Midwest Dream Car Collection
Car museum brings nostalgia and vintage vehicle dreams to life
Story by: Bethaney Phillips
Photography: by Jason Dailey
At Village Plaza along Anderson Avenue sits the Midwest Dream Car Collection Museum, an impressive display of cars from all eras. From a Ford Model A, predating the Model T, to half-million-dollar supercars, the museum has something for everyone. “You don’t have to be a car person; you’ll find something that tickles your fancy. The least car person walks out of here with a connection,” says executive director Chris Gergeni.
There’s the 1931 Packard Convertible Coupe, Gergeni’s favorite. “They were just such a luxurious car in their day. Fast cars that were also beautiful.” The coupe has rumble seats, no seatbelts, and a large storage compartment that can hold a golf bag, and the museum is home to two—the more elaborate ’31 and a ’32 Roadster, which, Gengeni says, reflects cost-cutting measures due to the ongoing Great Depression.
A $400,000 2014 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, previously owned and signed by Mario Andretti, and a 2006 Ford GT valued at half a million dollars are the museum’s most valuable cars. At the other end of the spectrum is the Model T, valued at a modest $6,000. Their fastest car, a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, clocks in at 0-60 in 2.4 seconds and can do a wheelie from a dead stop.
A lime green 1970 Plymouth Superbird has its own sculpture replica on-site. Then there’s the 1966 Amphicar 770, an amphibious model that can be used interchangeably as car or boat. And we can’t forget the 1973 VW “Ridiculous Thing,” and an immaculate 1951 Hudson Hornet named Doc, complete with vacuum-powered windows.
Originally from the private collection of Manhattan entrepreneurs Ward and Brenda Morgan, the Midwest dream Car Collection Museum is now a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Donor funds provide the capital, and an advisory board drives the decisions, such as which cars the museum will buy and how they’ll be displayed.
“We prefer to keep it a little more formal because that keeps us from making a mistake,” Gergeni says of the board’s process. “We want to be good stewards of the donations we get from the public. We do our research and make sure we get good purchases.”
The museum’s board is made up of volunteers, and a team of about 30 additional volunteers help by staffing the floor, answering questions, and allowing folks to have a good time. The museum also has seven employees, including master mechanic Nick Poell, who repairs, maintains, and details each vehicle, and director of vehicle operations and curator Doug Meloan, who researches each car’s historical accuracy.
When entering the Midwest Dream Car Collection Museum, visitors find themselves among a lineup of 65 unique vehicles, each with an information card that tells the car’s story. But what makes this museum different is the participation; Gergeni points out that visitors can touch and sit in the cars on the carpet.
“The Morgans were phenomenally generous with us,” Gergeni says. “Their vision to come in and have a great time. We’re the only [car museum] we know of where you can walk up and honk a horn and sit in the car. They wanted people to leave with a smile on their face.”
For visitors, it’s all about the excitement and nostalgia. “We want you to be involved, that’s why it’s open and that’s why we take time when we can. I can pack 100 cars in here, but it won’t be the same experience,” he says. “The kids’ awe is wonderful… but the adults…it’s that kind of outreach that’s vital to me. To let someone sit in something from their youth—we want it to mean something and that’s the biggest difference.”
The Midwest Dream Car Collection is more than a showroom; a kids’ room offering toys and activities, such as car videos and coloring. For the adults, there’s a beer wall, and after obtaining a wristband, visitors can self-pour from a collection of domestic and local beers and ciders. Completing the space is a meeting room available for rent that provides a view of the car collection through a large rolling garage door.
Vehicles are rearranged every three to six months though main attractions stay on the floor, Gergeni says. It’s a group effort to determine what goes on display, Meloan notes. The museum’s nine-person advisory board meets monthly to discuss cars of interest, including recommendations from visitors. The team researches a car to purchase, and Meloan follows up on leads, makes phone calls and communicates with the team.
“Especially when you’re dealing with older cars, if you don’t physically look at them, you can get bamboozled,” he says. “A lot of times they aren’t what they appear to be in photos. We always go to check them out to make sure [of] what we’re getting.”
The Midwest Car Collection also hosts and participates in events throughout the year. This includes a Back-to-School event where they provide school supplies and offer free rides to recipients and donors; Trunk or Treat with other local businesses; and a military display where they partner with collectors to show off various military vehicles. During Cars and Coffee, held on the first Saturday of the month, the museum offers free donuts and coffee as well as a guest speaker whose topic is always vehicle-related. Open-Hood Sunday is the last Sunday of the month where users can see the cars’ inner workings and hear them roar.
A full list of events can be found at midwestdreamcarcollection.org. Visitors can purchase admission for single events or an annual family pass.
