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Little Known Auto Museum On South Coast Hosting Big Show This Weekend

This is a big weekend for car buffs on the South Coast.

The non-profit Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard is hosting a show Sunday featuring dozens of half century old Studebakers.

Unless you are a car buff, you might not even know about the private museum, which is in an Oxnard industrial park. Car collector Dr. Daniel Murphy started the museum in the year 2000, and in 2014 the retired neurosurgeon sold it to its current owner, David Neel.  It features more than 90 vehicles.

The museum is a collector’s dream, with everything from Model T’s to muscle cars like GTO’s. Neel says car buffs in the region store their cars at the 30,000 square foot facility on Statham Road in Oxnard, and pay a fee which helps cover the rental cost of the building. At the same time, having the cars in one spot gives the public the opportunity to come see them in person.

There are also vintage travel trailers, motorcycles, and even boats on display. There’s a special room with trophies, photos, and other items from late Indy car legend, and promoter Andy Granatelli, who lived in Montecito. The museum also features some slices of Americana, like 1960’s bicycles, toys, and even the robot used in the TV series “Lost In Space.” It’s also home to a massive model train display that’s the size of a basketball court.

The non-profit museum is open to the public on weekends, with the Studebaker show set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Dozens of Studebakers from throughout Southern California will be on hand for the event.

Murphy Auto Museum: www.murphyautomuseum.org

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.