Every young boy has dreams and Jeff Lane turned his love of cars into a reality.  It all began with a beat up 1955 MG that Lane owned in 1967.  It was his first restoration project and became a great joy in his life.
Today his collection has grown and morphed into a non-profit organization known as the Lane Motor Museum.  This 132,000 square foot facility is house in a former Sunbeam Bakery building in Nashville, TN and includes over 300 cars and motorcycles.
Most auto museums focus on the appearance of the vehicle, but at the Lane, their goal is total preservation.  Mechanical experts work hard with the goal of keeping each care in exceptional working order.  If parts are no longer on the market, the museum staff recreates the engineering systems.
One of their most complicated restorations was a 1932 Helicron, a rare propeller-powered car.  The vehicle needed a front axle and engine replacement.  As work progressed, mechanics saw a need to also replace brittle wiring, a fuel tank and the steering wheel.  Then came new paint and a set of wheels.  Ultimately the completely restored car participated in the celebrated Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and wowed attendees.
The smallest vehicle you’ll find at the museum is called a Peel P50.  This tiny structure is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tiniest car that is street legal.  It measures only 53” long, 39” wide and 53” tall.  Its speed matches its stature – being able to only reach 40 MPH.
At the other end of the speed range, the fastest car owned by the organization is the 1975 Maserati Bora.  This dynamo can blast off at 0 to 65 in only 6.5 seconds and reaches a high speed of 130 MPH.
The Lane Motor Museum does a great service for the car enthusiast and automotive purists.  Hopefully the organization will continue to thrive and one day on display you might see several models from the lineup of impressive St Louis Ford cars.  Maybe the mighty Raptor SVT or the hot Mustang Shelby.