A longtime Flagstaff, Arizona, resident and classic-car aficionado wants to build the Flagstaff Auto Museum just off Route 66 and is organizing fundraisers to make that dream a reality.
The Arizona Daily Sun reports that John Lutz came up with the idea about five years ago:
He envisions the Flagstaff Auto Museum being located off Route 66 and serving as a hub for more than just classic car enthusiasts and motorheads.
Imagine a car museum and restoration shop tucked in among a diner and a movie theater. Imagine a “place where there was always something happening,” where kids are working on cars instead of keeping their eyes glued to their phones.
For Lutz, it’s what he hopes to see scattered across the United States, with the Flagstaff location acting as a pilot.
“We’re not talking small beans here. The end result of the dream, if we can get there, would be multi-million dollar buildings,” Lutz said.
The first fundraising gala will be held at Little America in Flagstaff on Feb. 12, with an initial goal of $100,000. Lutz also launched a nonprofit organization, Classic Automobile Restoration and Education Society, or CARES.
He has 20 classic cars lined up to be displayed and worked on inside the museum as part of The Garage Project, which currently is restoring a Chevrolet 350 engine from a 1970 El Camino. Lutz wants the children to eventually drive the cars they work on so they can provide tours for visitors and take elderly people for a cruise.
The planned museum even has a website and has put out a call for volunteers and board members.
No location for the museum has been reported, though the website state it’s “coming soon.”
(Image of the Flagstaff Auto Museum logo from its website)