We here at Jalopnik love cars in all shapes and sizes. In some cases, their design and construction can outshine the work of many artists and sculptors. But this isn’t historically a view that has been shared by the world’s museums and galleries.
Sure, from time to time galleries like New York’s Museum of Modern Art will host exhibitions on automotive design, and each year a new car gets added to the National Historic Vehicle Register at the United States Library of Congress, but more cars deserved to be celebrated.
Venues like the Petersen Automotive Museum host incredible collections of cars for fans to see in person, while annual meets like Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance offer a chance for the super-rich to showcase their special, and sometimes sinister, machines.
But there’s a host of different reasons why a car should earn its spot behind a velvet rope in a museum. It could be one that proved influential to the automotive landscape, it could be the first plastic car, or it could simply be one that looks fantastic.
And while we would always condone a more dynamic display for any classic machine, as cars are made to be driven, today we want to know what vehicles from history would you pay to see in a museum or gallery?
One-off wonders like Bugatti’s L’Or Blanc Veyron, which was produced with a bespoke paint scheme and porcelain detailing, would look at home on a pedestal. And important cars from motorsport history, such as the Ferrari Michael Schumacher drove to secure his 91st and final win, have also rightly earned their time in the spotlight.
But what would you suggest as a vehicle worthy of celebration? What car would you part with your hard earned cash with in order to glimpse it on display in a museum?