This past weekend, the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento kicked off its WUNDERCARS! exhibit with sporty style as it featured Porsche as the first of four rotating exhibits. The WUNDERCARS! exhibit officially began on October 1 and will run through May 11, 2011. After Porsche, WUNDERCARS! goes on to feature BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen with the overall intent to illustrate the story of the German automobile industry's impact in the U.S. The Porsche rotating exhibit was quite impressive and representative of the historical engineering concepts pioneered by the company founder, Ferdinand Porsche. After working for several automotive companies in Austria and Germany, in 1931 F

El Dorado Hills Town Center, as was the case last year, hosted the Fallen Warriors Memorial Car and Motorcycle Show on Saturday, May 28. Hundreds of vintage, power and one-of- a-kind cars were exhibited and competed for awards. Motorcycles were also part of the event participating in 3 poker runs. A scholarship program, set up in honor and remembrance of area high school students who gave up their lives while serving in the armed forces, benefits from this event. This year almost $8,000 was raised for scholarships. The Sixth Annual Fallen Warriors Memorial Car and Motorcycle Show brought veterans, car and motorcycle enthusiasts together to share stories about their experiences. Various

Where do you go when you want to buy or shop for a car? A car dealership obviously. But that’s the point, you GO to the dealership. That’s not necessary anymore. Planet Automotive Group in partnership with Hyundai have opened a new type of store, a car store, THE car store. The Hyundai Store. The only store of it’s kind in North America, not even the Mall of America with its roller coaster and such has a store where you can walk in, test drive and purchase a car. They will even accept a trade-in if you got one. Starting Monday, Nov. 22, the Hyundai Store is officially open for business in the Westfield Downtown Plaza. Employees were still polishing up the store as the days first customers

The Sacramento International Auto Show kicked off its three-day run at Cal Expo on Friday with tons of vehicles from the past, present and future. With exhibits spread across the entire fairgrounds, there was something for car enthusiasts of all ages. All of the major manufacturers at the show were featuring some or all of their 2011 models, and visitors were free to sit inside many of the cars to get a feel for what’s to come. Among the exhibits looking back to the past, the Expo Center featured antique motorcycles such as a 1912 Excelsior and a 1914 Harley-Davidson. There was also an exhibit of pre-1916 cars, including a 1908 Reo Runabout and a 1915 Ford Model T. Ford’s main exhibit

The California Automobile Museum is proud to announce that Ferrari of San Francisco will be the title sponsor of its newest exhibit, Automobilia! Celebrating Italian Automotive Design. "I thought this Automobilia! exhibit was the perfect fit for the area and an exciting opportunity to support the Ferrari brand by our presence in the community that has shown its love for Italian motor cars," said Greg Minor, general manager of Ferrari of San Francisco, who noted the growing number of Ferrari owners in the Sacramento area. The project is the most ambitious ever undertaken by the California Automobile Museum and the sponsorship by Ferrari of San Francisco marks the Museum's first support for

Sacramento residents will get a chance to comment on the city's plan to reintroduce cars to K Street Mall at a community meeting on the issue Thursday evening. The meeting is one of the last opportunities for people to give feedback on the design concept, which is not yet complete. The Sacramento City Council previously approved a $2.7 million construction and design project allowing cars back on K Street from Eighth to 12th streets. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the historic City Hall, 915 I St. The public's input is being sought before the City Council's Nov. 4 meeting. The council will be asked to approve an environmental study and allow the final design work to be un

The California Automobile Museum was once recognized for the Ford collection it housed, but since 1997, it has expanded the makes and models of the cars on exhibit and now is becoming known for its diversity in exhibitions. This diversity is part of the Museum’s mission to tell the history of the automobile. Currently the Museum is opening Lowriders: The Art of Low and Slow which will run through January 9 and will open Automobilia! Celebrating Italian Automotive Design on November 13. As the Museum continues to expand the types of cars represented at the Museum, it looks forward to the unique schedule of exhibits it will present in 2011. Dropped and Chopped --- January 22 - March 27 Exp

