Nethercutt Museum and Collection: Classic cars, trains, and more (pictures)
The Nethercutt Museum and Collection in Los Angeles features over 250 American and European cars from the dawn of the automobile to modern times, along with a steam locomotive, Pullman car, mechanical musical instruments and more. Here's a photo tour.
Beautiful cars
The guided tour of the Nethercutt Collection begins here.
The Collection's main draw is an assortment of cars from 100-plus years of motoring, all immaculate and in good working order.
For the full story behind the tour, check out A tour of the Nethercutt Museum and Collection: From classic cars to self-playing orchestras.
Nethercutt Collection
Designed to look like the showrooms of the first few decades of motoring, the Grand Salon is a sight to behold. More akin to a European palace ballroom than a car museum in the Valley.
V-16
This beauty of a 1930 Cadillac has a 7.4L V-16...and only 175 horsepower. Engine design has come a long way since then.
Mellow "Orello"
This 1934 Packard was painted yellow to match one of its advertisements. For an added price, Packard would paint your car any color you liked.
The first
This 1930 DuPont is the first classic car bought and restored by J.B. Nethercutt. It won the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Loooong
Some of these early cars, like this 1909 Gorbron-Brillie Model 70/90, are truly massive. It has a 12-liter opposed-piston 6-cylinder engine.
Duesenberg
A beautiful 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ. Stunning. $20,000 when new, or roughly $360,000 in today's money.
Merc
This 1913 Mercedes 37/95 Double Phaeton-Torpedo was considered the most powerful car of its day: 95hp from a 9.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Pistons like dinner plates...
Wax
Moving upstairs one level, there's a collection of hood ornaments, and this wax cylinder player, which looked brand new. Once the hipsters get bored with vinyl, will wax cylinders see the next boom in popularity?
Mechanical music
In a shadowy but massive space, featuring dark colors on dark carpet, cabinet-size wooden devices loomed large.
Stereo?
Most wouldn't fit in a normal 8-foot-ceiling home.
Sorta creepy
To give you an idea on size, I'm holding the camera at my chest level, about 5 feet from the ground. These things are huge, and it messes with your head because they look similar to a wardrobe, but are so much bigger.
Paper playback
Perhaps the craziest part is the music from these machines is all stored on paper rolls.
Spinning wheel
All of those violins are played at the same time. The metal hoop is the bow, which spins. Rubber-tipped tabs press the strings. I can't imagine tuning it.
Thunderous
This was the biggest orchestrion in the room, a Hupfeld Excelsior-Pan Orchester. At least 18 feet wide, probably about 6 deep. It had drums, accordions, an organ, and more. Completed in 1926, it was used in a Dutch hotel's dining room.
Innards
And you thought your phone was complex. I'm guessing "turning it off, then back on" doesn't fix most problems.
Console envy
Now that is a console. It seemed an oddity, just a lovely console in the center of the room. But there were no pipes visible...
Presentation
Definitely an "A" for showmanship. The lights dimmed, the console rose from the floor, and curtains parted to reveal most of the 5,000 pipes of the Wurlitzer theater organ, one of the largest in the world (the larger pipes were hidden in the walls).
Rainbow connection
The sound was tremendous. Bass so deep you could feel it. Being a theater organ, it also made sound effects (for silent movies).
Museum
The Nethercutt Museum, across the street, is far more traditional. Rows of beautiful cars.
Stunning
In my opinion, the most beautiful car at the Nethercutt: a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS. Those lines, the colors...perfection.
Talbot-Lago
A 3.96-liter six-cylinder engine putting out a respectable 140hp. I bet this thing still cooks.
Almost as awesome
Probably the best car in any other collection, this gorgeous Bugatti Type 51 would be the best consolation prize ever if you couldn't get the Talbot-Lago. 185hp from it's 2.3-liter straight-8.
'Vette
My favorite Corvette, a 1965, looking showroom new.
1955 Thunderbird
I knew a guy who had his 911 GT2 painted this color. He and I have different tastes.
Quite a Doozy
A 1936 Duesenberg SJN, featured in the 1949 version of "The Great Gatsby."
Caravaning
A classy 1936 Pierce-Arrow, towing an even classier Travelodge trailer.
Nicer than my house
Polished wood floor to ceiling...I could live here.
Travelodge Model A
This was a last ditch effort to keep the Pierce-Arrow brand afloat. It didn't work.
Cord
What an incredible looking car. Easily my no. 3 favorite in the Nethercutt: a 1937 Cord 812, with a supercharged V-8 and 175hp. Surprisingly, it's front-wheel drive.
Row of Rolls
A whole bevvy of Rolls, stepping back through the years. Not a vast amount of change through the decades.
Mini
What a cute, tiny...Bugatti? Yep, a Type 23 Brescia Cabriolet.
Packard
This 1956 Caribbean was the last of the real Packards. After this, they were rebadged as Studebakers. 310hp from its 6.1-liter V-8.
Now those are rilms
1931 Ford Model A, the last year available. Quite a lot of car for $580.
M-O-O-N. That spells 'moon'
Another forgotten brand, Moon made 10,000 cars in 1925. This 1923 Model 6/58 had a 58hp inline-six.
Dort
Winning the "Best Name" competition, this is a Dort Model 5.
"Hey, man, I just bought a Dort."
"Wow, nice Dort!"
Whistlestop
You enter from the rear of the train. Even from the outside it's more lavish than any train car I've seen.
Boombox
But does it have Bluetooth?
Dinner for eight
High-style dining, from your personal chef of course.
Wait, roommates?
Surprisingly, the beds were small, and there were two in the big room. I guess Ms. Baldwin Stocker liked company. There are also two much smaller, similarly appointed, single staterooms.
En suite
Just imagine trying to shower while the train was moving.
Hallway
This is looking back down the hallway towards where we came in.
Live-in chef
Adjacent to the kitchen is the servant's quarters. Not bad digs.
Kitchen
A sizeable kitchen, considering.
Engine room
The last stop on the tour, the incredible engine room of the Royal Hudson locomotive.
For the full story behind the tour, check out A tour of the Nethercutt Museum and Collection: From classic cars to self-playing orchestras.