November 29 -- The Nethercutt Collection

Another sensation. This one with the best collection of Cadillac V-16’s I’ve ever seen, six or more Pierce-Arrows, a whole wall of wonderful Rolls Royces, and a lot of treats, like this 1913 Mercedes touring car. More than 100 cars overall. Sadly – am I the Grinch? – the cars were festooned with big Christmas bows, a sad interference with their impressive designs. HO HO HO!

This is a far higher-end collection of vehicles than the one much more famous Petersen Museum in downtown LA.
Petersen, however (and I’ll post about it later), offers superb analysis of the significance of the vehicles it displays. Nethercutt offers none; instead, it seems to be more about cars as art and beauty. Few are more dramatic than the 1931 Bugatti here.

The collection was established by JB Nethercutt, who co-founded the Merle Norman cosmetics company with his Aunt, Merle Nethercutt Norman. The Merle Norman cosmetics and the studios in which they are sold made them a fortune, and JB started collecting objects he loved -- cars first among them.

1937 Pierce-Arrow Limousine and Pierce-Arrow Travelodge trailer.

Cecil B. DeMille’s Cadillac V-16.


There were lots of Pierce-Arrows. This is a 1917 five-passenger touring car.

. . . and a hood ornament.

1909 Gobron-Brillie. The engine and chassis were made in France; the bodywork in Austria. And a beautiful paint job.

Hupmobile, 1936.


1923 Renault.

1931 Ford Model A. Look at the colors, of these wheels -- an aesthetic similar to the Model A at the LeMay collection!

This 1951 Bentley was purchased at the Paris auto show by Aristotle Onassis for his wife, Athina.

Below are a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, and then each generation Phantom in the museum. Take a look at what changed in the course of 60 years:

Silver Ghost, 1913.

Phantom I, 1930. This one was made in Springfield, MA, a significant yet often forgotten production site for Rollers.

Phantom II, 1932.

Phantom III, 1937.

Phantom IV, 1956.

Phantom V, 1966.

Phantom VI, 1972.

1923 Duesenberg Model A Phaeton.

1936 Duesenberg.

Perfectly superb Cord town car.