Beautiful vintage automobiles adorned the green around the Serrano Visitor Center in El Dorado Hills. Autos from different eras were on display celebrating the British Marques. The 2010 Niello Concours at Serrano showcased British vehicles from a 1908 REO to a 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia. Rolls Royce, A/C, Triumph, Allard, TVR, Arnolt, Morgan, Austin Healey, MG, Bentley, Lotus, Daimler, Greeves, Jaguar, and the Aston Martin were all represented at the show with one or more vehicles. Visitors to the event, if they wished, could take a test drive on the newest Jaguars. Many took advantage of the offer but I’m not sure how many were sold. As I passed by the Jaguar display test drive area some o

For the past several weeks Sacramento has hosted many cultural events. This weekend the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored their comrades in a Carmichael Ceremony. The small hall was full and people were standing outside listening to the ceremony. Outside the veteran's hall a 21 gun salute honored the veterans and as if on cue a stealth fighter jet flew overhead as the ceremony continued. Up the road in Roseville the 21st Annual Polish Festival was taking place on Main Street. The festival was sponsored by the Polish American Club of Sacramento. Vendors were on hand to sell merchandise and some delicious food. Polish and American beer was being sold. It was a little too early for me so I by

Sacramento, CA | Automobillia opens at California Automobile Museum (CAM), November 13th. The ears are greeted with that uniquely distinctive note of the finely tuned exhaust system, you can tell even from a distance with your eyes closed “That’s a Ferrari coming”. The clean fluid body lines inspired by the racing legends, it just screams high performance. That’s a Ferrari. It was a rare opportunity to view some 15 of the finest examples of the famed Italian sports car which were on hand for the special preview event at the California Auto Museum in Sacramento. The event, which ran from 11am to 2pm was a kickoff celebration for the upcoming Automobilia “Celebrating Italian Automotive Des

Fans of hot rods and car customization crowded into Time Tested Books on 21st Street Sunday night to hear from a legend in the Sacramento car customization scene. Dick Bertolucci, 82, had more than 100 fans eating out of his hand as he and his longtime friend Bud Ohanesian recounted tales from their pasts, all the while grinning like children who have just gotten away with something naughty. As part of a series hosted by Time Tested Books, Bertolucci was this month’s guest in “The Sacramento Living Library,” a series that chooses its guests for their unparalleled knowledge in a particular field. As historian and auto enthusiast Bruce Woodward sat beside Bertolucci and Ohanesian, it beca

Sacramento, CA   The CAM Car Cruise and Show snaked through the streets and captivated downtown Sacramento Saturday evening. Saturday evening, car enthusiats from all over Californina gathered at the California Automomobile Muesuem (CAM) to stage for a downtown cruise and auto show that would cover several streets. If you were downtown Saturday evening after 5 P.M., you may have seen the very long line of vintage, classic and modern cars that snaked through the streets of downtown, from CAM all the way up to 28th and J. Streets were closed from J over to L, beginning at 22nd and over to 25th. Bands of different genres were playing on each street as folks enjoyed the wide variety of cars

The newest exhibit at the California Automobile Museum (CAM) will highlight the success of Toyota, Japan’s largest car manufacturer, as a trendsetter in America since the days it sold the gas-sipping Toyopet on Hollywood Boulevard when the newest models in Southern California dealerships had massive tail fins. The summer long exhibit, TOYOTA: Oh What A History!, sponsored by Elk Grove Toyota, opens on July 17 and will run through September 19. “Toyota was the first car manufacturer from the “Land of the Rising Sun” to sell cars in the United States and to challenge Detroit on many levels,” noted Karen McClaflin, Executive Director of the California Automobile Museum. “Over the last half c

