Automobile Driving Museum

Our 1920s- style gas station pays tribute to the many small stations around Los Angeles from 1910- 1930. This façade was originally on display at the California Car Cover showroom in Chatsworth, California. When the business moved to Simi Valley, a beneficial relationship between California Car Cover and the Automobile Driving Museum resulted in the…

Patrice Banks was a 30-something-year-old, accomplished engineer at DuPont, pulling in a six-figure income, yet she was frustrated by the intimidation she felt when a 19-year old guy at the oil change shop pressured her to buy a new air filter which she was unsure if she needed. Upon finding that there were no female…

After WWII, automobile manufacturers began to hire more women to design cars, mostly for interior aesthetics, to help make cars more marketable to postwar suburban households with two-car garages. The most well-known group of ladies was called Harley Earl’s Damsels of Design, at General Motors. The twelve “Damsels” were Gere Kavanaugh, Jeanette Linder, Ruth Glennie,…

Like humans, most vehicles are created full of potential. With the patina of age, automobiles develop personalities imbued by their owners and earned through shared experiences. The cars at the Automobile Driving Museum all have stories. The Automobile Driving Museum’s 1935 Morgan Three-Wheeler, License Plate CLU 81 In March, 2021, the Automobile Driving Museum was…

Shirley Muldowney, American Top Gas, Funny Car, and match racer, was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association to drive a Top Fuel dragster. She won 18 NHRA national events. She was the first person to win two and three of drag racing’s most prestigious titles, Top Fuel, back-to-back.…

Rosie is known today as the woman in the “We Can Do It” poster used by feminists to symbolize a woman’s capabilities. The artist, J. Howard Miller used Naomi Parker Fraley as a model for the Pentagon’s propaganda poster in 1943. But you may not know that all women in the WW2 workforce, recruited to…

Bertha was a financial supporter of Karl Benz. By marrying him, by law, she gave up her claim to the investment, but she continued to back his company enthusiastically and financially. Together they built the first car, the Patent Motorwagen, in 1885. However, the public generally did not see the use in the horseless carriage.…

Florence Lawrence was known as “The First Movie Star”. Early movies were shown without credits to the actors, and she was the first actress to be named on-screen.  She was also an avid automobile enthusiast. Like many of us today, she was frustrated by the inability to know when drivers in front of her were…

The first woman to drive across the United States, and be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, was housewife Alice Huyler Ramsey.  In 1909 she was 22 years old, and she drove 3,800 miles from New York City to San Francisco. Only 152 miles of the journey were on paved roads, and there were…

One of the Biggest Muscle Car Shows in California The Automobile Driving Museum hosted one of our biggest car shows on February 20th, 2021. Over 300 cars and 1000+ spectators came out to celebrate Muscle Car Culture at the ADM in the beautiful city of El Segundo. Attendees came from all over Los Angeles and…

While receiving his Masters at the MIT Media Arts & Sciences Laboratory, William Lark Jr. was a principal designer of the City Car: a shared, electric vehicle that adapts to the driver, road and the city.   The folding car was designed to be used similarly to bike-sharing technology. Time magazine named it an Invention…

Garrett Augustus Morgan owned a sewing machine company in Cleveland. He invented the gas mask, and rescued victims trapped in a tunnel under Lake Eerie. In 1923, after witnessing a horrific traffic accident, he designed a three-position electric traffic signal system. General Electric paid him $40,000 for the invention. Here is a very informative video…

Born in 1897, Charlie Wiggins started his life with cars as a shoe-shine boy in front of an automotive repair shop. He was eventually invited inside to help work on cars. In 1917 when white American soldiers shipped out for the First World War, Charlie became a chief mechanic. During the 1920s Charlie Wiggins moved…

Alicia Boler-Davis started at General Motors as a manufacturing engineer and soon became the first black woman to become a plant manager there. She has also served as Senior Vice President of Customer Experience. She noted, “There were not a lot of people who looked like me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it.”…

Charles Richard Patterson was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation. After escaping to freedom in Greenfield, Ohio, he learned the skills of a blacksmith and worked in the carriage-making trade. Eventually, he became a prominent and respected citizen of his town, and sole proprietor of C.R. Patterson & Sons, which became the only African American owned and operated…

With an interest in automotive design spurred from a visit to see the Cadillac Cyclone concept car at the 1958 Philadelphia International Auto Show, Ed Welburn advanced from General Motors brand design studios to become the sixth Head of Design at GM. In 1987, he managed the creation of the Oldsmobile Aerotech concept car which…

Born in 1986, Shauntia Latrice “Tia” Norfleet’s interest in racing is said to have been sparked at age 7 when her father, NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet, doubled the battery power on her Hot Wheels Barbie car, increasing its speed. Tia Norfleet went on to compete in kart racing events, drag racing, and Bandolero car racing…

Every business looking to build long-lasting relationships needs to know the intricacies of throwing an incredible corporate event. Given that 48% of event planners start the planning phase 6-12 months in advance, you need to understand the elements of event management to throw a cool corporate event. These elements include research, planning, design, evaluation, and coordination.  Breaking…

Did you know that over 50% of Americans get married each year? Are you planning to get married soon, too? Marriage is a special milestone in our lives. That’s why you must work hard to ensure that it’s memorable, fondly remembering it for the rest of your days. But without professional help, you won’t know what to…

When hosting a private event, one of the major things to consider is where you are going to host it. Choosing the right venue is critical in ensuring that your event is going to be a successful one.  Securing the ideal venue for your function should be top of your list, regardless of whether you…

Couples spend an average of $800 on wedding transportation. Why not use that money toward something truly unique with a vintage car rental for wedding transportation instead of a limo? Renting a limo is the classic option, but a vintage car gives you and your wedding guests a unique experience. Before booking your wedding transportation, consider the pros…