Page 16 - aruba-today-20170620

A16 FEATURE
Tuesday 20 June 2017
Car Lovers’ Newport: 2 Museums Highlight Design on Wheels

Ferrari Bimbo racer, a 12-
volt electric children’s car
that was based on the
open Ferrari Spider of the
time.
The Audrain’s new exhibit,
“Fast, Fun & Fabulous: Best
of Show,” featuring award-
winning automobiles that
are a superlative example
of design or that have won
races, opens July 1.
There’s still a new car smell
at the Newport Car Mu-
seum, which opened June
1 and is actually in neigh-
boring Portsmouth, a short
drive from the attractions
of Newport. The museum is
housed in a 55,000-square-
foot space in a building
once used by defense
contractor Raytheon to
manufacture missiles. The
displays here are drawn
entirely from the private
collection of Gunther and
Maggie Buerman.
Around 50 cars are dis-
In this June 13, 2017 photo, Anna and Doug Lash of Monroe, Conn., look at a 1957 Ford Thunderbird D-Code Convertible at the played in five galleries, with
Newport Car Museum in Portsmouth, R.I. (AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith) classics including Ford Shel-
By MICHELLE R. SMITH by racing cars, Corvettes,
Associated Press Mopars and a large col-
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Car lection of fin cars, as well
enthusiasts now have their as some European, British
pick of destinations to get and Japanese cars. Every
their fix while visiting New- model of Corvette, from a
port, with two car muse- C1 to C7, is here. There’s
ums featuring classic and a 1965 Ford Shelby 427 SC
rare cars, the newest hav- Cobra, designed by Ameri-
ing opened just this month. can automotive designer
The Audrain Automobile and racecar driver Car-
Museum and the Newport roll Shelby, one of just 31
Car Museum both place made, and valued by Gun-
a strong emphasis on de- ther Buerman at $3 million.
sign and display the cars as “The idea is to span that
works of art. whole generation, so that
“What we’re really talk- the grandfather can come,
ing about is good design, the father and son have
and how car design really something to enjoy, the
reflects art and social his- mother, the grandmother.
tory,” said David de Muzio, The whole family can come
executive director of the and see something of inter-
Audrain Automobile Mu- est,” he said.
seum. “It’s another way to In this June 13, 2017 photo, a pedestrian walks past a display of a 1959 Nash Convertible Anna and Doug Lash, of
“Metropolitan” at the Audrain Automobile Museum in Newport, R.I.
understand what the cars (AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith) Monroe, Connecticut, said
are, why they look like they they have been to nu-
do.” Some of the very first car Both museums are drawn with a wide range of differ- merous car museums and
The museums fit right in to races in the United States from private collections, ent makers and years, from shows, but never one quite
the spirit of Newport, a re- happened right here in and they are different and pre-war cars to the present like the Newport Car Mu-
sort destination known for Newport,” de Muzio said. complementary. day. An exhibit on view seum.
its mansions, folk and jazz Cars became part of high The Audrain, which opened through June 25, “Drop “The artistic layout is re-
festivals and beaches. society, as vacationers in 2014, is located in a his- Dead Drop Tops,” focuses ally unique. It makes the
Wealthy families have sum- spending time at summer toric building on Bellevue, on convertibles and fea- cars look like a piece of
mered here for generations homes would parade their next to the International tures a range of cars, from art. These cars were vir-
— bringing with them their cars around town. Some of Tennis Hall of Fame. It ro- a 1930 Pierce-Arrow Model tual pieces of art. The pro-
cars. those car races were held tates through four exhibits A to a one-of-a-kind white duction cars today don’t
“There is a car culture here, on the beach here, or on per year of around 20 cars, and blue 2013 Bugatti Vey- even come close to some
and it goes right back to Bellevue Avenue, the leafy drawn from a collection of ron 16.4L Grand Sport Vi- of this,” said Doug Lash, a
the late 19th century when boulevard lined by Gilded 225. tesse “Le Ciel Californien.” self-described car enthusi-
Willie K. Vanderbilt was ac- Age mansions, de Muzio It has what de Muzio calls The exhibit even includes ast. “The classics that he’s
quiring and racing cars. said. an “encyclopedic” focus, curiosities such as a 1957 picked are incredible. q