It’s been nine years since our last adventure doing this. Once again we are starting with a southerly route and our first stop will be in the Cartersville, GA area and peruse the new Savoy Automobile Museum. This museum has been in the works for a while and just December of 2021 it was ready to accept its first visitors. We drove to Savoy Lane motored our way to the parking area.
It is nice how the drive takes you past the entrance and the parking lot brings you around to the side of the building allowing you to see at least three sides before you pick your parking spot.
No, I didn’t drive the Ferrari. But someone did, and I don’t blame them a bit.
Before we headed for the front of the building and the entrance we stopped to look at a permanent outside display adjacent to the parking lot. Take a look at it.
Clearly this display has purpose that will eventually be clarified on the plaque that has yet to be posted in front of the derelict car. Seeing how a tree was deliberately planted in the trunk brought a wry smile to my lips. I know I should have tracked someone down in the museum to explain what was going on with this display, but I felt that the intent was to show that time has placed treasures in some awkward placed and left them for someone with vision to see if they should receive a full restoration or something in between. No doubt an artist would see it as an opportunity to take a creative photograph or capture it with a painting or sketch. Who knows how many of the amazing automobiles inside have been rescued from a similar situation. In any case it is a nice reminder of what a portion of a vehicles life can be.
Walking from the parking lot to the entrance are other things that museum goers will find inspiring and good preparation for their experiences inside.
Inside the doors is bounded on the left by a café with private dining rooms and on the right with the ticket counter with the store full of all sorts of things (shirts, bags, etc.) that will sustain your enjoyment of your visit. The entry hall itself has a couple of vehicle’s on display the day of our visit.
A curved dash 1903 Oldsmobile and…
a 1930 Ramblin’ Wreck Ford Model A Replica. I’ll let you read the story and history when you visit the Savoy yourself.
As you enter you can see some of what awaits you in the Great Hall as well as what vehicles are in the permanent exhibition gallery. Your eyes will drag your attention all over and you will be challenged as to where you will go first. But it really doesn’t matter since and any direction will be rewarding.
This classic Indy racer by Lola for instance.
Even though you are requested not to touch the cars you certainly can get close enough to really see the technology.
Looking to our left…
Two fine examples of each of the cars that changed NASCAR. The dodge Daytona and the Plymouth Superbird.
Being able to lean in and really examine these race cars is such a great experience and the lighting is fantastic.
Let me give you a peak of the Permanent Exhibition Gallery
Here is a 1936 Chevrolet Standard Coupe – or is it!
They made over 3,000 of these Coupe’s with pickup beds as options that increased the utility of the five window coupe. It is believed that only ten survive today. Nice to be able to see it here!
Here in one shot are examples of Packard, Buick, and Fords.
There are three temporary exhibition galleries, too. Here are a few examples…
They had the prototype of this year’s Formula One specification cars…
This year’s cars went through some dramatic changes including many new wing specifications, 18 inch wheels, and aerodynamic changes that now produce dramatic downforce (changes in airflow under the cars that create a vacuum that sucks the car to the track).
The Savoy will be rotating the cars that it exhibits so that you can continue to return and not feel that you have already seen all the gems there. There will be car shows on the grounds along with swap meets, concerts, car club meet-ups, business events, workshops and much more.
The art on the walls complements the themes.
JIM'S GARAGE 
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