Route 66, also called The Mother Road, was established as a national highway in 1926. It went from Chicago, Ill., to Santa Monica, Calif., and was key in the westward expansion of the United States.
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum is the brainchild of Richard and Lina Holmes. It opened in August 2016 in Sapulpa, Okla., on Route 66 to honor not only Richard’s love of cars, but also the history of Route 66.
The museum was opened in Sapulpa because it is on Route 66. The people of Sapulpa were so wonderful in helping them find the building they are currently in. The museum showcases many cars that may have traveled on Route 66, as well as ones that came before the highway was established.
The cars range from a 1905 Cadillac to a 2006 Dodge Chip Foose Hemisfear. Chip Foose is an automobile designer and artist on the television show “Overhaulin’.” The most popular car in the collection is a 1959 Maserati, built by the man who donated it and his dad.
The car with the most interesting story is the EV1, which was the first electric car. It was one of 200 made in the whole United States. The company that made the car decided they (had) made a mistake and crushed all the cars except two of them. One of those two is in the museum.
Another interesting car in the museum is another Chip Foose car, the 1965 Chevy Impala. That car was built on a Corvette chassis, so they had to shrink it down to fit. The couple that owned that car were dating in 1965. It took Chip Foose seven years to rebuild it for the couple.
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum has a Model T experience that takes place in the summer. For $150, you take a class to learn how to drive the Model T, and then you get to drive the car. Those experiences fill up. It starts the first Saturday in May and goes weekly until the first Saturday in September.
Kids of all ages will love playing the seek-and-find game as they wander through the museum. Parents and grandparents will love reminiscing about the cars they drove when they were younger. The museum is great fun for the whole family.
The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
If you are interested in learning more about these cars or perhaps volunteering, visit the museum at 13 Sahoma Lake Road in Sapulpa.
For more information, see https://www.heartofroute66.org/