Large mural featuring four vintage cars on a building exterior

About Us

Celebrating the impact of the History, Art & Technology of the Automobile on California Culture

Close-up of dark brown textured leather surface.

Mission

The mission of the California Automobile Museum is to preserve, exhibit and teach the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives.

The California Automobile Museum is an organization that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential to our mission.

Land acknowledgment

The history of the Sacramento area, and the people, is rich in heritage, culture and tradition. This area was, and still is, the Tribal land of the Nisenan people. Sacramento was a gathering place for many local Tribes who have lived throughout the central valley and the foothills for generations and were the original stewards of this land. We would like to acknowledge the Southern Maidu people to the North, the Valley and Plains Miwok/ Me-Wuk Peoples to the south of the American River, and the Patwin Wintun Peoples to the west of the Sacramento River.

Our Story

On May 1, 1987 the Towe Ford Museum opened to the public, displaying the personal collection of Edward Towe, which included one of almost every car Ford ever made, from the pre-Model T to the Pinto. The Museum flourished in its early days, attracting locals and visitors to this new attraction. In the mid-90s, however, in a tax dispute with Mr. Towe, the IRS slapped a lien on the cars. When efforts to find a buyer for the cars failed, the most extensive and complete collection of Fords was put on the auction block.

The 1997 auction broke up the Towe Ford Collection and that could have been a death sentence for the Museum. Not so. The newly renamed Towe Auto Museum, on the banks of the Sacramento River in the shadow of Old Town, began displaying vehicles of all makes and models, creating a much broader story of the automobile through history.

Since the Museum no longer housed the Towe Collection, in 2009, the Board of Directors officially changed the name of the Museum to the California Automobile Museum, reflecting the expanded mission it has grown into over the last 35 years, which is to educate and entertain while preserving and promoting the automobile and its influence on our lives.

Many of the cars are set off in eye-catching displays, as a place to educate people about cars; to tell the story of the development of the automobile and its effect on our lives. Approximately 50% of the vehicles are currently owned by the California Automobile Museum and the rest are displayed by private exhibitors. Some of the cars are on loan for a month and some for five years, so the display is a constantly changing exhibit of rolling stock.