A recent article highlights the heartbreaking closures of ten prominent automotive museums across the United States, driven by factors like founder deaths, the COVID-19 pandemic, and financial struggles. These institutions, which preserved historic vehicles and memorabilia, struggled to maintain operations despite their cultural significance. Many collections were auctioned off, scattering irreplaceable pieces of automotive history.
Automotive museums serve as vital repositories of vehicular heritage, showcasing classics from muscle cars to rare prototypes. However, running them proves challenging due to high costs for space, maintenance, and marketing, often relying on slim margins from admissions and events. External pressures, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of key benefactors, have led to numerous closures in recent years.
The Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, California, shut its doors in October 2024 following the 2020 death of founder Stanley Zimmerman and pandemic impacts. Opened in 2002 with Earl Rubenstein, it emphasized interactive experiences like Sunday rides in historic vehicles such as Auburns, Packards, and a Pontiac Fiero. Competition and lost financial support sealed its fate.
In Chicago, the Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum closed in 2025 after founder Larry Klairmont's 2021 passing. Spanning 100,000 square feet with nearly 300 vehicles and over 1,000 road art pieces, highlights included a 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport and the Golden Sahara II custom car. Its collection auctioned at Mecum in September 2025 under "Larry's Legacy," featuring sales like a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Aero Coupe.
The Dream Car Museum in Evansville, Indiana, founded by Larry Bennett in 2015, closed to the public on January 5, 2020, due to low revenue despite community ties and displays of movie cars like the "General Lee" from "The Dukes of Hazzard." It attracted about 600 visitors monthly and later became a private event space.
Oxnard, California, lost two museums in 2024: the Mullin Automotive Museum in February, focused on French cars like a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, after Peter Mullin's September 2023 death; and the Murphy Auto Museum in July, which drew 10,000 visitors yearly but faltered post-2019 relocation and COVID. The Mullin collection fetched over $19 million at Gooding & Company auction, with a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C selling for $6.6 million.
The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, closed in 2023 after John Parham's 2017 death and low attendance. Founded in 1989, it housed over 500 bikes, including Steve McQueen's 1947 Indian Chief. Mecum Auctions sold pieces like a 1927 Brough Superior SS100 for $220,000.
Older closures include the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan, which shuttered in December 2016 after intermittent operations since 2012, displaying over 60 Chrysler-era vehicles. Muscle Car City Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, closed January 17, 2021, amid pandemic declines, auctioning GM muscle cars like 17 Chevelles.
The Rodz and Bodz Museum in Englewood, Colorado, operated from 2021 to 2025, focusing on movie vehicles like a 1970 Dodge Charger from "Fast & Furious," but closed due to relocation issues; nearly 60 items sold. The Sarasota Classic Car Museum, open since 1953, ended in 2023 when its lease was canceled by New College of Florida, displacing 150 cars including Ferraris and a stolen-then-recovered 1977 Porsche 911 Turbo.
Motor Trend lamented the Mullin closure, stating, "We may never get up close and personal with such a rare vehicle collection ever again." These losses underscore the fragility of preserving automotive history amid economic and personal hardships.
