Tupelo Automobile Museum quits

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Well, what can we say? It’s good to learn that new motor museums come up every now and then as the number of them closing their doors continues to grow. In the last couple of years we’ve seen quite a few. See for example here, here, here, here and here.

The next to stop is the Tupelo Automobile Museum, or so we understand. While its website still mentions “It is owned by a non-profit, educational foundation that will keep the collection of cars preserved for future generations”, we understand it really is to close its doors for good.

It was only sixteen years ago that the motor museum in Elvis’ birthplace opened after founder Frank Spain found that the time had come to share his private collection to the world. His collection is believed to house some 150 cars, but not all of them are on display in the museum and / or mentioned on the official website. But Spain could not enjoy his status as a museum caretaker very long. He passed away in 2006, which is almost thirteen years ago now. All that time the museum carried on without its founder – the time has now come to pass on the cars to other enthusiasts.

Until Aril this year the collection can be visited in Tupelo, a no-reserve auction in New York will follow shortly after.  Some highlights from the collection include a 1951 Talbot Logo T26, a 1964 Studebaker Avanti SC, a 1948 Tucker, a 1954 Kaiser Darrin and of course there is a George Barris creation. This time it’s one of very few 1982 Barrister Corvette’s, of which this particular car was owned by the late Liberace. There are also several pre-War cars, but noteworthy for this website is a mixture of pre- and post: a 1963 Leslie Special, which was made to mimick the famous 1908 new York-Paris Thomas Flyer and used for the 1965 movie The Great Race.

(Words editor, picture the Tupelo Automobile Museum)

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