Buy Museum Tickets
July 1, 2016

Gilmore Car Museum Welcomes "European Invasion" July 9th-10th

After celebrating America's independence and uniqueness, the Gilmore Car Museum will welcome a friendly invasion of sorts by our European friends. Saturday, July 9th will mark the fifth annual all-German car show at the museum followed on Sunday, July 10th by the 26th annual British car show on Sunday. 1886 Benz MotorwagenSaturday, July 9th is "Deutsche Marques," which translates to German Makes, is a true all-German auto event—featuring cars such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes - Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche and others. When Karl Benz applied for a patent in 1886 for his “vehicle with a gas engine,” little did he realize that his invention—recognized as the world’s first automobile—would change the World. It wasn’t until 1893, seven years after Benz unveiled his invention to the world, that the Duryea brothers produced the first American built automobile. The Museum displays a Mercedes – Benz built recreation of that first auto in their main Automotive Heritage Gallery. Picture1Sunday, July 10th the arrival of European automobiles continues when the Gilmore Car Museum welcomes the ever-popular Mad Dogs and Englishmen British Auto Faire. Spectators can explore an authentic London Double Decker bus, ride in a 1935 London Taxi, and watch a uniformed British bobby direct traffic all before the afternoon tea and bagpipe music. This has long been the largest gathering of British-built vehicles, of all eras, from luxury models to sports cars and motorcycles, in the Midwest. Guests will also be able to find their own British car to purchase in the For Sale Car Park, vote for their favorite show car, watch car games and discover the missing link needed to complete their restoration project in large parts swap meet. The featured brand of this year’s British show will be MGA and rare gem TVR, plus many fine examples from Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Austin, Aston-Martin, and Lotus, as well as Triumph, Singer and Land Rover will be shown. Over 400 British-built cars and motorcycles are expected to take over the museum’s manicured show grounds. The weekend’s events offer a unique opportunity to taste a bit of the automobiles and culture of Germany and Great Britain without a passport or the expense of traveling “across the pond.” Spectator admission to either Show is only $12.00 per person and includes visiting the entire Gilmore Car Museum campus and all exhibits at no extra charge, and those under 11 are FREE! The Gilmore Car Museum—North America’s Largest Auto Museum—is located just 20 minutes northeast of Kalamazoo on M-43 and Hickory Road. You can learn more about the Museum and its events at www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org or call 269-671-5089 for more information. # # # CAPTIONS London Bus.jpg When you think of Great Britain you might envision uniformed Bobbies, double decker buses and bagpipers—all of which will take part in this Sunday’s British Car Faire. 1886 Benz Motorwagen.jpg When Karl Benz of Germany applied for a patent in 1886 for his “vehicle with a gas engine,” little did he realize that his invention—recognized as the world’s first automobile—would change the World.