The Other California Car Museum

Back in June, this blog featured a post titled “Classic Car History Lessons” wherein we looked at some of the different car museums, manufacturer displays and other historical vehicle venues that would make sensible road trip destinations for fans of classic automobiles. Our list of viable venues included nine different stops in the state of California alone, with the most famous and familiar being the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. In contrast, there is another great car museum in Southern California, but it is one that has remained largely unknown, even among die-hard car fans. The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, California has been open since founder J.B. Nethercutt and his wife Dorothy first opened their doors to the public in 1977. Although the facility has been open for over three decades, it has remained relatively obscure throughout the years. However, any trace of obscurity will quickly disappear once you visit the facility in person.

Most first-time visitors to the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, California are surprised when they find that “California’s other car museum” located just north of Los Angeles in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains is in a building that is an architectural throwback to the splendor and majesty of the roaring 20’s complete with massive marble columns, wood paneling, crystal chandeliers and mirrored walls. The museum is home to over 200 restored vehicles and at least 30 finished cars are on full display at a time. The facility also has an additional 50 or so vehicles undergoing restoration at any given moment.

The vehicles in the museum are categorized into four components consisting of the Antique Era (1890s to 1915), the Vintage Era (1916 to 1924), the Classic Era (1925 to 1948), and the Post-War Era (1945 to 1970s). In addition to the great vintage cars on display, the Nethercutt facility also contains elaborate displays of other collections that interested its founder, J.B. Nethercutt. The Lower Salon area houses antique automobiles surrounded by nickelodeons, music boxes, antique dolls, rare coins, and assorted crystal figurines. The Grand Salon showroom area features vintage-era cars nestled among wood paneled walls along with marble floors and painted ceilings. The Classic Era display contains iconic autos from the pre-war era, and the Post-War Era display area houses some of the best cars of the time from Detroit, Europe and Japan. The effect is that of a majestic space filled with immaculate classic autos along with hundreds of other interesting and curious items from days gone by like old grand pianos, antique auto hood ornaments, unusual car horns, and plenty of vintage toy cars. Further evidence of founder J.B. Nethercutt’s diverse interests are displayed in the “Music Room” area where visitors will find a world-class collection of automated mechanical musical instruments including player pianos, cylinder and disc music boxes, various antique orchestrions and a huge Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ. A couple of the museum’s treasures are just too big to be displayed indoors, and thus a pristinely restored 1912 railroad car and a complete 1937 Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson steam locomotive are on display outdoors in back of the main museum.

Despite the variety of the displays, the Nethercutt Museum is primarily focused on cars, and one distinguishing factor that sets this auto museum apart from others is that all of the vehicles on display have been completely restored on site in the facility’s own restoration shop. The Nethercutt employs full-time craftsmen, including metal shapers, painters, upholstery specialists, woodworkers, machinists and mechanics. The museum also boasts one of the largest automotive libraries and archives in the world. The library is full of period manuals, magazines, sales brochures and other literature that the Nethercutt’s craftsmen draw on to ensure every restoration they complete is 100% accurate. The ultra-high degree of restoration quality has also allowed Nethercutt cars to earn the coveted Best of Show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance six times over the years.

Today, the facility is managed by members of the Nethercutt family, and they still adhere to the founder’s original vision of making the museum experience available to the public free of charge. Visitors do not have to pay an admission fee at the Nethercutt, but they do have to make an appointment. Interested enthusiasts can call 818-367-2251 to schedule a free tour of the museum that is located at 15200 Bledsoe Street, in Sylmar, California, 91342. More information on the hours of operation and holiday schedules can be found online at www.nethercuttcollection.org.