This collection is eclectic, but that’s an understatement.
Lane Motor Museum Nashville is not your average southern car museum. It doesn’t feature 17 rows of Corvettes and Camaros, Mustangs or Chargers. Lane Motor Museum houses a variety of rare and unusual vehicles, both classic and vintage. The collection includes about 350 vehicles. “My Classic Car” visited a museum to get a close look at some of its oddest models. The episode was posted to MyClassicCarTV’s YouTube channel.
Dennis Gage, the host of “My Classic Car”, and his flawless mustache, flies to a Czechoslovakian car, the 1947 Tatra T87. The rear-engined, air-cooled car has many quirks. Because carmakers couldn’t make curved glass at that time, the T87 has a three-pane windshield. The car could travel 100 mph at the time of its creation, making the rear fin useful for stability. The aluminum V8 engine is an over-head cam.
Next we will see the 1946 Hewson Rocket. This is a unique creation that was made for plane makers after WWII. The Hewson Rocket features an all-polished-aluminum exterior so it would look like an airplane. The only instrument gauge on the Hewson Rocket is a Lincoln and it’s powered by a 60-horsepower V8 Ford flathead motor.
Gage looks at the 1928 Martin Aerodynamic, which is Gage’s third vehicle. Another unique creation, this one has a rear-engined water-cooled design. It has a wooden monocoque frame with an aluminum body.
Gage is most interested in the 1932 Helicron Propeller Car. Although he was enthusiastic about it right from the beginning, he kept it for a specific reason. It is powered by a propeller, as its name implies. It is also French. The vehicle is kept together by a fiberglass-covered wood body. When the museum discovered it in France, the Helicron was still in good working order. The restoration included the addition of a propeller and fresh paint, which was French Racing Blue.
Lane Motor Museum is a great place to visit the next time you are in Nashville. You won’t find many unique cars anywhere else.