Southward Car Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Southward Car Museum

Established	22 December 1979; 45 years ago (22 December 1979)
Type	Car museum
Founder	Len Southward

The entrance to Southward Car Museum from Otaihanga Road.

The Southward Car Museum is a super cool place in Otaihanga, New Zealand. It's a museum filled with amazing cars and also a spot for events. A man named Len Southward started it in the 1970s. He wanted a home for his huge collection of over 450 cars and even some airplanes! Now, a special group called a charitable trust runs the museum.

The museum building was built just for this purpose. It has a giant exhibition hall, which is about 6,000 square meters big. That's like a huge playground for cars! There's also a workshop, a gift shop, and a small cafe. All of this is set in beautiful park-like grounds. Inside the building, you'll find the Southward Theatre. It has 474 seats and a special 1929 Wurlitzer theatre organ. This organ used to be in the Civic Theatre in Auckland.

The Museum's Story

How the Car Collection Started

The amazing car collection at the museum began with Len Southward and his wife, Vera. They started collecting cars way back in 1956. Their very first car was a Ford Model T. Imagine starting with just one car and building such a massive collection!

Building the Museum

Len Southward gathered the largest private car collection in Australia and New Zealand. In 1976, he bought a big piece of land, about 6 hectares (which is like 15 acres). He wanted to build a museum there so everyone could see his cars.

Work on the museum site began in 1971. However, it took some time to get official permission from the council. Construction finally got approval in 1977. The Southward Car Museum officially opened its doors on December 22, 1979.

The Len and Vera Southward Legacy exhibit.

In 2020, a new exhibit opened at the museum. It tells the story of Len and Vera's lives and all the cool things they achieved. This exhibit includes both digital displays and real items from their lives.

Amazing Cars to See

The main display hall of Southward Car Museum, New Zealand, in 2023.

The museum has around 450 vehicles, and each one has its own unique story! Here are just a few of the incredible cars you can find there:

• 1895 Benz Velo: This is a super old car! It was brought to New Zealand in 1900.
• 1915 Stutz Indianapolis Race Car: Imagine a car from over 100 years ago that was built for racing!
• Gull-Winged Mercedes-Benz: This car has doors that open upwards, like a seagull's wings. It looks really futuristic, even today!
• 1934 Cadillac V-16 Town Cabriolet: This fancy car once belonged to a famous American actress named Marlene Dietrich.
• 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770: This car has a very interesting history. It was believed to be a gift for King Edward VIII of England.
• 1950 Cadillac Sixty Special "Gangster Special": This car belonged to an American gangster named Mickey Cohen. It was super tough, with armored body panels and bulletproof glass that was 1.5 inches thick!
• DMC DeLorean: If you've seen the Back to the Future movies, you'll recognize this one! It's the only DeLorean on public display in New Zealand.
• 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Rally Car: This car was driven by the famous rally driver Ken Block. He used it in the 2007 NZRC Season and Rally New Zealand.