{"id":1218,"date":"2020-09-06T17:30:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-06T17:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/?p=1218"},"modified":"2020-09-06T17:30:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T17:30:56","slug":"newport-ri-newport-car-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/?p=1218","title":{"rendered":"NEWPORT, RI: NEWPORT CAR MUSEUM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newport Car Museum Still Wowing Visitors <\/strong>During Unprecedented Times\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Newport Car Museum has seen a change in demographics and has welcomed a steady stream of visitors through its doors since reopening in June. (photo supplied by Newport Car Museum)\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (Sept. 2, 2020) \u2013 The Newport Car Museum intended to unveil some new cars this summer; however, those plans came to a screeching halt in March when the State of Rhode Island mandated the shutdown of Museums and other businesses during early stay-at-home stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Museum, since, has re-opened with new compliance guidelines and safety protocols in place, and it has resumed its regular hours of 10 a.m. \u2013 5 p.m. daily. And while the additions are still on hold, the private collection of more than 75 rare and otherwise extraordinary cars in six galleries continues to delight a steady stream of visitors.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has always been a place where people can come and forget about the outside world and focus on the beauty, the power and the history of the cars,\u201d said Newport Car Museum Head Docent Vin Moretti, noting that with over 75,000 square feet of exhibit area and a parking lot that fits 300-500 cars (for free), there is plenty of room for social distancing. \u201cWe\u2019re finding that now, more than ever, people need this opportunity to be with others who share a common passion.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Newport Car Museum sits on 17 acres in Porstmouth, R.I., just minutes away from Newport, R.I., one of the eastern seaboard\u2019s most famous tourist destinations. Just as Newport has seen a decrease in international visitors, so has the Museum, but numbers for those visiting from within a 200-mile driving radius have significantly increased since June 8, when its doors were allowed to swing open again.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur visitor demographic has changed a bit during the pandemic,\u201d said Moretti. \u201cWe have seen less seniors but more families and young adults. We love it when we can spark the interest of a young person. Without that interest there will be no next generation of people who love and appreciate the design, technology and beauty of automobiles.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Stuart McCalley\u2019s visit was a case in point: \u201cWe went there with my 13-year-old grandson, who knows more about cars than I will ever know. It was so much fun to hear him expound on the various muscle cars and I was able to tell him about the\u00a01950s Fin cars! I really\u00a0gained an appreciation for the concept of cars as\u00a0works of art<\/em>\u00a0on this visit.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Newport Car Museum stays relevant for younger generations by mixing in plenty of newer model cars with the older and grouping them in separate galleries for Ford\/Shelby, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars, Mopars and American Muscle Cars. (photos supplied by Newport Car Museum)\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Newport Car Museum stays relevant for younger generations by having plenty of newer model cars mixed in with the old and grouping them in separate galleries for Ford\/Shelby, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars, Mopars and American Muscle Cars. Using barrier-free platforms (some of them motorized to turn), theatrical lighting, specially commissioned artwork and engrossing videos, the exhibits represent seven decades of automotive design, starting with the 1950\u2019s.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The rarest car in the collection is the blue\u00a0<\/em>1965 Ford Cobra 427 SC\u00a0(only 31 built), but nearly as cool and elusive in the Ford\/Shelby gallery is the white\u00a01965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R\u00a0(only 37 built), the white\u00a02015 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R\u00a0(with the same build # as the 1965 edition), and the Grabber Blue\u00a01970 Mustang Boss 429. In the Fin Car gallery, standouts include a black\u00a01957 DeSoto Adventurer Convertible\u00a0(only 300 built) and a red\u00a01959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible\u00a0(the longest and biggest fin car ever). The Mopar and American Muscle Galleries are punctuated by a Plum Crazy Purple\u00a01970 Plymouth Hemi \u2018Cuda, a bright Lemon Twist Yellow\u00a01970 Plymouth Superbird\u00a0and an orange\u00a01969 Camaro Z-28, while World Cars wow with a yellow 1997\u00a0Lamborghini Diablo, a silver\u00a01963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL\u00a0and a silver\u00a01993 XJ 220 Jaguar\u00a0(only 248 built), among other rare specimens. And one can\u2019t forget the Corvettes, representing every generation of that marque\u2019s design, including a black\u00a01963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Split Window Coupe\u00a0and a black\u00a01957 Chevrolet Corvette \u201cFuelie.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As for the new cars waiting in the wings \u2013 including a volcano orange\u00a02014 McLaren P1, a black\u00a02019\u00a0McLaren Senna, a Viper Green 2018\u00a0Porsche GT2RS, and three\u00a0Porsche Speedsters\u00a0from\u00a01989, 2011 and 2019) \u2013 one can only dream about being at the Newport Car Museum when they are unveiled, but certainly there is no reason to put off visiting and plenty of reasons to return when they are put on display.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A monthly \u201cHoods Up\u201d Weekend and \u201cCars and Coffee\u201d events are crowd pleasers at the Newport Car Museum where an expansive parking lot and grounds are well utilized for car club visits and other special events. \u00a0(photos supplied by Newport Car Museum)\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Newport Car Museum experience also includes browsing at an impressively stocked gift shop, monthly \u201cHoods Up\u201d Weekends and \u201cCars and Coffee\u201d events for car clubs from throughout the Northeast. Over the last weekend in August, more than 500 people toured the Museum, some of them having coordinated their visits with the Sunday arrival of the Porsche Club of America Northeast Region.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

More About Newport Car Museum<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Within 18 months of its 2017 opening, the Newport Car Museum was included in USA Today\u2019s \u201cTop 10 Best New Attractions\u201d and named Yankee Magazine\u2019s \u201cBest Specialty Museum.\u201d It also has won an award from the National Association of Automobile Museums for its originally produced historic videos. A collection of Mid-Century modern furniture \u2013 by iconic designers such as Americans Charles and Ray Eames and\u00a0Florence Knoll Bassett,\u00a0and Denmark\u2019s Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner \u2013 has been integrated into the artistic stylings of the museum, while six driving simulators await those wanting to test their skills on the toughest raceways and road courses in the world. (The simulators are currently shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions.)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Newport Car Museum is handicap accessible and hours are daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at\u00a0www.newportcarmuseum.org<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(401-848-2277). Regular admission: $18\/adults; $15\/Seniors, Military, Students; $8\/Ages 5-15 (with an adult); Free\/Ages 4 and under (with an adult).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0IGTV<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newport Car Museum Still Wowing Visitors During Unprecedented Times\u00a0\u00a0   The Newport Car Museum has seen a change in demographics and has welcomed a steady stream of visitors through its doors since reopening in June. (photo supplied by Newport Car Museum)\u00a0 PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (Sept. 2, 2020) \u2013 The Newport Car Museum intended to unveil some<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Uncategorized<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Newport Car Museum Still Wowing Visitors During Unprecedented Times\u00a0\u00a0   The Newport Car Museum has seen a change in demographics and has welcomed a steady stream of visitors through its doors since reopening in June. (photo supplied by Newport Car Museum)\u00a0 PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (Sept. 2, 2020) \u2013 The Newport Car Museum intended to unveil someRead…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1218"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1219,"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218\/revisions\/1219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}