and Event Center |
| Key holdings | Vintage historical and classic cars |
| Collections | Automotive/Automobilia |
| Collection size | >175 Vehicle plus automobia |
| Founder | Mel Martin |
The Martin Auto Museum and Event Center is a special place in Glendale, Arizona. It's a museum that collects and shows off amazing old cars. The museum is a non-profit, which means it uses all its money to keep the cars safe and teach people about them. They offer tours for kids from schools, groups of veterans, and car clubs. It's a great spot to learn about the history of cars!
Contents
History of the Museum
Mel Martin's Journey
The museum was started by a man named Mel Martin. He was a real estate developer who loved cars. He wanted to share his collection of old vehicles and car-related items.
Mel Martin learned about business from a young age. He helped his family by selling newspapers. Later, his family moved to Mayer, Arizona. His father bought a gas station there, and Mel worked pumping gas.
He later moved to Phoenix and opened his own gas station called M&M. His business grew, and he bought towing trucks. He also got involved in other car-related businesses. Eventually, he started a company that auctioned cars. Mel Martin also worked with selling and developing commercial buildings.
Mel Martin began collecting cars in the 1960s. Over the years, his collection of unique and historical cars grew very large. He also collected many items related to the car industry. Mel and his wife, Sallie Martin, realized they needed a big building. They wanted enough space to show off all their amazing cars and artifacts.
The Martin Auto Museum Opens
In 2005, Mel Martin organized his vehicles into a private collection. Then, in 2008, he officially opened the Martin Auto Museum. The museum was first located in a regular commercial building in north Phoenix. Most of the cars belong to Mel Martin. A few cars belong to the museum's board members.
The museum moved to a much bigger place in early 2022. It is now located at 43rd Avenue and Thunderbird Road. This new location has space for over 175 vehicles. It also has a large event center that people can rent. Each vehicle on display has a sign. This sign tells visitors important information like the car's year, make, and model.
Amazing Cars on Display
The museum has many different kinds of vehicles. Some are very old, from before the 1950s. These are called historical vintage cars. Others are classic cars from after the 1950s. Some cars are very special because they have been driven very little. Others are unique in their design. The museum also shows off many items related to cars. There is even a vintage carousel!
The oldest vehicle you can see at the museum is an 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen. This was one of the very first cars ever made!
Here are some other cool vehicles you might see:
- A 1948 Tucker
- A 1965 Dodge Coronet A/FX Race car
- A 1917 Douglas Dump Truck
- A 1922 Chevrolet Boattail Race car
- A 1929 Cadillac Dual Cowl Phaeton that was shown in "Arizona's Concours d'Elegence"
- A 1930 convertible Duesenberg "J" Boattail Speedster
- A 1954 custom-built Oldsmobile with a 1954 Cadillac rear. This car was made for the 1977 movie "The Late Show".
- A 1959 AC Bristol, which is very rare (only 21 were built!)
- The 1963 Chrysler 300 pace setter. This car was used in the 47th Indianapolis 500 race.
- A 1965 Shelby Cobra, which was once owned by the famous car designer Carroll Shelby. Shelby even signed the car's dashboard!
- A 1990 Ford driven in NASCAR by Jeff Gordon
- A 1992 Lister Corvette, one of only three concept cars ever built
- A 2000 Pontiac Bonneville that set a world record. It went 204 miles per hour for a front-wheel-drive car!
You can also see a 1940 McCormick Farmall Tractor. And there's a 1948 American Flyer Whizzer Powered Motor Bike.
Museum Gallery
Here are some pictures of the amazing vehicles and items at the Martin Auto Museum.
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1948 Tucker
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1970 Plymouth Superbird 440cid
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DMC Delorean
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1951 Studebaker
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1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen
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Exhibit of pre-1950s vehicles
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Exhibit of post 1950 vehicles
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1965 Shelby Cobra dashboard autographed by Carroll Shelby
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1917 Douglas Dump Truck.
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1922 Chevrolet Boattail Race Car.
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1929 Cadillac Dual Cowl Phaeton.
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1930 Duesenberg "J" Boattail Speedster.
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The straight-8 engine configuration with 265 horsepower engine of the 1930 Duesenberg "J" Boattail Speedster.
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1954 Custom built Oldsmobile-Cadillac
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The Cadillac rear of the 1954 custom built Oldsmobile-Cadillac
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1959 AC Bristol Roadster
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1963 Chrysler 300 pace setter used in the 47th Indianapolis 500
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Different view of the 1963 Chrysler 300 pace setter
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1965 Shelby AC Cobra
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1990 Jeff Gordon's Ford NASCAR Race Car
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1992 Lister Corvette
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The dashboard and interior of the 1992 Lister Corvette.
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2000 Pontiac Bonneville Salt Flats Custom Racer.
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1940 McCormick Farmall Tractor.
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1948 American Flyer Whizzer Powered Motor Bike.
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Automobile industry related artifacts.
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Vintage Carousel.
See also
