Get an up-close look at famed Italian car collector and jewelry magnate Nicola Bulgari’s most prized vehicles at America on Wheels’ newest exhibit, “A Lifetime Devotion to the American Automobile.”
The nine-vehicle display, which debuted April 27 and continues through mid-October, features classic models such as a 1922 Oldsmobile Model 47-F Super Sport Touring, a 1933 Marmon Sixteen Victoria Coupe by LeBaron and a 1951 Nash-Healey LeMans Roadster.
“Mr. Bulgari is a renowned car collector and has a long history of promoting America’s automotive heritage through education, car restoration and classic car collecting,” Linda Merkel, executive director of the museum, said in a news release. “It is an honor to showcase this classic exhibit.”
Bulgari, who also serves as chairman of the board for American on Wheels, has a collection of more than 200 vintage American automobiles. He restores and houses about 150 vehicles at his NB Center for American Automotive Heritage on Union Boulevard in Allentown, and the rest are in Rome and Sarteano, Italy.
Other vehicles on display at the Allentown museum include a 1933 Graham Blue Streak Sedan – Model 64, featuring a four-door body style, eight-cylinder inline engine and an original price tag of $895; 1935 Nash Ambassador 8 Sedan – Model 3580, featuring special broadcloth upholstery, a rear center armrest and an electric clock; and 1942 DeSoto DeLuxe S10 Sedan, 27,000 of which were produced before manufacturing plants were converted to war production facilities.
Also on display in the museum lobby is a 1940 Ford Deluxe convertible coupe, donated in 1997 to the Antique Automobile Club of America Library & Research Center by the estate of Benny T. Bootle, of Greenville, South Carolina. “Old Blue,” taking its name from the vehicle’s color, has earned over 60 preservation awards.
America on Wheels, at 5 N. Front St., is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10; $8, seniors; $6, ages 6-16; and free, 5 and under. Info: 610-432-4200.
Morning Call reporter Ryan Kneller can be reached at 610-820-6597 or at ryan.kneller@mcall.com.
