Most people heading to Music City have a very specific itinerary in mind. You get your hot chicken at Hattie B’s, you wander down Broadway to hear the muffled roar of three dozen cover bands playing "Wagon Wheel" simultaneously, and maybe you hit the Country Music Hall of Fame. But if you’re a gearhead, or even just someone who appreciates the weird corners of human engineering, there is a massive building on Murfreesboro Pike that demands your attention. We’re talking about the premier car museum in nashville, the Lane Motor Museum.
It’s weird. Honestly, that’s the best way to describe it.
While most automotive collections in the States obsess over the same three things—muscle cars, Ferraris, and 1950s Americana—Jeff Lane decided to go a completely different direction. He went for the "misfits." We are talking about propeller-driven cars, three-wheeled microcars that look like they belong in a cartoon, and amphibious vehicles that barely seem seaworthy. If you want to see a mint-condition 1969 Camaro, go to a local Cars and Coffee. If you want to see a 1932 Helicron with a giant wooden propeller on the front that could literally decapitate a pedestrian? You come here.
The Architecture of Oddities
The museum lives inside what used to be a Sunbeam bread bakery. It’s got that high-ceiling, industrial vibe that makes the echoed "clunk" of a car door closing sound like a gunshot. The space is vast. You walk in and immediately realize this isn't a "look but don't touch" velvet-rope kind of place. Well, you can't touch the cars, obviously, but the barriers are low. It feels intimate.
Jeff Lane started this whole thing in 2002 with about 70 cars from his personal stash. Now? The collection has ballooned to over 500 vehicles. You won't see all 500 at once because they rotate them, which is a smart move for keeping the locals coming back. What makes this car museum in nashville stand out globally—not just locally—is the sheer density of European oddities. You’ll find Tatras from the Czech Republic, which are these aerodynamic, rear-engine marvels that supposedly killed more Nazi officers in high-speed crashes than actual combat did. They were fast, heavy, and notoriously difficult to handle.
Microcars and the Art of the Squeeze
There is a section dedicated entirely to microcars. Think of the Peel P50. It’s the smallest production car ever made. You’ve probably seen Jeremy Clarkson drive one through the BBC offices on Top Gear. Seeing it in person is a different experience. It looks like a high-end refrigerator for a single person.
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These cars weren't just "cute" choices. They were born out of necessity. Post-WWII Europe was broke. Steel was expensive. Fuel was scarce. So, engineers got weird. They made cars with doors on the front because the sides were too small. They used motorcycle engines. They used three wheels because tax laws in places like the UK favored three-wheelers over four. When you walk through this section of the museum, you aren't just looking at cars; you're looking at a physical map of European economic recovery.
Why the Lane Beats the "Shiny Stuff"
Nashville used to have other spots. The Marathon Motor Works building is still there, and it’s cool for the history, but it’s more of a shopping and whiskey destination now. There was the Fontanel collection out in Whites Creek, but things change. The Lane is the constant.
What really sticks with you is the "unrestored" vibe of some pieces. Not everything is concours-level shiny. Some cars have the original "patina"—a fancy word for old paint and dirt—that tells a story of where the car has been. You see a Citroën that looks like it was plucked right off a Parisian street in 1965. It has character.
The Propeller Problem
Let’s talk about the Helicron again. It’s a 1932 masterpiece of "what were they thinking?" It’s a boat-tailed wooden body with a massive propeller at the front. No grill. No bumper. Just a spinning blade of death. It was found in a barn in France in 2000 and rebuilt. The fact that someone thought a propeller-driven car was the future of transport tells you everything you need to know about the human spirit. We are ambitious and occasionally very, very stupid.
The Lane also houses the LARC-LX. It’s a massive amphibious cargo vehicle. To give you an idea of the scale, the tires are roughly nine feet tall. It’s parked outside because, frankly, it’s bigger than some houses. It was designed to carry 60 tons of cargo from ship to shore. Seeing it sitting in a Nashville parking lot is surreal.
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Technical Mastery in the Basement
If you're lucky enough to be there during a "vault tour" or a special event, you might get a glimpse of what's downstairs. The basement is where the real work happens. This is a working museum. They don't just let these cars rot; they maintain them. On any given Tuesday, a mechanic might be trying to find parts for a 1950s French microcar that hasn't been in production for seven decades.
