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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.
© Robin
Jett
July 15,
2004 |
Pate Museum
of Transportation
18501 Hwy 377 S
(mailing: P.O. Box 711)
Fort Worth, Texas, 76101
(817) 396-4305
10a-5p Tuesday through Saturday
12p – 5p Sundays
Closed Mondays
Free admission – Donations welcomed, of course!
Book Hotel Here › Fort
Worth Hotels |
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The
1957 Buick
Photo courtesy Robin Jett |
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Yellow
Submarine
Photo courtesy Robin Jett |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic
photos, please contact
us. |
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