NEWPORT — This part of the state might be better known for yachts, but its the cars that are getting the attention these days.
In June, the Newport Car Museum opened in nearby Portsmouth, joining the Audrain Auto Museum, which opened in 2014 on Newport’s famed Bellevue Avenue, in displaying some of the most beautiful cars ever made. And some of the fastest, too.
The Audrain displays its cars in quarterly rotating exhibits, the latest of which, “Fast, Fun & Fabulous: Best of Show,’’ opens this month and includes rare models, some never before shown. Set in the renovated, splendid Audrain Building, space allows for a finely curated display of only around 20 cars at a time. The Newport Car Museum, however, is housed in a renovated former Raytheon building, giving 55,000 square feet of exhibit and special event space.
What used to be a missile manufacturing plant now holds the personal collection of businessman and yachtsman Gunther Buerman, who founded the museum with his wife Maggie.
“I’ve been a car enthusiast for as long as I can remember,’’ says Buerman. “As a kid I used to look through National Geographic and stare at all the car ads. I’d put wax paper over them and draw them while listening to the Yankees game,’’ he recalls.
As an adult, tracing turned to collecting. As with most collectors, Buerman became unsatisfied with keeping the goodies to himself, mostly shut away in storage. He asked his wife whether they should sell some or start a museum. Without hesitation she replied, “Start a museum,’’ says Buerman. “This really is a labor of love for us. We enjoy it so much.’’
Currently, there are 53 cars in five separate galleries, each one is themed: one for Shelbys, the sports cars founded by the late American racing driver Carroll Shelby in the 1960s, and the design name behind such models as Viper and Cobra; one for world cars, with brands including Lamborghini, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes; one for muscle cars; one for the extravagant fin cars; and one for Corvettes: “We have every model from 1953: the year the Corvette debuted to the latest,’’ says Buerman.
Like the Audrain, which Buerman views as a companion, not competition, the museum includes new models, but it still promotes a golden age of car design and an era when America seemed new and symbolized modernism. That is echoed in the Newport Car Museum’s design — and a giant mural depicting a happily married Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio.
“I think of this place more like an art museum,’’ says Buerman. “To me, it’s a place where you can come and just meditate on these amazing pieces, just like you can in an art museum.’’
The Audrain Auto Museum “Fast, Fun & Fabulous: Best of Show’’ runs until Oct. 22. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 222 Bellevue Ave., Newport, R.I. 401-856-4420. www.audrainauto museum.org
Newport Car Museum Open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1847 West Main Road, Portsmouth, R.I. 401-856-4420. www.newportcarmuseum.org.
Linda Laban can be reached at soundz@me.com.
