The fascinating Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum located in El Segundo, California, has closed after 22 years.
Posting on Facebook, the museum explained that it shut down due to deep-rooted financial problems. The issues began in 2020, when it was forced to close and cancel the events it had planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It consequently lost a substantial amount of money. Its founder and sole sponsor, Stanley Zimmerman, died in July 2020 and his monthly donations proved difficult to replace. The museum explored other ways to make money, such as organizing car shows, renting vehicles, and hosting special events, but the money that flowed in wasn’t enough.
Other factors compounded the museum’s financial problems, including “complicated property and car collection issues” and “an increase in local competition.” The weight of these issues made it impossible for the museum to stay afloat. Its last day was October 27. The events, car shows, and cruise-ins scheduled for November and December 2024 will be held as planned, however, and the Bayside Cafe will remain open on the weekends until December 29.
None of the 130-plus cars that were displayed in the museum are for sale. The ones that were on loan will be returned to their owners, and we don’t yet know what will happen to those that the museum owns. The collection included a diverse selection of cars from just about every era. The usual suspects were accounted for, including a Ford Model T, a Volkswagen Beetle, and a DeLorean DMC-12, but there were also quite a few oddities on display. When did you last see a 1975 Sebring Vanguard CitiCar? Have you ever heard of the wild-looking Arex Roadster?
Our thoughts go out to the museum’s staff, and we hope that at least part of the collection will bask under the spotlights of another museum.
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