Southland Car Museums Cater to Every Kind of Buff

Southern California abounds with collectors--and luckily, a lot of them like to share. Here is a listing of museums and car collections open to the public, from Ventura County in the north and San Diego County in the south.

Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife. 1421 Emerson Ave., Oxnard. (805) 486-5929.

Features: Retired Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler’s collection of American motorcycles and classic cars, including a huge Packard display, a 1901 Indian motorcycle and a collection of rare Porsches. Chandler’s big-game hunting trophies are also on display.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., one day a month. Next date: Nov. 7.

Admission: $7; no children under 12.

*

The Nethercutt Collection. 15200 Bledsoe St., Sylmar. (818) 367-2251.

Features: More than 200 classic and antique American and European luxury cars, mostly pre-World War II, are displayed in mansion-like setting. Also automotive memorabilia.

Hours: Two-hour tours at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. Reservations required.

Admission: Free. Dress is semi-casual; no jeans or shorts. No children under 12.

*

Justice Brothers Racing Car Museum. 2734 E. Huntington Drive, Duarte. (626) 359-9174.

Features: The brothers, famed for their high-performance engine additives, display their collection of racing machines in a museum located on a section of the famed Route 66. Racing engines, midget sprint cars, vintage Corvettes and Thunderbirds, a Ford GT-40 and automobilia are all on view.

Hours: Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission: Free. Visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

*

Vintage Coach Museum. 16593 Arrow Blvd., Fontana. (909) 823-9168.

Features: Bill Albright’s large private collection of nearly 70 Hudsons, from 1933 to 1954, including 15 restored to original condition. “We’re one-fourth museum, one-fourth junkyard, 25% restoration shop and 25% parts,” says Hudson fancier Albright.

Hours: By appointment only, Mondays through Saturdays.

Admission: Free.

*

Valentine’s Metropolitan Pit Stop. 5330 Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 769-1515.

Features: May be only museum devoted to the tiny Nash Metropolitan. Eight of the unusual cars are on display, including production models, a Nash fire engine and show cars like the bubble-top Astra-Gnome built for the 1956 New York International Auto Show. The museum is attached to Valentine’s Metropolitan parts store and restoration shop.

Hours: Store and shop open Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call for reservations for museum.

Admission: Free.

*

Petersen Automotive Museum. 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 964-6356.

Features: One of the premier automotive museums in the nation. The first level is devoted to the history of the car in Southern California, with realistic dioramas giving visitors a “you are there” look at how the car has influenced and affected us. The second floor is filled with permanent and changing exhibits featuring automobiles to fit every taste, from classics to wild customs, race cars to roadsters. A special hands-on exhibit for children (and curious grown-ups) is housed on the third floor.

Special Note: The museum is presenting an exhibition of classic Duesenbergs through Jan. 1 and a special show of historic Porsches, some never before displayed in the United States, from Sept. 11 through Nov. 8.

Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission: Adults, $7; students with valid ID and senior citizens 62 and older, $5; children 5-12, $3; under 5, free.

Parking: $4.

*

Gen. Phineas Banning Residence Museum. 401 E. M St., Wilmington. (310) 548-7777.

Features: The house is a great old (1864) Georgian mansion, but the attraction for vehicular buffs is the equally old coaching barn and its collection of 11 horse-drawn buggies and carriages out back. The beautifully restored carriages include an enclosed Brougham and a Phaeton--or convertible top--and are wonderful examples of the “cars” people used to get around in during L.A.’s pre-automobile days. Several of the buggies, in fact, were built by Los Angeles coach makers.

Hours: Tours (include house and coach barn) are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, same hours, with an added 3:30 p.m. tour.

Admission: $2.

*

NHRA Motor Sports Museum. 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Building 3A, Pomona Fairplex, Pomona. (909) 622-2133.

Features: The new museum is devoted to the history of the National Hot Rod Assn. and holds scores of early track, Bonneville, dry lake and drag racing cars and early hot rods. The collection includes Mickey Thompson’s Challenger, the first American-made car to exceed 400 mph, and “Big Daddy” Don Garlits’ “Swamp Rat 14,” the first successful rear-engine dragster. Also: a gallery of historic photos and memorabilia.

Hours: Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission: Adults 16-60, $5; ages 5-16 and 60 and older, $3; under 5, free.

*

Marconi Automotive Museum. 1302 Industrial Drive, Tustin. (714) 258-3001.

Features: Collector and vintage racing enthusiast Dick Marconi started his showcase as a car museum for kids, but all ages are welcome. On display are Marconi’s 65 sports and racing cars, including 18 Ferraris.

Hours: By appointment, Mondays through Fridays.

Admission: Free.

*

Dennis Mitosinka’s Classic Cars. 619 E. 4th St., Santa Ana. (714) 953-5303.

Features: Automobile appraiser Mitosinka’s private collection, ranging from a 1929 Rolls-Royce to a 1969 Corvette roadster. Highlights include a Deco-styled 1947 Delahaye and a fuel-injected 1957 Pontiac Bonneville convertible.

Hours: By appointment.

Admission: Free.

*

Deer Park Winery and Auto Museum. 29013 Champagne Blvd. South, Escondido. (760) 749-1666.

Features: The museum is devoted entirely to the convertible, with lots of little-known names from the 1950s--like the Crosley Hotshot and Frazer Manhattan. Visitors 21 and older also get a taste of Deer Park’s San Diego County wines. There’s a bookstore and gift shop, the winery and a nice picnic area.

Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last admission at 4 p.m.).

Admission: Adults, $6; senior citizens 55 and older, $4; children under 12, free.

*

San Diego Automotive Museum. 2080 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego. (619) 231-2886.

Features: Displays of more than 80 vehicles range from the horseless carriage through high-performance and exotic cars of the early 1980s. The collection includes a world-class motorcycle display and a section devoted to American cars of the drive-in era. Exhibits change several times a year. The well-stocked research library is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Special Note: Through Sept. 30, the museum is showing post-World War II sports and grand-touring cars, featuring marques like Cobra, Pantera, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Lamborghini.

Hours: Open daily. Summer hours (through Labor Day weekend), 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; until 4:30 p.m. the rest of the year. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.

Admission: Adults, $6; senior citizens 65 and older and active members of the military, $5; children 6-15, $2; under 6, free.