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| | Vintage
Cadillac Dealership
Photo courtesy Robin Jett |
Texans’
love for all things horse-related is well documented. But Texans also have a love
affair with the horseless carriage. While they may not enter their Packards or
Buicks in barrel races, a true Texan appreciates a good car any day.
The Pate Museum of Transportation, just south of Fort Worth, is a prime example
of one Texan’s devotion to all things mobile. A.M. Pate Jr., owner of Fort Worth
based Texas Refinery Company, began collecting classic cars in the 1960s and didn’t
stop until his death in 1988. He ended up amassing helicopters, a yellow submarine,
and a Cadillac with the biggest fins this side of the ocean, among other treasures.
The museum, opened in the late 1960s, attracts travelers with an outdoor
collection of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam era aircraft, guns, and tanks. Inside,
over 30 vintage cars line the walls, each car more astounding than the other.
Not just one, but two Rolls Royces – from the 1920s and 1930s – share space with
a 1938 Pierce Arrow, a 1937 Lincoln Tour Car, a 1973 Jaguar, and a 1968 Shelby
Mustang. The museum also found space for a 1983 DeLorean and an Iron Curtain-era
Trabant, the East German version of a “car.” I remember riding in a Trabant when
I visited family in East Berlin, and let’s just say that I felt as though we had
piled into a covered riding lawn mower.
My favorite vintage cars in the
museum include the Thelma & Louise style Thunderbird and the horrendously overdone
1957 Buick, with a grill that frightens small children. Rare cars, such as the
1904 Schacht car from Ohio, a custom car from San Antonio that wears longhorns
on the hood, and a 1968 Sunbeam Alpine from Britain are on display as well.
Pate’s enthusiasm for classic cars is shared by thousands of other Texans.
Every year the estate hosts the Pate Swap Meet, held on the last weekend of April
at the Texas Motor Speedway, where aficionados gather to buy, sell, and talk cars.
Thanks to Pate’s passion, we can all enjoy the funky, eccentric, and glorious
styling of the automobile. |
| | The
1957 Buick
Photo courtesy Robin Jett |
| | Yellow
Submarine
Photo courtesy Robin Jett |
Pate
Museum of Transportation
18501 Hwy 377 S (mailing: P.O. Box 711)
Fort Worth Texas, 76101
817-332-1161
10a-5p Tuesday through Saturday
12p – 5p Sundays
Closed Mondays
Free
admission – Donations welcomed, of course!
Copyright
Robin Jett
July
15, 2004 |
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