LeMay Car Museum

A lot of people probably do not know (at least I didn't) that the Pacific Northwest is home to one of the world's largest private car collections. The LeMay Museum houses over 2,000 automobiles in Spanaway, Washington on the grounds of an old boys military academy. Local businessman Harold LeMay spent years collecting automobiles - at its peak, he had over 3,000 cars in the collection. In 1996, the LeMay Collection was listed as the largest privately owned car collection in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.

I had the chance to tour the LeMay car collection with the car club, Puget Sound Rally Club. Though I do not know enough about different makes and models of cars to appreciate what makes the cool ones unique or special or fast, I do appreciate the history behind the cars. I like imagining the people who purchased a 1922 Ford Model T to move out to California, or those Progressive Era women who gained a new sense of liberation driving a car for the first time. Cars tell a lot about culture, fashion, and politics. I noted that many of the 1930s through 1950s cars featured hood ornaments shaped like missiles, jets, or airplanes.

Featured in one of the showrooms was the 1906 Ford Model N, a gas-powered car. Next to it on the floor was a 1902 Standard Electric car. The electric car was popular with women because it was quiet and did not need to be hand-cranked. However, it was more expensive than the gas car and drivers needed to ensure that wherever they traveled would have a facility to recharge the car. Due to electric car drawbacks, Ford decided to invest time and money in their gas-powered car. Our tour guide pointed out that if the car industry of the early 1900s decided to invest equivalent time and resources in the electric car, our world would be a dramatically different place.

Cars are such an important and indicative aspect of American culture and history. In many ways, American life has been molded around our use of automobiles. Certainly some of the problems facing the U.S. now are due to such dependence on cars.

But I loved the sense of nostalgia I felt in the LeMay Museum. Many of us have fond memories of cars, and cars can often represent important events or phases in life. I often reminisce about my parent's blue 1970s Chevrolet C-10 pick-up truck because every summer we drove that truck to the beach and I remember my legs sticking to the vinyl seat from the heat. My parents never had to replace the brakes in that truck for the entire thirty years they owned it because it was driven almost entirely on the highway for our family vacations. We also added an extra seat belt so my cousin and I along with my parents could all cram on the truck bench seat for beach excursions.

Anyone have car memories to share? Cool cars you or your family owned?

There were so many cars packed into the two main warehouses that it was difficult to get many good photos. But here are a few tidbits...

1906 Ford Model N gas-powered car. The white tires were unable to hold a tread. Can you imagine driving a car on a rainy day without tread on the tires?

1922 Ford Model T. Ford's production of the Model T dramatically shaped the car industry, car production, and gave the average American tremendous mobility.

The cars increase in date produced from the back right all the way to the back left. It's interesting to see the progression of grills, lights, and bumpers.

The middle lights on this car moved with the steering wheel. Some cars had a single middle light that moved with the steering wheel - called "cyclops" eyes.Let me see ya grill! I think this photo is fun because it shows both a fanciful hood ornament and an impressive grill.
1949 Kaiser Manhattan. This car is quite rare - and the color is copyrighted by Kaiser. That is my kind of car color!I thought the 1930 Ford Model A taxi cab was neat. There was just one seat in the front, with the window divider molded around the driver, giving the passengers extra room for luggage.

1939 Buick Century. A very nice-looking car.

Ambulances have come a long way over the years.