Most car museums make you look and keep your wallet shut. Clarksville Throttle, which opened October 3, is a dealership, a consignment shop and a vintage collection under one roof. In Tennessee’s own fall attractions release, it appears alongside the state’s new festivals and museums.
What’s on the floor
The state’s tourism department describes the museum as a collection of classic cars and vintage motorcycles dating back to 1911. The museum’s own site names three early bikes: a 1912 Harley-Davidson, a 1911 Singer and a 1916 Flying Merkel. It also promises classics from Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet, with an emphasis on American muscle.
Skip the Fords for a minute and look at the bikes. Five years separate the 1911 Singer from the 1916 Flying Merkel, about the span in which motorcycles stopped looking like bicycles with an engine clamped on.
The part car people should read carefully
The museum shares its address, 181 Stone Container Drive, with a working dealership. The same site lists pre-owned inventory at the time of writing: a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro convertible at $99,995, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door at $69,995 and a 1993 Ford F-150 short-bed 4×4 at $24,995. The F-150 listing is the most detailed. It names an original 302 V8, automatic transmission, a 4-inch lift, 33-inch tires and fresh paint.
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That F-150 listing is a good lesson in reading any classic ad. “Fresh paint” and “new bumpers” tell you about cosmetics, not condition. Ask for photos of the frame rails, floor pans and any panel gaps, and get a pre-purchase inspection from a shop that isn’t the seller. A lift kit also changes how a truck drives and how it wears driveline parts, so it’s a negotiating point rather than a bonus.
Consignment, in plain terms
The museum offers a consignment program that stores vehicles in an indoor, climate-controlled showroom, so owners don’t have to sell privately. Consignment means the shop sells your car and keeps a cut. Before you hand over the keys, ask what the cut is, who pays for detailing and repairs, how long they’ll hold it, and who’s insuring it while strangers sit in the driver’s seat. The dealership’s own page says to contact them to go over the details, so get those answers in writing.
If you buy one of these, tell your insurer before you drive it home. Standard auto policies often value an old car at book depreciation rather than what you paid, and specialist classic policies typically work from an agreed value instead. Get that agreed value written down. It’s the difference between a total loss payout that covers the car and one that doesn’t.
Planning a visit
The museum’s Facebook page has been promoting a “Bike Night”, so check there for current events. I couldn’t confirm admission prices or current hours from the sources available when this was filed, so call 931-542-2012 before you drive over.
Is a museum that also sells you the exhibits a clever way to keep the lights on, or does the dealership floor make you trust the displays a little less?
Images Via: Clarksville Throttle on Facebook
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