To celebrate the Gilmore Car Museum's 50th anniversary as a nonprofit, they have brought a collection of cars from the 1960s to this year's Michigan International Auto Show.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - When visitors to this week's Michigan International Car Show see the little yellow Ferrari in the Gilmore Auto Museum's display, they'll note the car was once owned by Nicholas Cage, the star of action movies like "Gone in 60 Seconds."
But the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 with a V-12 engine has greater meaning for Michael Spezia, the museum's executive director. He conducted his job interview from the car's passenger seat 12 years ago with the museum's board president behind the wheel.
"I critiqued his skill with the clutch," says Spezia of their high-speed drive through the countryside. "I told him he'd have the clutch burned out in no time if he kept driving it the way he drove it."
That moment of forthright concern for a recently acquired treasure convinced the director that Spezia was the right man for the job of caring for the 500-plus cars and seven separate museums at the Hickory Corners institution, says Spezia.
To celebrate the Gilmore's 50th anniversary as a nonprofit, Spezia has brought a collection of cars from the 1960s to this year's Grand Rapids show.
The museum, one of the largest car museums in the world, has been bringing cars to DeVos Place since 2004, in part to generate awareness in the Grand Rapids market and to offer car show attendees an alternative to the new cars and trucks on display, Spezia said.
Besides the Ferrari, the cars in this year's Gilmore display span the automotive trends of the 1960s, from the super-sized convertibles by Buick and Lincoln to the muscle cars that were epitomized by the 1969 Camaro Z28, a two-seater 1969 AMX Sport Coupe and a brawny 19631/2 Ford Galaxie 500.
Spezia also brought along a "split window" 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray and a 1963 Studebaker Avanti, a sport coupe built by Indiana-based Studebaker to compete with the Corvette and Ford Thunderbird.
While the show also features a "Million Dollar Motorway" of new exotic cars, the Gilmore's entries are often more valuable, Spezia noted with a chuckle. For example, the Ferrari would fetch about $3.5 million today -- if it were for sale.
Most of the cars in Gilmore museum are not considered for their market value, but by their place in automotive history, said Spezia, noting that the value of their cars is rarely discussed apart from their insurance coverage.
The Gilmore Car Museum also has collaborated with the Holland Police Department to display a new Camaro that has been outfitted with a distracted driving simulator.
Persons attending the show can operate the simulator, which demonstrates how distracted driving has become the leading cause of accidents. .
The auto show kicks off on Wednesday, Jan. 27 , with the Charity Spectacular for the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The $150-a-ticket cocktail-attire evening will include a fashion show and a strolling dinner catered by the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.The show opens to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28.
During the four-day show, more than 35 car manufacturers will be on hand to display more than new vehicles, including sedans, vans, SUVs, trucks, hybrids and sports cars. Dealer reps will be on hand to answer questions.
RELATED: See exotic cars arrive at DeVos Place for Michigan International Auto Show
Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.