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Old cars, anyone?

NutmegCT

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If you haven't yet heard, the Tupelo (Mississippi) Automobile Museum is closing - and ...

<trumpets sound>

they're selling the entire collection.

wow - if only I had several dozen warehouses and several dozen millions of dollars.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/12/18/tupelo-automobile-museum-to-close-sell-off-collection/

https://www.djournal.com/news/tupel...cle_7615904a-5458-51a2-aa4c-f38830b4fccd.html

That is *quite* a collection:

https://www.tupeloautomuseum.com/list.php

Tupelo.jpg
 

waltesefalcon

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Wow, if only my pockets were a little deeper.
 

PAUL161

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My goodness, I can't count how many times I've passed by Tupelo and never knew the museum was there. Wife and I went to the Elvis displays once, but no mention of the museum. Shame, wish I saw it. PJ
 

DrEntropy

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"1915 Winton". No info beyond that? Which model?

One of A. Winton's grandsons is a friend. Have to find out if he knows of this. He and a few other Winton owners made a "reverse" trip to honor Winton a few years ago, New York to California in their Winton examples.

One of those engines, a straight six (Model 40, I think), had pistons the size of coffee cans!
 

Basil

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My goodness, I can't count how many times I've passed by Tupelo and never knew the museum was there. Wife and I went to the Elvis displays once, but no mention of the museum. Shame, wish I saw it. PJ

I think I stopped there back in 2007. I had purchased my Hyundai Santa Fe in Huntsville, AL back in 07 and drove back throught the smaller byways south of I-40. I went through Tupelo and visited a car museum and also Elvis' boyhood home.
 

SaxMan

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Looking at the list, I'd venture that a couple of the cars may end up being a great deal for someone.
 

JPSmit

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My goodness, I can't count how many times I've passed by Tupelo and never knew the museum was there.

I suspect that is a big part of the problem.

I get the Hemmings e-newsletter and there are regularly stories of the demise of such museums - they tend to have the same characteristics - privately compiled through an individuals passion, the next generation not as interested (it is hard to inherit someone else's hobby) combined with the increasing expense of running these things. It does raise a more general issue as to whether it is possible or necessary or viable for every museum to survive past a generation.

As we drive through our fair countries, there are many many small "museums" - out there and what most have in common is an individual's vision. This is wonderful but it doesn't follow that it needs to exist beyond the vision of that individual. This is complicated by the "baseball card/ comic book phenomenon" where we can't rid ourselves of anything for fear it will be valuable one day.

As I write this, I realize that much of my work is doing this organizationally - where, just because one groups of people felt a program or grouping was important for them doesn't necessarily mean it is important for all time.
 
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