St. Louis Car Museum and Sales (I)

On the road again!  This time we were off to St. Louis Missouri to visit Laurie’s family followed by our celebration of our oldest grandson’s high school graduation up in Omaha Nebraska.

We really enjoy finding ‘hidden gems’…attractions, restaurants, scenes, etc. that most folks miss.  Since Laurie and I both love beautifully designed automobiles, especially those from the past, when we discovered the existence of the St. Louis Car Museum and Sales in St. Louis, a visit was a ‘must’!

One of the nice things about this museum is that it isn’t just a museum.  Many of the cars on for sale so visitors can look at these classic cars with an eye toward purchasing one of them…or just peruse the collection and dream a bit!

St. Louis Car Museum and Sales has been in business for about 25 years.  It’s located on a secondary street near I-17o.  If you aren’t looking for it, you probably wouldn’t stumble across this big 5-acre plus building.

This business collects and sells classic cars, they store them for their clientele and they have them on display as well.  For a modest entry fee, visitors and dreamers are welcome to wander the aisles looking at the cars (and other items) on display or for sale.

All we could say when we saw this beauty was Wow!  This handsome beauty is a 1935 Mercedes Benz 500 Special Edition.  This fully restored gem has the original 5.0L incline 8 cylinder engine with the supercharger.  Good news!  It is for sale!  This gorgeous creation can be yours for $1,995,900…

This is just one overview of the interior display area in the St. Louis Car Museum and Sales building.  There are at least 150 autos on display as well as other auto and transportation related items.

This is a 1959 Ferrari Dino 196S Fantuzzi Spyder.  It was probably being stored for an owner and it wasn’t for sale when we visited.  However, it was taken for a drive on the Internet.  If you like to hear racing engines and would like to see how this sleek racing car handles, just go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otZWgb-GbM0. 

Another owner’s car… This is a 1959 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz Convertible.  A red version of this big 225 inch long classic car was recently sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $99,000.  Originally, these cars sold for about $7,400.

We both loved this 1930 Mercedes Benz SSK!  It would be such fun to drive around in this car for a day or so…

Fewer than 40 SSKs were built between 1928 and 1932.  Half of them were used for racing and many crashed and were cannibalized for parts.  Only 4 or 5 entirely original models are reputed to exist and they are among the most sought after cars in the world.

Note:

·       The SSK was the last car designed for Mercedes-Benz by Ferdinand Porsche before he left to found his own company.

This is a 1970 Plymouth Superbird.  It was a modified Road Runner and it was developed for NASCAR Racing.  With its outstanding aerodynamics and downforce plus its Hemi engines it could hit 200 mph on the track.  

As per NASCAR rules, it had to be available for purchase by the public. 

About 2,000 of these cars were shipped to dealers in the USA and Canada.  It’s estimated that about 1,000 of them remain today…

The Excalibur was a car that was styled after the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK.  A company was formed to build and market them.  Under their styling, the cars were conventional.  Most were powered by Chevrolet 327s and they were fast cars…achieving 0 – 60 mph in less than 6 seconds.

This is Excalibur is a Series II Phaeton…and it could be yours for only $42,900.

This is a replica 1936 Auburn 876 Boattail Speedster.  It’s powered by a 460 cubic inch V8 engine and it only has 3,300 miles on the odometer.  I’d like an original…but hey, I’m not greedy.  This beautiful copy can be had for only $69,900.

 Of course, I’d feel pretty good tooling around in this black beauty too… It’s a 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II.  Price: $79,900.

How about something a little more unusual?  This is a 1929 LaSalle Series 328 4-passenger Phaeton.  Love that blue paint!  Powered by a 328 cubic inch L-head V-8, she is priced at $82,750. 

Note:

·       Did you know that LaSalle was a luxury automobile that was manufactured and marketed by General Motors Cadillac Division from 1927 through 1940?  LaSalle autos were actually manufactured by Cadillac but they were priced lower than Cadillacs…

This is a pricy little sports car.  How about that sliding or hidden door!  Pretty fancy… This is a 1954 Kaiser Darrin Model 161 Roadster.  Built by Kaiser Motors, the Darrin was the first American car equipped with a fiberglass body and doors that slid into the front fender wells. 

The price tag for this one is $149,900.  Why so expensive?  Only 435 production models were produced along with 6 prototypes.  Most importantly, nothing on the road looks like these sleek sports cars!

I didn’t know that I could buy a Rolls Royce for such a reasonable price.  Well, it is 30 years old… This is a 1989 Rolls Royce Silver Spur.  It has a 6.75L V-8 with an automatic transmission.  It could be yours for only $34,400!

