TMC Chapter News
TMC: CA / Nethercutt Museum Tour
07/27/2002: In an effort to escape the southern California summer heat and give a break to our all alloy Modena engines, TMC California headed indoors to the Nethercutt Automobile Museum in Sylmar, CA. As it turned out, nature provided us a nice cool day worthy of an Angeles Crest Highway run! It goes to show you that you can’t always get these things exact. TMC-CA returned the favor (extended to us in March during the Petersen Museum Tour) to the Riverside Foreign Car Club and invited their members along. When the group of 25 of us arrived Saturday morning, we also met with the Pantera Club, coincidently there for a tour as well.
The J.B. Nethercutt Collection is an outstanding display of dedication and passion for “functional fine art.” The focus here is the automotive collection which spans over 200 cars. Their Mascot Collection includes more than 1,100 hood ornaments, many of Lalique crystal. Assembled by J.B. Nethercutt and his wife Dorothy, the collection is a result of a lifetime dedicated to a love of beauty in design. Incuded in the collection are such rarities as the 1933 Duesenberg SJ Arlington Torpedo “Twenty Grand,” a 1932 Maybach Zeppelin Sport Cabriolet, 1934 Packard 1108 Dietrich Convertible Sedan, the “Orello,” 1922 Hispano-Suiza Model H-6-B Cabriolet de Ville, Body by Saoutchik, 1898 Eisenach 2 Cylinder, 1932 Maybach DS-8 Zeppelin Sport Cabriolet, Body by Spohn, a 1925 Doble Steam Car, and a Rolls-Royce Towncar.
The Duesenberg recently won the “Best of Show” award at the “‘99 Concours on Rodeo.” It is the philosophy of the Nethercutts that beauty should be preserved, enjoyed, and shared with the public. In addition to a grand total of more than 200 cars—of which 30 are on a rotating display in the grand salon—the collection also includes early mechanical musical instruments, musical pocket watches, and antique furniture.
Also on display is the Tom Tjaarda designed Ferrari 365 California Spyder of which only 14 were produced.