CARHUNTER : NORTHEAST CLASSIC CAR MUSEUM NORWICH NY PART 1

I don't know how, but if you Google auto museum and whatever other words this museum comes up!

The museum goes in order by year and is a virtual history of cars!

A good friend Joseph Angelino was President of the Museum 2009-2011, remains on the executive board, but Joe has an even more impressive career to speak of as he recently retired as the Chief of the Norwich NY Police department. When he was not attending to police duties or the museum he was serving in the US Marine Corps as a Sergeant Major in the infantry and an M60 and M1A 1 tank commander! As he said 22 years, 8 months and 2 days, but who is counting?

Joes personal fleet!

His latest another Norwich Police classic cruiser!

NOTE- THERE IS A PART 2 OF THIS BLOG

Joe was a county Sheriff at the beginning of his career, most of the NY Sheriff cars shared a marking scheme

They got S.C.M.O.D.S= State County Municipal Offender Data System!

A replica of the patrol car from the Blues Brothers down to the terminal screen!

A Norwich police car of course!

A few unmarks for daily driving, hey I had a twin to that one!

Smile Joe!! LOL!

Joe was a staple and strong supporter of my NYC Police Museum car show for the 11 years it ran and made the long ride down religiously with his lovely wife Kendall at his side all but the times he was deployed overseas in the USMC and we all thank him for his SERVICE, a life of service!

In Joe's words a primer on the museum;

"The Northeast Classic Car Museum began in 1997 when nearby resident, Mr. George Staley, loaned approximately 40 cars from his vast collection to a group of Norwich NY business people and community leaders. Their idea was to create a world class museum that would act as a tourist destination. Mr. Staley told this group "if you can make a go of it on your own for five years, I'll make sure you remain in business for ever." During the past 19 years the museum has expanded five-fold and now houses over 180 antique and classic American made cars. The oldest is an 1899 Leggitt manufactured in Syracuse NY. Of the 180 cars in the building, the museum owns more than half and the remaining cars are on long-term loan. Each year the museum dedicates one building to a changing theme exhibit. The 2016 themed exhibit was Police car versus Muscle cars."

Worth the trip for sure!
https://www.classiccarmuseum.org/

Any museum can toss in a bunch od old cars and be content, but here you are looking at some very rare and unusual cars

I still think 1938 and 1939 produced the nicest examples of Art deco cars!

I think it might have been the calm before the storm around the world?

You may recall I just shot this in North Carolina

Oldsmobile displayed a globe and now they are gone from the planet!

Nice pair of 56's

Even the black carpet had gold chips on this beauty

You know cars will never have as much personality as they used to!

Can you imagine getting spiffed up for a Sunday ride in this Pretty Packard back in the day?

Why not show the business ends!

Often overlooked Buick Muscle GS series

The engines in these are surprising and almost hard to believe factory built!

Down to the dual 4BBL carbs and valve covers with matching air cleaner!

Owned by another friend retired police officer from New Windsor NY

A very nicely restored forgotten Roadrunner, one year only on the Fury B body line.

The car is believed to be an executive advertising car as it was the image on all the brochures and such. My uncle Morty had a sport jacket that matched those seats!

I searched for one of these, but when a 19000 mile Charger Sport popped up I grabbed it, only one year for this one too, 1976 as it was called a Coronet before and Monaco after that year!

It is real AAR see the poorly fitting hood!

It is a big museum

Real barn finds of interest! Not Toyota Corollas!

In other words "calm your pits buddy!"

I am a sucker for a homebuilt!

A man spends years building his own car, crazy concept huh?

This now the 3rd or 4th time I have seen giant car collections that were financed by dairy fortunes- there is money in them there milk cows!! Remember the entire museum was started by Mr. Staley?

It is all made in NY back here

I often notice that the signage about the cars is either blocking the car (on purpose to make your photos not publishable?) Here the signs not only seem to be out of the way, but large enough to include in the photo to ID the car!

It is said a secretary of Hue Hefner's was related to the man who built the short lived Playboy cars and in the opposite of what you were thinking the magazine was named after the car!