Cruising into the Savoy Automobile Museum
When you’re the only child of a mechanic and classic car enthusiast, you absorb a lot of information about cars. I can’t tell you how many weekends I spent with my Dad, walking the rows of his favorite annual car shows. I was probably about 7 or 8 years old when he taught me to go up to the most expensive vehicles at the show and say, “Hey Dad, isn’t this like your car?” His response was always something like, “Yes, but mine is red,” or “Yes, but mine is an earlier model year.” He and his friends thought this running bit was hilarious. Over the years, as he restored vehicles in our garage, I helped bleed the air out of brake lines, removed metal trim, installed doors and seats, fished parts out of the engine compartment, and popped fitted tops into place. Dad also liked to quiz me about the history of vehicles and their manufacturers.
All this to say, as someone who is gearhead adjacent, I was excited to finally visit the Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. The 65,000-square-foot museum opened in December 2021 and is part of the Cartersville “Museum City” that includes the nearby Bartow History Museum, Booth Western Art Museum, and the Tellus Science Museum. The Savoy is named for the 1954 Plymouth Savoy that was found abandoned on the property — and is now preserved and on display.
The Savoy features a permanent collection of approximately 100 restored antique and classic cars, plus four temporary exhibition galleries. During my recent visit, I had the opportunity to view the Movie Cars exhibit, along with the Moonshine Runners collection, and vehicles on loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Highlights from the Movie Cars exhibit included the 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible from “Rainman,” the 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe from “American Graffiti,” the 1960 Morgan Plus Four from “War of the Roses,” and the 1964 Leslie Special from “The Great Race.” The docent, seeing my interest in the Morgan, told me all about the vehicle’s wooden components.
The Moonshine Runners exhibit was packed full of vehicles that bootleggers modified for power, speed, and stability. During the Prohibition Era, these cars and trucks needed to carry large loads of illegal liquors and still be able to outrun the police. Some of my favorite vehicles from this exhibit included the 1940s Ford Coupes, the 1951 Chevy Panel Truck, and the 1950s Ford Business Coupes. Also, many of the owners have fully embraced their vehicles’ history and decorated their cars and trucks with alcohol-related paraphernalia.
While the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is closed for renovations, it is lending its racing automobiles and artifacts to museums across the country. The Savoy is fortunate to have many special items from the Motor Speedway Museum’s collection. On display are vintage advertisements, racing trophies, and vehicles ranging from a 1912 Fiat to a 1991 Ford F1 Grand Prix Car. These cars cover the history of auto racing; I was consistently astounded at how exposed the early drivers were in their custom vehicles. The docents, ever gracious with their time, talked to me about the evolution of fueling technology in these racing vehicles.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to The Savoy Auto Museum and I would recommend it to anyone interested in racing, mechanics, or automobile history. Special thanks to Kim and Shawn, who accompanied me to the museum and were extremely patient with all my outbursts of “Hey, look at this! So cool!” For more information about the Savoy Automobile Museum, including its current and upcoming exhibits, visit savoymuseum.org.