Last month while en route to the start of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race, I noticed a well-worn sign for the Auto World Museum on a side road across the street from my interstate motel.
It was my first trip to the state, and it was nearly 10 p.m. on the day of my arrival. And so I waited until the next morning to explore.
The next day, I had about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Kansas City, so I figured a brief stop at the museum would be a beneficial way to start the day and the pending long week of driving throughout the 600-mile race.
The Auto World Museum, 200 Peacock Drive, Fulton, Mo., is visible along Highway 54, the connecting route to Interstate 70.
With the exception of other warehouse businesses and agricultural fields, little else is nearby. When I arrived, just after the 10 a.m. opening, director Warren Hollrah was on the telephone and didn't hear me enter the building.
Soon enough, though, as the museum's only guest, I got a personally guided tour of the 20,000 square-foot facility and snapped a few images in my half-hour visit.
The museum's genesis dates more than 50 years when William E. Backer, founder of the Backer Potato Chip Company, purchased a 1924 Dodge. Since then, according to the museum's brochure, "he has been collecting an outstanding array of automobiles with over 100 in his personal collection."
And thus began the museum. The collection on display includes more than 80 vehicles. Here's the partial list: 1903 Humberette, 1907 REO Touring, 1909 Lambert Touring, 1909 Black Auto Buggy, 1909 Ford Model T, 1910 Kelsey 3-Wheeled, 1915 Studebaker Touring, 1922 Wills Ste. Claire, 1924 Stanley Steamer, 1926 Pierce Arrow, 1931 Rolls Royce P II, 1932 DeSoto Roadster, 1932 REO Royale, 1938 Buick 4-Door Sedan, 1938 Dodge Panel Truck, 1941 Packard Coupe, 1947 Diamond T Pick-Up, 1950 Buick 4-Door Special, 1952 Kaiser Manhatten, 1956 Lincoln Mark II, 1957 Thunderbird, 1959 Edsel, 1969 Ford Fairlane, 1970 Cadillac Stretched Coupe, 1982 Delorean Coupe, 1986 Pulse.
The Auto World Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 1-Dec. 31. Address: 200 Peacock Drive, Fulton, Mo., 65251. Mailing address: P.O. Box 128, Fulton, Mo., 65251-0128. Tel. 573-642-2080. E-mail: staff@autoworldmuseum.com. Web site: www.autoworldmuseum.com.
Comment Preview