Every car will break your heart
Is it possible to have a giant crush … on a car? The answer is a breathtaking yes, if you visit the Nethercutt. Your heart will race as you lay eyes on the staggering showroom displays, overflowing with hunky and charismatic automobiles from 1904 to 1973, including specimens from Packard, Cord, Duesenberg, Auburn, Pierce-Arrow, and Rolls Royce.
The museum’s founder, J. B. Nethercutt (1913–2004), was raised by his aunt, Merle Norman, after his mother passed away. Norman was busy making cosmetics on her cookstove, while her nephew studied chemistry at CalTech. After graduating, Nethercutt joined his aunt’s business and together they built up the Merle Norman Cosmetics empire, making millions. Nethercutt’s wealth went to accumulating an astounding array of cars.
Info
Address The Nethercutt Collection and Museum, 15151 Bledsoe Street (Museum) and 15200 Bledsoe Street (Collection), Sylmar, CA 91342, +1 818.364.6464, www.nethercuttcollection.org, info@nethercuttcollection.org | Getting there Free on-site lot | Hours Museum: Tue–Sat 9am–4:30pm. Collection: open only for guided tours by appointment Thu, Fri & Sat 10am or 1:30pm; admission is free. | Tip Need to cool down after a few hours of auto lust? Visit the Hansen Dam Aquatic Center (11798 Foothill Boulevard, Lake View Terrace, CA 91342), a sprawling recreational facility with a 1.5-acre swimming pool and 9-acre lake.
It is a bit overwhelming, gazing upon these giant works of art with their many fine details: decorative radiators, elegant taillights, finely crafted mascots, and stunning stone guards (see the 1928 Isotta Fraschini – wow!). Most were driven by the rich and powerful, and it shows. Some have chauffeur speakers and a passenger microphone.
Take time to admire the 1930 Packard, intended as a gift for the wife of an executive at Hupp Motor Company. When she died before ever seeing the car, the bereft widower told his chauffeur to junk the beauty. The chauffeur eschewed orders and secreted it away at his home, never driving it. Discovered nearly 40 years later, it was snapped up by Nethercutt and restored.
As your visit winds down and your vehicular romance comes to an end, you may find that initial heart-thumping infatuation has turned to love and respect – respect for the spirit of innovation, confidence, and boldness it took to create these divine bodies of motor.
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