I’m sure that this is part of St. Louis Car Museum’s owner’s personal collection.  This is a 1924 White Yellowstone 11-passenger open touring bus.  Used in the 1920s, it has a musical exhaust whistle and an ‘ahooga’ horn.

Later in the 1930s, White produced 500 of their small buses that were specifically designed to carry passengers through the major National Parks of the western USA.  They had roll back convertible tops.  Some of these buses have been refurbished and are still in operation.  Glacier National Park has 33, Yellowstone has 8…3 of which are this early model.  Gettysburg National Battlefield operates 2 of Yellowstone’s original buses.    

This is a view of the spotless shop which backs up against the rear wall of the museum display area.  Not a bad collection by itself!  In addition to the cars, there is a plethora of other collectibles.  Gas signs, bicycles and that great Jet Diner neon sign all grabbed our attention…

The classy looking car on the left is a 1935 Packard Eight 1101 2/4 Rumble Seat Coupe.  It has been totally rebuilt with factory equipment and it’s powered with a 320 cubic inch Incline 8.  Price: $159,900. 

The car on the right is a 1934 Lincoln KA522 Coupe.  It’s powered by a 414 cubic inch V-12.  Only 60 were built and of the 60, only 5 were built with both a rumble seat and a spare tire.  This is the only survivor of that group of 5… Price: $164,900.

This little MG Roadster with a 50 HP 4-cylinder engine certainly brought back memories.  My grandmother had one that looked just like this one.  She drove it like a maniac (or a race car driver) and after just one ride, neither my brother nor I would ever ride with her again.   

This is a 1957 Austin-Healey 100-6.  This 2-seat roadster was produced in England from 1956 to 1959.  I think that it is a great looking roadster!  Love the colors, upholstery, grill and lights… Price: $61,500.  Love those gas pumps and the other auto related memorabilia!

This must be ‘Shelby’ country!  This is a 2011 replica Backdraft Racing Shelby Cobra.  She is powered by a 408 cubic inch V-8 with a 5 speed transmission.  Believe or not, this car only has 1,352 miles on her odometer.  It is reasonably priced too, at $64,900.

Here is a ‘racing red’ 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is powered by a 302 cubic inch V-8 with a 4-speed transmission.  It’s from California so it’s never dealt with icy roads and ice.  Price: $59,000.

…another Shelby Mustang but in this case it’s a 1969 GT350 Tribute with a 5-speed transmission, powered by a 351 cubic inch V-8.  Price: $59,900.

I’m seem to be on a consistent price streak now… This 1954 Mercury V-8 Station Wagon has been fully restored and it has power brakes!  This pleasant looking 65 year old family automobile, just like the 2 Mustangs, can be purchased for $59,900.

My first car was a 1956 Oldsmobile… I didn’t know that you actually had to change the oil!  Froze up like a block of granite…

This is a 1942 Ford Super Deluxe “Woodie” Station Wagon.  Powered by a 221 cubic inch Flathead V-8, not everything is about speed.  Style counts…and the fact that the only civilian car released by Ford in 1942 was the Ford Super Deluxe.  That makes this this station wagon a little special.  Price: $124,900.

I don’t ever remember having a station wagon, much less a ‘woodie’.  We had a Ford, a couple of Hudsons and a Morris Minor.  When I was a young teenager on the ‘prowl’, I had to borrow my mother’s 4 cylinder baby blue Ford Falcon… I’ve never recovered from that experience!

I’ll end this post with one more ‘woody’.  I guess that Cadillac couldn’t spell woody like Ford did.  This big beautiful boat of a car is a 1941 Cadillac Series 61 Station Wagon.  She is up for sale right now on eBay.  The opening bid was $64,935 but the reserve hadn’t been met yet.  Bidding ends this coming Tuesday at 12:14 AM!

I also found this same car (with lots of first class photos) on the Hemmings website.  It is thought to be 1 of only 14 cars of this type that were built.  The price shown on the Hemmings site (as shown at St. Louis Car Museum) is $99,900.Website: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/cadillac/61/2087382.html.

FYI…If you are in the St. Louis area this weekend, the St. Louis Car Museum and Sales Inaugural Car Show takes place this Sunday, June 2, 2019 between 10 AM and 2 PM.  To learn more, go to www.blacklistedevents.org.

Two additional posts regarding St. Louis Car Museum and Sales are planned…and it’s not all about the cars!  This museum and auto sales operation is located at 1575 Woodson Road in St. Louis Missouri.  Phone: 314-993-1330.  Website: www.stlouiscarmuseum.com.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see what we’ve been doing!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave