Ross Brothers Museum
On Saturday 16th September the club headed out to visit the Ross Brothers Museum. The sun came out and it was a beautiful ride to Cambridge. The Ross Brothers Museum is a private collection of classic muscle cars, vintage trucks and earthmoving equipment created by the four Ross Brothers (Michael, Tony, Tim, and Simon).
The museum is in two parts. The first displays classic cars and motorbikes, most of which are still in use, and it is a great setting with an American style 1950’s diner, and the walls covered in memorabilia. Set among the shining vehicles are old fuel pumps and photos, along with detailed placards explaining each car’s provenance.
The iconic race car of New Zealand motorsports legend Scott Dixon takes pride of place in the museum, with the Target-branded 2005 Panoz G-Force Toyota Indy-Car offering a rare opportunity to see this historically important vehicle up close and personal.
There is also a car in the museum built and raced by Bill Ward at the Bonneville track on Utah’s salt flats. Bill talked about his amazing experience and how he’d go back and do it again in a heartbeat. He has also kindly offered to come and talk about his experiences at one of the club nights, date to be arranged.
The second part of the museum is accessed by walking through an excavator bucket to reveal more cars, trucks and earthmoving equipment. This is a real wow moment. The sheer size and scale of these machines isn’t evident until you’re standing close or climbing the stairs to sit in the driving seat. Again, everything is well-documented with placards explaining in detail the specifications and past uses of each vehicle.
One corner of the huge display hall is an area that displays a couple of unrestored dozers in a bush environment, complete with moss and a recording of tuis, which is so realistic that you are looking for them in the rafters.
The museum is truly an experience and well worth a visit. Thank you to Nelson Eves for welcoming us and giving us some information on the display.
After the museum we headed off to The Good Union in Cambridge for some well earned, and delicious lunch.
