Motorcycles, Scooters, Guns, Adventures, Opinions, and More
A recap, so to speak…we’ve been to the Nethercutt twice in the last couple of months, and we’ve posted three blogs on this fabulous place. Here’s a quick recap…
I like the place. You will, too. If you haven’t been there yet, the above three links will get you started. But start making plans to visit. It’s that good.
When I was a kid (and that’s reaching back into the 1950s), there was no finer automobile than a Cadillac. That’s the way it was back then, and even though I’ve never owned a Cadillac, I’d like to someday. The thought that a Cadillac is the best stuck in my mind.
Today if you’re snooty it’s all about BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, and maybe one or two others. All foreign stuff. I don’t know if foreign cars are really better or if tastes just changed, but back in the day, a sure sign of success was driving a Cadillac. Mercedes was a weird one in the 1950s, and nobody in America had heard of BMW. Lexus and Infiniti were way in the distant future, and if you were to tell somebody you had a Lexus back then, they would most likely assume it was a medical problem.
I still think the 1959 Coupe de Ville was one of the best-looking cars ever made (anywhere, at any time), but that might be because it’s what I knew as a kid. Let’s see, I would have been 8 years old in 1959. Yeah, those big fins and bullet tail lights were cool.
So I grew up knowing that Cadillac meant the best something could be (as in “the Cadillac of…”). Cameras, guns, bicycles, whatever…fill in the blanks, and if it was really, really good, it was “the Cadillac” of that product line.
Sooooo…….when I saw a series of early Caddies at the Nethercutt last Saturday, I was all over them. The Nethercutt had fabulous cars of all kinds, but the Caddies really did it for me.
I had been there just a few weeks earlier, we had company in from out of town who wanted to see the Nethercutt, and I was prepared. I had my Nikon D3300 walking-around camera, I had my 16-35 lens (it’s bigger than the camera), and I had enough light to dial in ISO 1600 and get me some Caddy photos.
So there you have it. The Nethercutt Museum has about 250 vintage automobiles, of which 150 are on display at any time. I’m guessing they have a few more Caddies stashed away, and that gives me a reason to go there again (and I will). If you’re ever in So Cal, you don’t want to miss the Nethercutt. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. You might even say it’s the Cadillac of vintage auto collections.
Whatever you’re doing, stop.
Get off your computer, quit playing with your cell phone, and get on your motorcycle. Your destination needs be the Nethercutt. It’s nestled away in an industrial park here in So Cal (in Sylmar, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles) and it’s magnificent.
I’ve been to a lot of museums. None compare to the Nethercutt. It’s that good. I’d like to think I could tell the story well, but hey, I know when I’m outclassed. Listen to Kyle Irwin (the Curator and Master Technician of this incredible place) as he welcomed us on our recent tour just this past weekend…
The Nethercutt has amazing vintage cars (and lots of them, more than 250, actually), trains, musical instruments, and more. And they’re all stunning. Drop dead gorgeous. Visually arresting. But don’t take my word for it. Take a peek at the photos below. Better yet, go there yourself. Call ahead and tell them you want the ExhaustNotes discount for both the auto collection and the guided tour. Tell them Dajiu sent you. Who knows…you might just get in for free.
You can sign up for a Nethercutt tour if you call ahead (trust me, you need to do this). The automobile collection is amazing. The music room is even more so. The Nethercutt has a fully-restored theatre organ with 5000 pipes, and you don’t just see the organ…you enter it. What you see below is the console…but it’s only where the guy plays the thing. The real action is occurring within the walls, surrounding the grand hall in which the organ resides. In the silent movie days, this would have been a theater, and the music would be all around the people watching the movie. It must have been a grand time and a grand way to spend an evening.
Here’s what a few of the organ pipes look like behind one of the walls…
There are a lot of musical instruments in the Nethercutt Collection, including a Bosendorfer concert grand piano. It’s been modified by Mr. Irwin and his team team into a player piano (its plays itself). It’s an incredible treat to see and hear…
The visit to the Nethercutt was one of the best days I’ve ever had. It’s that good. You need to go. Seriously. Get off your computer and visit this place. We’ll be here when you get back. I promise.