Inside the Nethercutt Museum: A Classic Car Lover’s Dream
I’ve lived in LA for over 15 years, and until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of the Nethercutt Museum. It took a random scroll through social media to even put it on my radar.
The timing lined up well. I’d just been to the Petersen Automotive Museum a few weeks earlier, so I was already in a classic car state of mind. But the Nethercutt isn’t in Hollywood or on Museum Row. It’s in Sylmar, which on a good day is close to an hour’s drive from central LA.
So I did what any reasonable Angeleno does before committing to an hour-long drive for a car museum: I wondered if I’d lost my mind.
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Nethercutt Museum at a Glance
📍 Location: Sylmar, California (San Fernando Valley)
⏰ Time Needed: 1–2 hours (3+ hours with the Collection Tour)
🎟️ Tickets: $5 museum admission or $20 Collection Tour (includes museum admission)
🚗 Parking: Free on-site parking
👥 Crowds: Minimal, even on weekends
🏛️ Pair It With: Valley Relics Museum (Van Nuys) or Reagan Presidential Library (Simi Valley)
What is the Nethercutt Museum?
The Nethercutt Museum is located in Sylmar, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
The museum was founded by J.B. and Dorothy Nethercutt, whose love of classic cars and dedication to preserving their history created a world-renowned collection of automobiles. It has an estimated value of over $200 million.
Before becoming a leader in the automotive world, J.B. helped his aunt build Merle Norman Cosmetics, eventually becoming the chairman and CEO.
He bought his first two collector cars in 1956: a 1936 Duesenberg Convertible Roadster and a 1930 DuPont Town Car. He restored them himself and they’re still part of the Nethercutt Collection today.
As his collection grew, J.B. wanted to share it with the public, so he opened the Nethercutt Museum in 1971. Today there are more than 130 perfectly restored automobiles, along with a historic steam locomotive, Pullman railcar, music collection and one of the world’s largest automotive research libraries.
The Nethercutt Museum is one of the more affordable museums in the LA area with admission costing just $5. The museum also offers a tour for $20, which includes museum admission and access to an exclusive collection of cars housed in J.B. Nethercutt’s former private residence.
The Museum
If you were to drive by the Nethercutt Museum, you would never know that the building houses 130 of the rarest and most beautifully restored automobiles.
Compared to the other museums I’ve visited, the Nethercutt is what I’d consider an analog museum. There aren’t any high-tech displays, no modern architecture or QR codes to scan more information. It’s one floor with a few rows of cars and a simple placard that tells you what you’re looking at.
Here are a few cars that are still living rent-free in my head.
1911 Pope-Hartford Model Y 7-Passenger Touring
This antique touring car served as the Grand Marshal’s vehicle during the 2007 Pasadena Rose Parade, when George Lucas was the Grand Marshal.
1923 McFarlan Model 154 Knickerbocker Cabriolet
This car once belonged to Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, one of Hollywood’s biggest silent movie stars before his career was plagued by scandal.
1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Royal Limousine
A limousine fit for a king, this British Daimler was reportedly part of the Royal Fleet at Buckingham Palace.
1928 Minerva AM Convertible Town Cabriolet
The only known product of the Floyd-Derham coach-building firm, this rare automobile was once owned by General Billy Mitchell, who is regarded as the “Father of the U.S. Air Force.”
1936 Pierce Arrow Travelodge
The 1936 Pierce Arrow Travelodge was one of my favorite vehicles in the entire museum. It was also the only one you can actually walk inside. (I love an immersive experience.) Before getting its second life, it was a chicken coop.
1930 Cadillac Model 452A Town Cabriolet
This beautifully restored Cadillac once belonged to legendary Hollywood director and Hollywood Forever Cemetery resident Cecil B. DeMille.
1998 Chevrolet Binford Tools 6100 Tool Time Van
One of the outliers in the museum, this van was pure nostalgia. We watched Home Improvement religiously in the ’90s, and my dad still quotes Tim Taylor to this day.
Besides the cars, one of the things that stood out to me was the crowds, or lack thereof. There were maybe a dozen or so other people wandering around the museum on a Saturday afternoon. After visiting a handful of other crowded museums, this was a nice change of pace.
The Nethercutt Collection Tour
If you drive all the way to Sylmar and don’t go on the Nethercutt Collection Tour, you’re missing out on one of the best museum tours in LA.
Unlike the Shop Tour at the Petersen Museum, this tour takes place in a completely separate building across the street from the museum. Like the museum, you’d never know that millions of dollars worth of cars and musical instruments are inside.
The tour lasts about 2 hours, but the guide could probably talk for hours if given the chance. (That’s not a complaint.) There were about 20 people in my group, and I could tell most of them were car buffs.
The Nethercutt Collection Tour covers four different levels: the Lower Salon, the Grand Salon, the Mezzanine and the Music Room.
Lower Salon
The Nethercutt Collection Tour starts in the lower salon that holds about 15 cars. Some of them date all the way back to before the 1900s. It’s wild to see the evolution of cars from their horseless carriage days to “lead sleds” as my dad calls them.
I priced out one car that was around $8,000 in the 1930s, which would be about $180,000 in today’s money. I immediately felt poor.
Along the back walls you’ll also find a Faberge Egg collection, David Winter Cottages and other expensive trinkets.
