Car Talk

1954 Jaguar XK120

Yesterday The Amazing Bob and I decided to to go to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum. By ‘we’ I mean me, of course, with poor TAB going along lest I whine...more. I was just in a real got-to-see-some-cool-cars mood. It was this or hit The Dedham Auto Mall.

The current show at the Larz Anderson is Britain Can Make It -- World War II and the British Automobile in America. I'd envisioned Aston Martin DB2/4s, Jaguars, Triumphs, and maybe even a Sunbeam-Talbot Alpine.

I did get to see, and photograph, a few fab buckets but the exhibit was much smaller than I'd hoped. Possibly, it’s more ideal to see shows when they do their big Lawn Events.

We attended the Micro-Mini and Bubble Car Day a few years back and it was nine shades of awesome. No pics though.

The museum is in the middle of the gorgeous Larz Anderson Park.

Larz Anderson Park, the largest park in Brookline, was formerly the Larz Anderson estate. It is composed of large expanses of lawn at the top of the hill, playing fields, and sweeping slopes. At the highest point (where the main house stood), there are exceptional views of Boston. The hill provides opportunities for active and passive recreation that are not available elsewhere in Town. The grassy slopes provide a premier spot for sledding, watching sunsets, observing stars, kite flying and simply running on the slopes.

It’s great fun to take a picnic lunch, toss a baseball around, lay in the grass and then go drool over some hot metal. Oh yeah!

Sadly, the museum’s website doesn’t have galleries up from many of these past dos. They have some totally sweet car porn from Studebaker Day but nothing at all from Porschefest, Tutto Italiano or Micro-Mini Car Days. Donna haz a sad now.

Maybe they just haven’t updated the website lately. That’s what I’m hoping anyway.

The building itself is spectacular and worth the trip into town all of itself.

The museum is housed in what was once the opulent carriage house of wealthy Bostonians Larz and Isabel Anderson.

Yup, a rich person’s garage -- six times the size of my house. At least.
I’m always a little pinged when I see architectural wonders like the palaces of the wealthy or cathedrals but that’s a whole ‘nother blogpost.

Check out the Virtual Tour section of the website -- way cool.

There are social type events there too. Coming up next:

A Night at the Museum
Warm up with the Larz Anderson Auto Museum A Night at the Museum: Out of the Cold and Into the Carriage House

In collaboration with the Brookline Arts Center the Larz Anderson Auto Museum will be offering arts and crafts all night long! Explore the Museum AFTER DARK and warm up with some yummy hot chocolate!

OK, first -- the copywriter needs to have the exclamation point removed from his/her keyboard and what’s with AFTER DARK being capitalized? Is that code for something or is the writer 10 years old and never gets to go outside AFTER DARK?

1958 MGA Coupe Supercharged

Second, 'will be offering arts and crafts all night long!' will this be a night where party goers are given the opportunity to throw pots, weave scarves, paint with watercolors? Or will there be arts and craft works on display -- given as gifts or possibly for sale?

Perhaps the author could take some ad copy lessons from a Leo Burnett by way of a J.K. Rowling type. This is Boston, for dog’s sake there must be a teacher of that level around somewhere.

In any case, I’m intrigued. Plus, I’d love to get a few more, better shots of the Triumph and that sweet little MGA Coupe while sipping a rum enhanced hot chocolate.