Housed on an industrial estate off the 101 in Oxnard, and only open at the weekends, the Murphy Auto Museum is a little known spot on the Central Coast.
The museum opened just before COVID shut everything down, and now, is open to visitors and building a reputation for car enthusiasts to get close to around 50 stunning classic cars, antique and vintage cars.
The smell of oil and gas is pungent as you enter, and Jeff Spencer, a member of the board at the museum and one of a team of docent volunteers who give their time for free to show people like me and you around the four-wheeled treasures housed here. He jokes that the cars are like puppies, "They like to piddle on the floor...but we love them!"
From a Model T Ford, to a Morris Minor Traveller Woodie to a priceless Rolls Royce shaped like a wooden boat – the unique exhibits here are mostly privately owned.
"Everyone wants to see the really fancy cars," he tells me.
A 1931 Rolls Royce Phantom One Boat Tail Roadster is described as the "star of the show." It was once owned by Carroll Shelby, the famous American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur.
"He said this was his favorite car. He lived in Beverly Hills and would park it on Rodeo Drive and pretty soon he would have 500 people standing around gawking at the car and gawking at him," explained Spencer.
The Boat Tail is "completely impractical," said Spencer, "spectacular car," he concludes.
The Murphy Auto Museum is open Saturdays and Sundays, entry is $10 and kids under 13 are free.