Grand Salon
This is the highlight of the Nethercutt Collection Tour. If you don’t audibly gasp walking inside this salon that’s designed to look like a 1910s, 1920s and 1930s showroom, there’s something seriously wrong with you.
The marble columns, crystal chandeliers, painted ceilings made me feel like I was car shopping for Jay Gatsby.
Our guide spent a few minutes talking about the cars before a piano filled the background as we browsed the Nethercutt Collection’s best cars for about 45 minutes. Here are the ones that stole the show.
1931 Bugatti Type 51 Dubos Coupe
Prominently parked right in front of the entrance, this is the car that made most, if not all, of the men on the tour grunt.
The car was originally built as a Grand Prix racecar driven by Louis Chiron and Rene Dreyfus. After Nethercutt bought the chassis and fully restored it, it’s won 8 Concours’ d’Elegance “Best of Show” awards.
1930 Dupont Model G Town Car
This was J.B. Nethercutt’s first classic car and his first personal restoration, and it took 18 months to complete. He sold the car in 1962, but bought it back in 2000. During that time it had a supporting role in Annie as Daddy Warbucks’ car.
1932 Maybach DS8 Zeppelin Sport Cabriolet
This car has a crazy backstory. Originally registered to the German aviation ministry in Berlin, the Zeppelin was reserved for German officers use only. Basically, it was a Nazi car. (That was our tour guide’s words, not mine.)
In 1937, the car was sold to a Polish diplomat in Warsaw. When WWII broke out, Nazi leaders ordered it to be found and returned to Germany, but the third Reich was unable to locate the vehicle.
The car was eventually found in the 1960s covered by sheet metal and blankets in a barn. Nethercutt somehow got it out of Poland and restored it.
Mezzanine
Next we climbed a regal staircase to the mezzanine. Looking down at the cars from above was like staring into a jewelry box because they were so shiny and sparkly. (If you’re unable to take the stairs, the building has an elevator.)
There are at least 6 cases of Radiator Hood Ornaments “Mascots.” There was even one that was once perched on top of President Woodrow Wilson’s Pierce-Arrow limousine. The limousine itself is located in Virginia at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.
The Music Room
After ascending a spiral staircase to the top floor, you enter the Music Room. The room is lined with all sorts of automated mechanical instruments that J.B, Nethercutt bought for his wife.
We got to hear the Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina, the Popper “Gladiator” Orchestrion and the Hupfeld “Excelsior Pan” Orchestra play. They were very cool, but very loud.
There’s also a Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ, and we were treated to a series of songs from Jurassic Park, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The organ made parts of my body shake that I didn’t even know existed.
The one that made me utter a couple of four-letter words was the Ehrbar Emperor Franz Josef Concert Grand Piano. It was presented to Franz Joseph I, the husband of Empress Sisi, to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of his 50-year reign.
I left asking: “Why is all of this here and not in Europe?” But that’s rich people’s money for you.
The Locomotive and Private Pullman Car
Before you leave, don’t miss the historic locomotive and Pullman private car behind the museum.
The 1937 Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson Locomotive and 1912 Pullman Private Car are only open at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to see them since the Collection Tour ended at 3:30. But after calling the museum ahead of time, they assured me I’d have enough time.
The Pullman car was custom built in Chicago for Clara Baldwin Stocker, the eldest daughter of California pioneer Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin. If you’re at all familiar with street names in Los Angeles, Stocker, right off La Cienega in the Baldwin Hills area, is named after her.
Walking through the train car made me feel like I was back in Chattanooga when I stayed at the Hotel Chalet. It was really cool to see what an actual Pullman car looked like instead of one that had been converted into a hotel room.
Once you make your way through the narrow hall of the Pullman, you can step inside the cab of the locomotive. Let’s just say I’m glad I was never a train engineer.
Nethercutt Museum FAQs
Still have questions? Here are answers to some of the most common questions about visiting the Nethercutt Museum.
Where is the Nethercutt Museum?
The Nethercutt Museum is located at 15151 Bledsoe Street in Sylmar, California. One of the biggest perks of visiting is the free on-site parking, which is a welcome change if you’re used to paying to park anywhere in Los Angeles.
How much are tickets to the Nethercutt Museum?
General admission to the Nethercutt Museum is $5. If you want to visit the private collection, the Nethercutt Collection Tour costs $20 and includes museum admission. Tickets are only available through their website or at the museum.
How long is the Nethercutt Collection Tour?
The Nethercutt Collection Tour lasts about two hours. Since your ticket also includes museum admission plus access to the Pullman train car, I’d budget at least three hours at the Nethercutt.
When is the Nethercutt Collection Tour offered?
The Nethercutt Collection Tour is offered on select days during the week. Since tour times can change, check the museum’s website or call the museum directly for the most up-to-date schedule before your visit.
What days is the Nethercutt Museum open?
The Nethercutt Museum is open Thursday through Saturday.
Is the Nethercutt Museum Worth the Drive to Sylmar?
If you’re wondering whether the Nethercutt Museum is worth the drive to Sylmar, my answer is yes. But if you’re going to drive all that way, book the Nethercutt Collection Tour. The museum alone is a solid way to spend an hour, but it’s only half the experience. Skipping the tour means missing the Grand Salon, the Music Room and most of what makes the Nethercutt worth talking about in the first place.
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