- The Tatra Collection: Probably the most significant collection of these cars outside of Europe.
- The Matra Djet: A mid-engine pioneer that people often forget exists.
- Amphibious Wonders: Not just the LARC, but smaller, "civilian" cars meant to drive into a lake for a Sunday picnic.
The engineering diversity is staggering. You move from steam power to early electric experiments to massive diesel engines. It’s a reminder that the "Electric Vehicle Revolution" we are in right now isn't the first time we've tried to move away from gas. We’ve been trying to solve the transport puzzle for over a century, and the Lane shows us all the failed, brilliant, and bizarre attempts.
Practical Advice for Your Visit
Don't rush. This isn't a "30-minute walk-through" type of place. If you're a car person, give yourself at least three hours. If you're bringing kids, they’ll get a kick out of the microcars, but the technical placards are really written for adults who appreciate the "why" behind the design.
Location and Logistics:
The museum is located at 702 Murfreesboro Pike. It's about a 10-minute Uber from downtown. Parking is free, which is a rare blessing in Nashville these days. They are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so don't be the person who shows up to a locked gate. Check their schedule before you go, because they often host specific rallies or "museum floor talks" where they’ll actually start up one of the cars. The smell of old exhaust in that big room is something you don't forget.
Is it worth the ticket price?
Absolutely. Compared to the $30+ you’ll spend on some of the more touristy attractions on Broadway, the Lane is a steal. It’s a non-profit. The money goes back into the cars.
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Honestly, the best part is the lack of pretension. You can stand next to a one-of-a-kind prototype and not feel like a security guard is going to tackle you. It’s a hobbyist’s dream. You’ll leave feeling a little bit smarter and a lot more confused about why we stopped putting propellers on the front of cars.
Beyond the Lane: Other Nashville Car Spots
While the Lane is the heavyweight champion of the car museum in nashville scene, you can round out a weekend with a few other stops if you're dedicated.
- Marathon Motor Works: Located in the North Gulch. This was the first car factory in the South. They made the "Marathon" car here from 1910 to 1914. The building is a stunning example of early 20th-century industrialism. While it’s mostly retail now (including Antique Archaeology from American Pickers), there are several original Marathon cars on display in the hallways.
- Cooter’s Place: Look, if you grew up watching The Dukes of Hazzard, this is a mandatory stop. It’s a museum and shop owned by Ben Jones (who played Cooter). It’s got the General Lee, the tow truck, and plenty of kitschy memorabilia. It’s the polar opposite of the Lane’s European sophistication, and that’s why it works.
- The George Jones Museum: While primarily about the country legend, he had a thing for cars (and lawnmowers, famously). You’ll often find some of his personal rides on display.
Making the Most of the Experience
To truly appreciate what you're seeing at the Lane, you have to look past the paint. Look at the suspension setups on the 1930s racers. Look at the interior materials of the post-war economy cars. Some of them used wicker seats to save weight. Wicker!
The museum staff are usually enthusiasts themselves. If you see someone in a museum shirt, ask them about a specific car. They usually have a story about how Jeff Lane found it in a French goat pasture or smuggled it out of a collapsing Soviet bloc country. Those stories are what make the place feel alive.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit:
- Check the "Vault" Schedule: They occasionally offer tours of the basement collection which holds cars not currently on the main floor. These sell out.
- Bring a Camera: The lighting is actually pretty decent for an indoor museum, and the angles on the Tatras are a photographer's dream.
- Visit the Gift Shop: I know, I know. But they have one of the best selections of automotive books and die-cast models that you won't find on Amazon.
- Combine it with Lunch: You're on Murfreesboro Pike. There are some incredible, authentic taco trucks and international spots nearby that are way better than the overpriced burgers downtown.
Nashville is a city that’s changing fast. Tall-and-skinnies are replacing old bungalows, and neon signs are getting brighter. But the Lane Motor Museum feels like a time capsule that doesn't just hold the past—it holds the weird, alternate-reality versions of the past. It’s a place for the dreamers who thought three wheels were better than four and the engineers who thought cars should fly. Even if you aren't a "car person," go anyway. You’ll walk out with a newfound respect for just how weird humans can be when they're trying to get from point A to point B.
Don't just take the standard tourist path. Get out of the Neon District, head down Murfreesboro Pike, and see the cars that time—and most other museums—forgot. It’s the most unique thing you can do in Nashville, period.