A Mall of Cars

The post title is not very imaginative or creative, but after thinking about it for way too long, my decision was to just go with what this post is all about—a LOT of cars. This post is a(nother) photo overload, but with so many classics on display, it was unavoidable.

Our late May trip to PA, in addition to family visits, included two train rides and a stop at a private car museum (previously posted about). All required an admission fee. And, we also saw another car collection at Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, PA. While this former mall isn't a museum, it has more cars on display than some auto museums.

Classic Auto Mall is a former mall in Morgantown, PA

Did I mention it's Free, very large and completely indoors so there's no worries about the weather outside, no matter what the season.

The ex-mall interior is completely filled with cars, walkways and former storefronts

Unlike auto consignments that only offer online inventory, Classic Auto Mall is a car museum and sales floor showroom for well-used and some one-of-a kind vintage cars. Located on 8 acres, this 336,000-square foot facility has over 600 vehicles on consignment with floor space for up to 1,000 vehicles.  

 Styling and colors were real stand-outs

Here's a size comparison: In 1910, Penn Station in NYC was 8 acres; this facility is the size of that former station. Another way to describe the size is that it equals six football fields.

Hood ornaments were very distinctive in years past

What is always amazing to see is how autos years ago were so much more stylistic and even colorful than modern cars now when one looks the same as another. Today's cars have more plastic and fiberglass parts compared to the metal on most vintage autos. 

Opened in 1985 as a clothing outlet mall, this building was later a furniture outlet mall. Closed in 2011, it was empty for years. Its past history can be seen on furniture signs displayed above showroom windows; even one for a former Food Court.

Car rears are interesting too; the Olds Rocket 88 (middle) was touted as a muscle car

Finding the vacant mall, two partners each had a goal: One needed storage space for a large private collection, the other wanted to start a business. They agreed to accomplish both.

Trucks were as unique as automobiles in both color and styling

Classic Auto Mall opened in early 2018 and according to the website has sold more than 1,200 vehicles on over 60 websites worldwide as well as through the showroom and on the auto mall's website. Walk-in customers are welcome to visit and check out vehicles up for sale. If you're just visiting to see the collection, like ourselves, you can stay as long as you want. 

These car fronts are just a representative look at many amazing designs

The barn find collection (vehicles found in barns or garages) has about 400 classic autos and trucks from the early 1900s and later. Some have been restored, others remain in the same condition as found. None of these vehicles are for sale.  

There were many vintage trucks and tractors in the collection

Owners can store and offer a car for sale with no upfront or monthly fees for an initial 90-days. When it sells, the owner pays a 10% commission. Most cars come from a 300-mile radius; some are consigned from as far away as CA and TX. According to what I read, about 95 percent of sales are from Internet traffic. 

Street rods were represented in a large floor display; all were for sale

When a car arrives, it's brought into a dedicated garage to be checked over, then brought into a a dedicated auto photo studio. Pictures are taken and every detail is shown, including any rust, dings or dents. Every vehicle gets a detailed write-up that outlines its history.  

Every bit of floor space and showrooms had vintage vehicles

The facility and grounds have ample space for indoor and outdoor events, like car shows and car club meets. A 28-acre paved, lined and lighted parking lot has space for 2,500 vehicles.

Stringo® vehicle mover

We wondered how cars were moved around the mall because while there's a lot of floor space, most of it is filled with neatly aligned vehicles. We learned that inventory changes daily and about 20 cars are added every week. This can make moving them a challenge.

Cars are moved using a heavy-duty Stringo® vehicle mover with a single person operating it. Engines are never started as the mover and operator guides cars in and out of tight spaces, keeping the indoor space free from auto emissions.

The auto mall four wings facing north, south, east and west, all filled with vehicles. There's an estimated $4 million worth of vehicles in the east wing alone. While some museum pieces are roped off, most cars are openly displayed on the floor space.

So many to see that it was difficult to select a favorite color or style

The Classic Auto Mall also houses player pianos, wooden carousel horses and a giant, working Wurlitzer music box from a carousel, but it wasn't playing during our visit.

This 1973 Straightly was a most unusual auto

This 1973 one-of-a-kind Straightly was custom built for a never-released film, The Daughter of Bonnie & Clyde, based on a novel by Layton Brent. Despite being advertised in Variety and the media the film did not make it to theaters. This custom body consists of aircraft aluminum on a 1955 Chrysler chassis. The car was in CA for years and previous owners are said to include Hugh Hefner and Steve McQueen. It's now up for sale at a price of $46,000. 

While his car was in the auto mall, Batman was not around

The Batmobile was another unusual vehicle. It was displayed in a roped-off area, so a closer look was not possible. As far as I could determine, this one was not for sale. 

Grenville is more into cars than myself, but nevertheless I found this auto mall a more than interesting look at cars that were once not only modes of transportation, but beautifully designed. This stop was an unexpected "find" and definitely worth the visit. 

Classic Auto Mall is every day, except Sunday, and located at 6180 Morgantown Road, Morgantown, PA, if you're planning a future road trip. This stop was an unexpected "find" but definitely worth the visit. A car aficionado would easily spend hours here.

We've experienced trains and autos recently. Our next mode of transport will be by air as we're traveling (further) in late fall.

I will catch up on blog reading over the next few days as we spent the past weekend visiting family in RI.