Nashville is famous for a lot of things. Neon lights on Broadway. Hot chicken that ruins your stomach for three days. Pedal taverns. But if you drive out toward the airport, tucked away in an old Sunbeam bakery building, you’ll find something that makes a country music star’s glittery suit look boring. I’m talking about lane motor museum murfreesboro pike nashville tn.
It’s weird. Really weird.
Most car museums are predictable. They have a shiny red Ferrari, maybe a Model T, and definitely a Mustang. This isn't that. Jeff Lane, the guy who started this whole thing back in 2002, has a taste for the bizarre. He likes things that shouldn't have been built. He likes propellers on cars. He likes three wheels. He likes the stuff that other collectors would laugh at, and honestly, that’s why it’s the best museum in Tennessee.
The Sunbeam Bakery Roots
Walking into the building feels different because it wasn't meant to hold cars. It was a bakery. You can still see the high ceilings and the industrial vibe that screams mid-century manufacturing. Located at 702 Murfreesboro Pike, the space covers roughly 132,000 square feet, though only about 40,000 are open to the public at any given time.
The floors are spotless. It's bright.
People usually miss the turn because Murfreesboro Pike is a busy, gritty stretch of road. You expect a car dealership or a warehouse. Instead, you get a collection of European oddities that feels more like a mad scientist’s laboratory than a trophy room. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see a car that looks like a literal bubble next to a massive amphibious vehicle designed for the French military.
Why the European Focus Matters
Most Americans grow up thinking "old car" means a Chevy or a Ford. We have this very specific idea of what a vehicle looks like. Four wheels, big engine, heavy metal. Jeff Lane flipped that script. His collection is heavily weighted toward European designs from the 1920s through the 1980s.
Why? Because Europe had different problems. Gas was expensive. Metal was scarce after the wars. Cities were cramped.
This led to the "microcar" phenomenon. If you haven't seen a Peel P50 in person, you haven't lived. It’s the smallest production car ever made. You don't get into it; you basically wear it. At lane motor museum murfreesboro pike nashville tn, these tiny machines aren't just jokes. They represent a time when engineers were desperately trying to figure out how to keep people moving without spending a fortune.
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The Tatra Obsession
You can't talk about this museum without talking about Tatras. Jeff Lane is probably the world's foremost enthusiast for these Czechoslovakian marvels.
Tatras are strange. They’re aerodynamic, rear-engined, and air-cooled. In the 1930s, they looked like something from a sci-fi movie while everyone else was still building horseless carriages. The Tatra T77 and T87 are the stars here. They have these massive fins on the back that look like shark tails. Legend says they were so fast and handled so strangely that many Nazi officers died in crashes while driving them, leading the Allied forces to call the Tatra a "secret weapon."
I don't know if that's 100% true, but looking at one, you’d believe it.
Propellers and Three-Wheelers
Most people think three-wheeled cars are just for Mr. Bean. At Lane Motor Museum, they are a way of life. The museum has dozens of them. From the Messerschmitt (yes, the airplane company) to the weirdly charming Bond Bug.
Then there are the propeller-driven cars.
Yes. Cars with giant wooden propellers on the front or back.
The 1932 Helicron is a fan favorite. It’s a French car that literally uses a propeller to move. Think about how terrifying that would be in a grocery store parking lot. No brakes on the prop. Just a spinning blade of death. It actually works, though. The museum staff famously keeps many of these vehicles in running condition. That’s the "nuance" of Lane. It’s not a graveyard. It’s a living collection.
The LARC-LX: The Giant Out Back
If you look out the window or walk to the back area, you might see the LARC-LX. It’s an amphibious cargo vehicle used by the U.S. Army.
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It’s roughly the size of a small apartment building.
The tires are about 9 feet tall. It can carry 60 tons. Seeing it parked next to a tiny French microcar is one of those visual jokes that only works here. It highlights the sheer range of human engineering. We build things to fit in a pocket, and we build things to conquer the ocean.
The Vault: Where the Real Secrets Are
If you just walk the main floor, you’re only seeing about 150 cars. But the museum owns over 500. They rotate them constantly, which is why people keep coming back. But the real magic happens during the "Vault Tours."
The basement is a crowded, dimly lit treasure chest.
It’s packed. Cars are bumper-to-bumper. You’ll see prototypes that never made it to production. You’ll see one-off custom builds that some guy in a shed spent twenty years finishing. There are motorcycles, bicycles, and even a few boats. It smells like oil and old rubber in the best way possible.
If you have the chance to book a vault tour, do it. Don't think about it. Just do it. It’s the difference between seeing a movie and going behind the scenes on the set.
Is It Good for Kids?
Honestly, kids usually love it more than adults.
Most car museums have "Don't Touch" signs everywhere and feel like a library. Lane is more approachable. There’s a play area with toy cars for the toddlers, but the actual cars themselves look like cartoons come to life. A kid doesn't need to know the horsepower of a 1950s microcar to think it looks cool. It’s basically a real-life version of Cars or Despicable Me.
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Plus, it’s educational without being preachy. You learn about aerodynamics, weight distribution, and why putting a propeller on a car is generally a bad idea for pedestrian safety.
Practical Advice for Your Visit
Don't rush.
A lot of people think they can "do" the museum in 30 minutes. You can't. You need at least two hours to actually read the signs. The signs are where the gold is. They explain why the car exists and usually include a funny anecdote about how Jeff Lane found it in a barn in rural France or bought it from a collector who thought it was junk.
- Parking: It’s free. In Nashville, that’s a miracle.
- Timing: Go on a weekday morning if you can. It gets crowded on Saturdays with car clubs.
- Photos: Take them. The lighting is actually pretty great for an old bakery.
- The Gift Shop: It’s actually decent. They have models of the weird cars you just saw, which you won't find at a typical hobby shop.
Why This Place Still Matters
In an era where every modern SUV looks exactly like every other modern SUV, Lane Motor Museum is a reminder that we used to be weird. We used to take risks. Some of those risks failed miserably—like the cars that were basically plywood boxes with lawnmower engines—but they tried.
Lane motor museum murfreesboro pike nashville tn isn't just a collection of metal. It's a collection of "What if?"
It’s a tribute to the engineers who didn't follow the rules. It’s for the people who look at a standard four-door sedan and think, "Yeah, but what if it had three wheels and was steered by a tiller?"
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the Calendar: Before you drive down, check their website for "Demonstration Days." Sometimes they actually pull the cars out and drive them around the parking lot. Seeing a 1930s cyclecar puffing smoke and rattling along is worth the price of admission alone.
- Book the Vault: If you’re a serious gearhead, email or call ahead to see when the next basement/vault tour is happening. They are limited and sell out fast.
- Combine with Local Eats: You’re on Murfreesboro Pike. Skip the chain restaurants. There are some incredible, authentic taco trucks and international spots within a two-mile radius. Use the money you saved on parking to get some real Nashville food that isn't aimed at tourists.
- Follow the "What's New" Section: Because they rotate the floor every few months, the museum you see in January isn't the same museum you'll see in July. Keep an eye on their social media to see which specific "oddity" has been brought up from the basement.
Go see the weirdness. You won't regret it.