KC ORIGINALS

More Than Just Cars.

Cars aren’t just about getting from A to B. They can’t simply be categorized as gas-guzzlers or eco-friendly, hot rods or mom cars, old or new. Cars are pieces of history, functional forms that tell stories about the technology, priorities, and aesthetics of a people.

For decades, the roughly 500 pieces in the Armacost Museum’s collection that illustrate those tales have only been available to the public on rare occasions. A recent decision by the Peterson Manufacturing board of directors will change that.

Currently, the collection is under the care of Peterson Manufacturing in Grandview, Missouri, owned by the Armacost family since 1956, but over the next three years, it will transition to the newly formed Armacost Brothers Foundation.

“What’s new is our status,” says Armacost Museum events coordinator and curator Brian Neher. The museum will soon operate as a 501c3.

The museum will continue a tradition of hosting up to 24 fundraising events free of charge in the museum’s banquet hall.

“This sets the foundation apart. I don’t know of any other group in the United States that does what we do here,” Neher says.

The section of the museum used for fundraisers feels like stepping into an early episode of Happy Days, complete with black-and-white tile flooring where a sock hop might break out at any moment.

The hall mostly houses British cars, like two 1960s-era Sunbeam Tigers and MGs that were restored in-house, but also two cars the Armacost shop built from scratch: a teal-flame-decorated hotrod they call the cabriolet and a wood-paneled station wagon referred to as the woodie.

“Each one of these vehicles, there’s a personal connection to the boys. For example, the reason we have this Tiger right here is because Don Armacost Jr. wanted one of these when he was a teenager,” Neher says, indicating a red car parked next to two restored Skelly gas pumps.

“He couldn’t afford one, so he got the cheaper model, which is the grey one on the other side of it,” he says.

The majority of the collection is housed in the other two parts of the 44,000-square-foot museum. The main level’s display includes a 1931 Detroit electric and two Ferraris, but most others in that section are Studebakers dating back to a 1910 International.

Studebakers feature so prominently because the Armacost family had a dealership in Indiana, then one in Kansas City, as well as the western states distributorship for the make until 1956.

The first three cars in the museum were all Studebakers: a 1947 Starlight, a 1953 Commander, and a 1939 President. The museum was born

in 1980, when Don Armacost Sr. built a shop for the restoration of their growing collection.

The brothers eventually amassed an assortment of vehicles that went far beyond the Studebaker to include other makes, bicycles, electric bicycles, motorcycles, and toy cars; they’re still buying and selling items on a regular basis.

Toys include tiny motorcycles from a carnival ride and all manner of children’s push cars. A small blue metal car up against a wall appears to be made for a child, but Neher says it was retrofitted with a powerful engine.

He says it’s meant as a practical joke. “It dumps you off and keeps going.”

That can just as easily be said about all the other vehicles in the museum: they “keep going.”

Neher tells about a 1978 Corvette that had 102 miles on it when the brothers acquired it. The car was part of a limited number of Indianapolis 500 pace cars, and the original owner bought it as a gift to himself after a divorce.

“He thought it was going to be worth a fortune someday,” Neher explains. Instead, the man grew ill, and after years of neglect in a barn, his son sold it to the museum for less than its 1970s purchase price.

Most items are associated with happier memories. A 1961 Corvette drag racer is the only car with its original paint job. The first owner was a farmer in Warrensburg, Missouri,

ARISTOCRAT MOTORS IS GRATEFUL TO BE PART OF HISTORIC LEE’S SUMMIT.

Lee’s Summit is one of the fastest growing communities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and we are proud to be a new part of it’s history. We are grateful for the warm welcome by our new friends and neighbors. David Hughes, our General Manager, and his professional staff look forward to meeting you and presenting a wide variety of pre-owned cars, trucks and SUV’s.

Starting your search for your next vehicle? Stop in for a COMPLIMENTARY VEHICLE APPRAISAL AND CAR WASH.

704 SE Oldham Court | Lee’s Summit, MO 64081 (913) 677-3300 | aristocratmotorsls.com Member of the Soave Automotive Group

David Hughes General Manager

whose daughter loved riding in the car. The worn spot where her father’s arm rested is intact.

“All the other vehicles, we’ve removed the patina. So, we’ve touched up the paint, we’ve buffed it out, we’ve cleaned up the chrome, we’ve replaced anything that was worn on it. Not everything is new, but everything looks polished and ready for sale. But this one is not; it’s an oddity in the collection,” Neher says.

After the museum’s change in status, an endowment will pay operating expenses; the foundation will donate proceeds from the $10 admission for individuals in tour groups of 20 or more to the Grandview Assistance Program.

The museum will remain closed to walk-in traffic. Prospective visitors can contact Neher through PetersonCarMuseum.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anne Kniggendorf is a Kansas City-based freelance writer and the author of Secret Kansas City. She's a regular contributor to KCUR 89.3 and other local publications like the Kansas City Star and The Pitch. Her work has also been published by the Smithsonian, National Public Radio, the Saturday Evening Post, and other national publications.

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