has anyone here placed a car in a museum?

[48Rdmstr68Skylrk]

I have an ultra low mileage all original 89 Reatta (listed for sale on the Reatta for sale section) and am contemplating putting the car into a muesum for a couple of years. Has anyone here done something like this and what are the details of doing so. I am looking for the good points and bad points of doing this. Thanks to all for your input and guidance.

[dei]

Hello Tom,

While I personally have never loaned one of my cars to a Museum for display I do belong to a Car Club that now owns (yes owns / no mortgage) and operates a Museum & Heritage Village with a 25,000 square foot Museum Building for car & transportation display which has some vehicles and artifacts that have been loaned to us.

Obviously you have a Museum in mind for your car and my question to you is, "How well do you know that Museum and their policies and procedures?"

Consider this, when you or I take our cars to a show, we are usually close by and able watch them. At the end of the day we bring them home and put them in the locked garage for the night or till the next show with the knowledge things are fine.

In a Museum the cars are in view of the general public during it's operating hours and without tour guides it would surprise you the number of people that do not consider that rope any sort of a barrier. In our Museum that policy & procedure made a change which included video surveillance.

Not to scare you off here but the point is to check and double check how things run and do a "what if" with them. For instance, extreme worst case scenario, you pass away (God forbid). How would your family retrieve your car if you committed (in writing) to a specific time frame? OR... you've placed the car there and now you have a buyer, can you take it out on short notice?

At the very least I, like you I'm sure, want to sleep at night knowing my baby is in good hands.

We currently have the seven passenger Packard that was filmed in the Lindberg Story on display and it truly adds to the quality of the Museum experience as I'm sure your Reatta would too but it did not come to us without certain conditions and understandings.

Just my two cents worth. I'm sure others will offer more.

Edited January 11, 2014 by dei (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

The newer a car is the more susceptible to failure from disuse. Although putting a car up to the late 1930's in a long term idle state produces problems special to their vintage, the cast iron and steel survives the idle climate pretty well.

A car with sophisticated electronics, mated dissimilar metals, plastic, push connectors, and more sensitive and less durable parts could be a nightmare when it comes time to retrieve it.

ALL cars should be considered as abused when sitting idle, benevolently neglected is a term I heard once.

Just consider the number of round parts in a car. If the cars was supposed to sit around a lot of them would be made with a flat spot on the bottom.

Try to drive your car a minimum of 15 miles a week. It will always be at it's peak value.

Those are nuts and bolts mechanical reasons. If the museum is incorporated as a non-profit you may be handing your car over to professional archivists required by law to maintain the collection. They are generally not mechanics or hobbyists and may not have expertise in an automotive field. They applied for a job so they could buy groceries. Some will be dedicated and do a superb job others may not. I'm pretty comfortable going to bed with my cars about 200 feet away for the night. and sometimes I just sit in the garage and look at them.

Two more cents.

Bernie

[John_S_in_Penna]

I had my 1961 Imperial in the AACA Museum for a 6-month exhibit,

and it did not suffer from the experience. It certainly gave the public

a chance to see the car, and benefited the hobby in the process.

I wouldn't want any car in a museum for 2 years without having the

chance to take it out every few months or so and give it some exercise.

It's not good for a car to sit for 2 years.

You might review the museum's proposed agreement also.

Consider yourself in charge, and work with them to mark up any

contract provisions that don't suit. And check with your antique-car insurance

company for any good tips they may offer while the car is exhibited.

If your car is a convertible, it may not be good to have the top down

(and wrinkled) for 2 years.

Sometimes cars owned by museums for years and years come up for sale.

That's a different case from yours, but a long-term museum-stored

car is often NOT in good shape mechanically.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Getting the car in and out of the museum may not be

especially easy if you plan to exercise your car occasionally.

A large museum may not want the engine run indoors,

so the caretakers would have to use dollies or push the car

to the door.

Enjoy the experience, and take pictures of your car on display

to remember the special display. Just go in with your eyes open.

[48Rdmstr68Skylrk]

Thanks Guys for all the input.