LeMay — America’s Car Museum: An Ode to America’s Love Affair with the Automobile

For some people, visiting a car museum is about the cars. They’re drawn to the mechanical complexities and horsepower, torque, and speed—all that power contained in a sleek body, just waiting for a daring driver to unleash it.

I am not one of those people. I adore car museums for the same reason I admire artifacts in archaeology museums. They teach us about history, style, and ways of life shaped by the parade of automobiles on display. They’re an ode to America’s love affair with automobiles, and few do it better than LeMay — America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.

The museum displays more than 300 cars and offers plenty of information for car enthusiasts and context for history buffs. Themed exhibits, hands-on activities, and hundreds of cars from the 20th century help visitors better understand cars in America.

Main Gallery. Photo by June Russell Chamberlin

LeMay — America’s Car Museum

LeMay — America’s Car Museum is located near the Tacoma Dome in a building with a curving roofline that faintly resembles the hood of a ’55 Chevy. It’s built like a 165,000-square-foot enclosed parking garage, with gently sloping ramps that descend three levels from the main exhibit hall. More than 300 cars from 1900 to the 1980s are on display.

The museum was the brainchild of Harold and Nancy LeMay. Harold made his money in waste management and towing in Tacoma and spent it on collecting more than 3,000 cars. The museum, created after his death in 2000, fulfills his dream of sharing the collection with the world.

The Main Gallery

I started my exploration of LeMay—America’s Car Museum in the main gallery with Jake Welk, the museum’s marketing manager. As we toured the different levels, he helped me understand the cars’ historical perspectives, innovations, and style shifts. The permanent car exhibits are primarily grouped by style or theme.

Special exhibits occupy the main hall on the entrance level. On the day I visited, the Shinka Japanese automobile exhibit featured everything from drifter models and high-clearance off-road vehicles to sleek sports cars such as the Toyota 2000 GT.

1920s 1930s Collection Photo by June Russell Chamberlin

1920s-1930s: Custom Coach Cars

It took us a long time to descend the ramp to the next level because I all but swooned over the bold hoods, graceful curves, and loads of shiny details on the elegant custom coach cars from the 1920s and 1930s that lined the hallway. A stately 1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and a sporty, cherry-red 1930 Model J Duesenberg roadster seemed to whisper of luxury and adventure.

Welk, though, pointed out that these cars were all custom-built, often from a catalog of options, and were far too expensive for ordinary Americans. “It was a status symbol, especially in the Roaring ’20s, when the economy was ferocious,” Welk said. “You’d dress up in your big fur coat, and you’d be out at dinner. People would see you rolling around town, and it meant you meant something.”

One advantage to customizing your car? Self-expression. “For the first time in American history, your car became a piece of your character. It is part of your identity,” Welk explained.

1930 Duesenberg Model J. Photo by June Russell Chamberlin

1940s – 1950s: From Boxy to Rockets

The next level showcased beefy-looking cars from the 1940s and early 1950s. Gone are the graceful curves, replaced by boxy and almost tank-like Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Chevys, and other vehicles. Chrome, scarce during World War II, made a dramatic resurgence. The gleaming grill of a 1949 Buick Super, for example? It resembles a toothy smile in chrome.

By the mid-1950s, cars began to get leaner and longer, and sport fins and rocket details. Hood ornaments emphasized society’s fascination with airplanes and rockets. “What I love is that it provides you with an example of what the culture was like at the time, what they were thinking about, and what they thought was futuristic,” Welk said.

Rocket taillights on a 1959 Cadillac. Photo by June Russell Chamberlin

Route 66

As Welk returned to his office, I toured the rest of the museum, gradually working my way to the bottom of the ramps. Along the way, I passed a replica of Harold LeMay’s first garage, tucked in among Ford Model Ts from 1915 and 1922. It’s a cramped, single-car garage with barely space to work. From such humble beginnings, Harold tinkered, restored, and amassed a car collection that spans 120 years.

I turned a corner and discovered a section devoted to the heyday of the iconic Route 66. Station wagons and roomy classics from the 1940s and 1950s line one side of the ramp, and billboard-style interpretive signs line the other. As Welk explained, “Post-war became more about the family and the kids, and driving across the country. These [cars] were marketed more toward ‘Pack your family up. Take Route 66. Head down the coast. Go out of town for a camping trip.'”

Route 66 exhibit. Photo by June Russell Chamberlin

More Classics, Racers, and Steam Power

The depth and variety of LeMay’s collection seemed endless. Cars from vanished manufacturers shared space with vintage trucks, NASCAR racers, British rally cars, custom movie cars, and even a steam-powered car named the Stanley Steamer. I drove a Ferrari in the racing simulator (next time, I’m sticking to the countryside) and eyed the inner workings of an engine in the Family Zone.

What did I learn from admiring 300 cars besides how much Americans love them? Cars, like other artifacts, reflect the available technology and materials. They also express what’s going on in society and the economy. The Great Depression quelled the market for flamboyant custom cars. Chrome vanished during WWII and reappeared after. A country fascinated with the Space Age produces cars with rocket-shaped tail lights. Cars grew in size to accommodate families seeking quality time together and the freedom of the open road.

As I hit the crowded road to drive home, I wondered what current car designs say about our society. I puzzled over why vibrant car colors have all but vanished and why car grills are so dull now. One thing I do know: I’ll never look at cars the same way again.

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