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John Lennon’s Psychedelic Bentley at the Nations Oldest Car Museum.
By carlvaleri | January 5, 2010
Memories of road trips and family visits occupy my thoughts as we stroll past the historic cars. Entering the Classic Car Museum in Sarasota, Forida, we are drawn to the multicolored Bentley once owned by John Lennon. Tracing the lines and colorful patterns with my eyes, I felt a slight dizziness as I tried to make sense of the many shapes.
Nearby a large steel encased structure, fins protruding from the rear, reminded me of a ship steaming through the water instead an automobile. The era of big lumbering cars of the 1950’s and 60’s is what many envision as a classic American car and comprises one of my favorite eras in car production.
Post WWII era cars are prominently displayed and are popular collectors items amongst the baby boomers. I enjoy the judicious use of chrome, large quarter panels, and interiors with huge seats and sturdy metal controls. The large size of the car’s radio must have made it a challenge to tune while driving.
The true Classic Cars, built between 1925 and 1948, and the older antique cars on display are well maintained. The collection includes cars from famous owners such as the Beetles and the Ringling family.
Modern classics include a Plymouth Road Runner, Ford Shelby Mustang, Jaguars, and BMW’s. The Plymouth Super Bird Road Runner with its huge spoiler and shark shaped nose is a real attention getter.
This is a terrific museum for both the car enthusiast and the curious onlooker. Each display has a detailed description of the car explaining any unique design elements, listing prominent owners, and detailing the production history.
A wide variety of unique automobiles are displayed including cars made of stainless steel with gull wing doors, to small go cart size vehicles. One car even has the passenger door on the front of the car with the steering wheel attaching to the door as it opens.
Bring the family for short informative and fun tour of the many unique cars. I suggest giving yourself one to two hours for your visit. If you are a car enthusiast you it will take a few hours to study the history and nuances of each model.
During a tour of this museum you are bound to point to a car and say “I remember that car”. This museum will lead you down memory lane, entertain, and educate you. That is why the Classic Car Museum is one of my favorite historic attractions in the Sarasota area.
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Topics: Florida, Museum, Sarasota, Transportation | No Comments »