Cars from the SoCal 2 Museum Meet - Pictures!

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Here we see Mr. Messer showing us under the hood of the Oldsmobile Double Ghia concept car. This car was eventually sold with a large Hemi V8, but the concept was powered by a meager V6 which looked like a toy under the huge bonnet.





This 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Van Vooren Cabriolet once belonged to the Shah of Iran.



This hand painted Porsche attracted a lot of attention. It is not the famous one owned by singer Janis Joplin, but the craftsmanship cannot be denied.







The 1953 Dodge Zeder was designed by Bertone and featured very striking lines.





I'd love to pilot a car like this up a 14 thousand foot peak in my home state.

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Stacked in the back corner is a collection of motorcycles ranging from the early Indians to the Batbike.



Another stunning Ghia bodied car was this 1953 Cadillac once owned by actress Rita Hayworth







This Toyota Celica race car was just one of many vehicles not even mentioned in the tour. I have no idea of it's prominence but it sure looks fun.



Two clay molds created during the automotive design process. The Chrysler weighed in over 8,000 lbs while the RX7 design closely resembles the production car.



This little "pocket rocket" has always been on my list of things to drive before I die. The Renault R5 Turbo.





This is the earliest Porsche 901 known to exist today. The 901 name, as opposed to 911, confirms it is one of the first 82 ever built.

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Behind the doors to a second room in the vault lay even more priceless autos, all concealed to the public eye. Many of these cars were on display a year ago when I first visited the museum with Paul. I was thrilled to be reacquainted with them all.

The 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Aerodynamic Coupe, also known as the "Round Door Rolls" captivated me last time I saw it. It's appeal diminished none under the low ceiling and dim lights.











Sometimes a reflection in the bodywork does not ruin the shot.



This seemed like the perfect father/son pair. An original 1960s Ford GT40 road car next to the younger tribute the Ford GT45. The GT45 is five inches taller than the only 40" tall GT40. Hence the names.

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It's Ed Roth time!









There's more to come. This place has something for everyone.

There are no plaques or information on these cars, seeing as they're in storage. Unless Mr. Messer identified it it's up to me to figure a lot of these out. This is, I believe, a 1937? Cord 812 Supercharged





This was Mr. Tucker's, 1948 Tucker Sedan.





I haven't a clue what this one is, but she's beautiful.

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Here's another car I've met before. 1929 DuPont Roadster, complete with projector headlights and an illuminated crystal hood ornament that looks mighty familiar.





Bugatti's always just have "that look".

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The Petersen's Bugatti Veyron was recently featured on Conan O'Brian's short lived Tonight Show on NBC.





The trouble with a having a Bugatti Veyron in your basement is that you have to move it every time you want to drive your Jaguar XJ220.









The Toyota 2000GT sits in good company





I finished off our tour of the vault admiring this straight 8

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Their lobby always contains a few examples of what you'll find in the galleries. This 1953 Bosley GT Mark 1 had a top speed of 160 MPH courtesy of a Chrysler Hemi engine and a fiberglass body.







A pair of Steve McQueen's Indian motorcycles, often ridden through traffic on Sunset Blvd in his day.





This, I believe, was the first vehicle ever badged as a Cadillac





This Stutz Wood-Track race car was terrifying to behold.





That suspension. On a short, banked, wood track. In front of crowds. Terrifying.

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A trio of unique doors lead us into a first floor gallery; beginning with the Mercedes McLaren







Followed by a Delorean DMC-12 with only 7 miles on the odometer



And another Bugatti. The EB110.













What can I say? I love that car.

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The 1930 Nash 482R Coupe featured a Twin Ignition Six with two spark plugs per cylinder for increased efficiency.





The 1924 Franklin Model 10C Sedan, built in Syracuse, New York.





This 1939 Packard Super Eight Phaeton belonged to Juan and Evita Peron of Argentina.





The 1934 La Salle Series 350 Convertible Coupe was art deco in every detail









I liked this car a lot.

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The 1945 Bell Special Midget Racer isn't much more than a seat, wheels, and an Offenhauser Indy engine.





Two lowriders were glistening in the low light. The paint had such depth that you couldn't see the surface of the metal.





The 1952 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible built by Frank DeRosa was the finest of it's genre.











Acres of chrome

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Elvis Presley's De Tomaso Pantera still had a bullet hole in the dashboard from the time he couldn't get it started and shot it.



This is the 1999 prototype for a limited run Mach 5 Racer based on the 60's cartoon series, which sadly never made it to production.







Elton John's 1949 Delahaye Type 178 Drophead Coupe





Mel Torme's 1937 Jaguar SS-100 got it's name from it's 100 MPH top speed.

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The 1952 Maverick Sportster began their tour of fiberglass bodied cars.





The 1979 Pegaso is a prototype had my favorite spot in the museum. The light is perfect here.





This Ford Mustang drag car is a fiberglass monster







The Meyers Manx was a kit car based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis.



The light seemed to pour over the lines of a Studebaker Avanti



Another of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's creations, Outlaw, was the legendary 'Rod maker's first experience with fiberglass

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The 1954 Sorrell-Manning SR-100 Special





The 1958 Devin SS sold well as a kit car, as it's body could easily conform to almost any chassis or frame from the time



This 1956 Volvo P-1900 is one of four prototypes, bodied in California, of the short lived Swedish sports car.





The 1952 Woodhill Wildfire wrapped up the gallery





At this point only a picture of a car could express the joy I felt over those two days visiting the museums.



Except not as creepy.

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An early production '92 SVX on display on the deck, tee hee.



Special thanks to Paul Dexler, and the SVX World Network for bringing all these wonderful enthusiasts together. For more shots of the SVXs at both days of the meet, look here. I learned a ton over those two days, but of course I had references in captioning these pictures. Aside from the vault, I photographed the plaque alongside the car which gave me details on the subject. Other tidbits were heard from Paul, or Mr. Messer while touring and recounted from memory. I also searched online for many of the cars, referencing image searches and used wikipedia for backups quite often. If you find a factual error in the captions, or have an addition to make, feel free to let me know. I'm no expert on these vehicles, but I love to learn more about them.


Thanks for looking,
-Kit W.