Supercars at Larz Anderson

April 25, 2017January 10, 2019 fittiLotus72 2965 Views auto museum, auto museum boston, car museum, car show, classic cars, larz anderson museum, museum, old cars, racerhead, road trip, the racerhead, theracerhead.com

Supercars: Origins, Evolutions

If you are up in the Boston area, be sure to visit the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Mass. Set on a high bluff with a spectacular view of the Boston skyline, the collection is housed in a stone castle on a massive park/estate. Billed as America’s oldest car collection, Larz Anderson puts on some fine shows in their compact space, like Supercars: Origins, Evolutions.

Their latest show showcases some fine examples of the modern genre of supercar (Jaguar XJ220, Ford GT, McLaren SLR) to older (Mercedes Gullwing) to very old (1901). Larz Anderson ties in vehicles from the permanent collection to give the current show a “then and now” feel. How far we’ve come in such a relatively short period! In one gallery, a BMW i8 hangs on the wall behind several early 1900s cars. See some of the cars from the show below.

While there, be sure to poke around. There are any number of hidden corners to be found, both in the main floor galleries and in the basement. Throughout you’ll find many nuggets of automobilia, including thoughtful histories, art, ornaments, trophies and period garb. Downstairs you’ll find some of the oldest cars in the collection, perfectly kept in unrestored patina. There you’ll also find a gallery of very old bicycles tucked in a corner in the back. Included are some of those huge front tire, tiny rear tire beauties from the late 1800s.

Superb photography by Jesse Alexander

Also running at the time of this writing, is a wonderful show of Jesse Alexander’s work, Photographs From the Golden Age of Motorsports. Alexander worked in an era when photographers risked their lives to shoot up close and personal racing drivers risking their lives even more precariously than they. More often than not standing just feet off the racing line, Alexander captured classic moments from classic races more as a historian than photographer. Jesse Alexander is recognized one of the all-time best at his craft. Shot in glorious black and white, definitely worth a visit for this alone. A book from this exhibit is available in the gift shop.