Now that city leaders have dedicated $2.7 million in funding to add cars to the K Street pedestrian mall, what exactly does the city hope to achieve from the effort?
 Mayor Kevin Johnson and city staffers have said that the move to include cars on K Street would be a boon for business and would also make the street safer.
 Johnson said at a Monday press conference that automobile traffic on K Street — banned since the late 1960s — would create numerous advantages for the city. “It increases visibility for all the retail...stimulates our activity in terms of K Street, and pedestrian malls are a thing of the past,” he said, adding that the cars would also improve public safety on the thoro

The California Automobile Museum’s newest exhibit features cars that were created in California but have been celebrated in movies, songs and popular culture across the country and around the world for a half-century. The exhibit, Drive Fast, Take Chances: Birth of the Hot Rod is sponsored by So-Cal Speed Shop, Sacramento and runs now through July 5. It explores the hot rod culture that grew out of the dry lake beds of California in the post-World War II years and ultimately spread to drag strips and back roads, as well as burger drive-ins and street cruises, such as the annual car cruise hosted by the California Automobile Museum which will commence on the streets of Downtown Sacramento

Sacramentans may eventually see Hondas, Fords and Volkswagens on K Street if the City Council likes the idea of cars there. The City Council will decide Tuesday whether to dedicate funding to an effort to bring cars to K Street. Cars would be OK'd for the area of K Street bordered by Eighth and 12th streets. The City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at 915 I St. Read a report on the issue by the city’s Economic Development and Transportation Departments. Photo by Suzanne Hurt. Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

The California Automobile Museum is temporarily home to all three mass-produced World War II military jeeps. The 1941 Bantam Reconnaissance Car (Jeep), 1943 Ford Military Jeep, and 1943 Willys Military Jeep are great examples of American innovation during the war years that are rarely seen together. In July 1940, the U.S. Army issued a challenge to the nation’s automakers to produce a light, cross-country reconnaissance vehicle described as a “quarter-ton, 4X4 truck.” Ford, Willys-Overland, and American-Bantam took on the task but only American-Bantam was able to produce a prototype in the short amount of time the military required. However, Bantam’s limited production capacity made it im

Sacramento, CA – Just in time for Earth Day, one of the California Automobile Museum's newest editions to the Going Green exhibit is the “Quiet 1” – a custom 3 wheel, 2 passenger, electric vehicle designed and built completely at home. This home-built electric car serves as a great example of what environmentally-conscious car enthusiasts can do. The California Automobile Museum’s Going Green exhibit opened Earth Day 2009 and showcases vehicles spanning the 20th to the early years of the 21st century that personify the low-polluting, environmentally advanced cars dotting California’s highways. The exhibit features one of only 12 surviving models of the EV-1, an all-electric prototype manu

Cloudy weather did not keep more than 80 sponsors, 600 beautiful cars and 35,000 guests from this weekend's Kragen O'Reilly Sacramento Autorama at Cal Expo. This year marks 60 years of appreciation for customized, classic American muscle cars. The rods, which rolled in Wednesday for registration and early judging, still can be viewed Sunday, the last chance to catch the three-day show. This year's theme, Mardi Gras, lends a special flavor to the event with decoration and awards for cars that best depict the theme. The anniversary makes this a special year for event producer John Buck. Pictures of show winners all the way back to the first Autorama in 1950 are on display. The Capital Aut

Mark your calendar and don't miss the California Automobile Museum's Annual Spring Swap Meet on Sunday, March 7, 2010 from 6am - 2pm.Vendors will offer unique and hard to find automobile collectibles and accessories, including antique auto parts, tools, books, magazines, models and much more! The Meet is located next to the Museum at 2400 Front Street - parking in Museum parking lot, on the street, and behind the Museum. New this year, vendors can pre-register by visiting www.CalAutoMuseum.org/SwapMeet. There will also be set-up and merchant and car sales registration on Saturday, March 6 from 2pm - 5pm and registration and set up will open at 5am on March 7. General admission and parking