Classic car lovers can enjoy free weekend at the Mentor Museum of Speed
The Cruise Weekend will offer free admission to the museum on Saturday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Sunday, June 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum of Speed, located at Best of Show Automotive (7700 Tyler Road), restores, details, sells and displays classic automobiles.
Best of Show's customers are usually affluent and purchase classic cars for their collections.
"Seventy-five percent of our customers buy our cars sight unseen," said marketing director Rick Iacoboni. "We put them on boats and ship them to the Middle East and South Africa.
"Some people rent a car or fly in and then drive the car home," he added.
Best of Show has a staff photographer who takes more than 30 photos of each car, which spins on a turntable in a photo studio.
Because the cars are being bought and sold continually, the Museum of Speed keeps changing.
"We sell memberships, because after a few weeks, we may have 10 or 12 different cars in here," Iacoboni wrote.
Every car has a story to tell, and Best of Show's customers often have deep, personal connections.
"I think the best line I've ever heard here was from a woman who said 'I had my first kiss in that car!'" said Iacoboni.
Other cars tell stories from the worlds of auto racing and entertainment, such as:
- A 1968 Chevrolet Camaro called "Old Reliable" that won the National Hot Rod Association Super Stock World Championship;
- A car that used to belong to "the godfather of soul" James Brown (documentation is included with cars that used to belong to celebrities);
- A 1934 Auburn used in the James Cagney film "The Mayor of Hell" (Cagney purchased the car after the film wrapped);
- A car that was autographed by more than 100 celebrities at the Philadelphia Live Aid concert, including Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne and members of Led Zeppelin.
While adults enjoy the cars, kids can play in a free arcade that includes video games, pinball machines, a pingpong table and a pool table.
Published by Jeff D Gorman
Jeff Gorman is a journalist for a local newspaper, editor for BleacherReport.com and a legal writer for CNP. When he isn't writing he's pursuing his sports broadcasting career. When you need a profession... View profile
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