You’re driving through Oxnard, maybe heading toward the harbor or looking for a strawberry stand, and you pass a nondescript industrial building. It doesn't look like much. But inside? It’s basically a time machine. The Murphy Auto Museum isn't some corporate, sterile showroom with velvet ropes and "don't touch" signs every three inches. It feels more like your richest, most eccentric uncle’s private garage—if that uncle happened to be obsessed with the entire history of the American road.
The place is a trip. Seriously.
Most people think of car museums and imagine rows of identical black Model Ts. Boring. The Murphy is different because it’s deeply personal. Founded originally by Dan Murphy, a local neurosurgeon with a penchant for Packard automobiles, the collection has evolved into a massive, 30,000-square-foot tribute to mid-century Americana. It’s not just about the engines. It’s about the nostalgia. It’s about that specific smell of old leather and gasoline that reminds you of being five years old in the back of a station wagon.
The Packard Obsession and Beyond
If you’re into Packards, this is basically your Mecca. Dr. Murphy started the whole thing because he loved the brand’s "Ask the Man Who Owns One" philosophy. For a long time, the Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard was known primarily as a Packard sanctuary. You’ll see the evolution of the brand from the early 1920s through its eventual decline. These cars were the peak of American luxury—think of them as the Rolls-Royce of the States back in the day.
But it’s not all high-society luxury.
✨ Don't miss: Getting to Burning Man: What You Actually Need to Know About the Journey
The museum has shifted its weight recently to include things that are, frankly, a lot weirder. You’ve got muscle cars that look like they were pulled straight off a 1970s drag strip. There are vintage trailers—the kind of "canned ham" campers that make you want to quit your job, buy a flannel shirt, and live in the woods.
One of the coolest things is how the cars are displayed. They aren't just parked in a line. Many are set against massive, hand-painted murals that give the vehicles context. You aren't just looking at a 1950s Chevy; you’re looking at it parked "at" a drive-in theater or a nostalgic diner. It’s immersive in a way that feels handmade and authentic, rather than polished by a marketing team.
The Firehouse and the Oddities
There is a section dedicated to vintage fire trucks that is honestly impressive. These aren't just "old trucks." They are massive pieces of machinery that served local communities for decades. You can see the wear on the steering wheels. You can imagine the chaos of a 1940s emergency call.
And then there's the "Vault."
🔗 Read more: Tiempo en East Hampton NY: What the Forecast Won't Tell You About Your Trip
The museum often houses cars on consignment or from private collections that rotate in and out. This means if you go in June, the floor might look completely different by December. You might stumble upon a rare European sports car that seems totally out of place next to a hulking Buick, but that’s the charm. It’s a living collection. It breathes. It changes.
Why Oxnard? The Local Vibe Matters
Oxnard is often the "forgotten" neighbor of Santa Barbara and Malibu. But for car culture, it’s actually a hub. Between the Murphy and the nearby Mullin Automotive Museum (which focused on high-end French art deco cars before its recent closure news), Oxnard became a destination for "petrolheads."
The Murphy fits the Oxnard vibe perfectly. It’s blue-collar at its heart but full of hidden gems. You don't need to be a mechanic to enjoy this place. You just need to appreciate design. The curves of a 1930s fender or the ridiculous tailfins of a 1959 Cadillac tell a story about American optimism that you just don't get from reading a history book.
Honestly, the staff makes the experience. Most of the people working there are volunteers who actually know how to wrench on these machines. If you look interested, they’ll usually drop a knowledge bomb on you about a specific carburetor or the weird history of a particular paint color. It’s that lack of pretension that sets the Murphy Auto Museum apart from the Petersen in LA.
💡 You might also like: Finding Your Way: What the Lake Placid Town Map Doesn’t Tell You
The Massive Model Train Layout
Okay, we have to talk about the trains. It sounds like a side note, but the Gold Coast Model Railroad is housed inside the museum and it is insane.
It’s one of the largest HO-scale layouts in the country. We're talking nearly 2,000 square feet of tracks, miniature towns, mountains, and tiny little people living their tiny little lives. Even if you aren't a "train guy," the sheer scale of the engineering is wild. It’s maintained by a dedicated club, and watching the trains snake through the detailed landscapes while surrounded by full-sized vintage cars is a bit of a sensory overload in the best way possible.
What to Know Before You Go
Don't just show up on a Tuesday morning and expect the doors to be open. Like many specialty museums, the Murphy operates on a specific schedule, usually open on weekends.
- Location: 1930 Johns Canyon Rd, Oxnard, CA. It’s tucked away in an industrial park—don't think you're lost, you're just getting close.
- Events: They do a "Muscles and Mojo" cars and coffee event on the first or second Sunday of the month. If you want to see the local car community in action, that’s the time to go. You’ll see modern supercars parked next to rusted-out rat rods in the parking lot.
- The Gift Shop: It’s actually good. It’s full of weird die-cast models and old-school manuals that are hard to find on eBay.
A Quick Note on the "Fire"
There was a scare a few years back with some local fires, but the museum survived unscathed. However, it did prompt a bit of a reorganization. The current layout is much more flow-oriented than it used to be. It feels less like a warehouse and more like a curated journey through the 20th century.
Is it worth the drive?
If you're coming from LA, it's about an hour and fifteen minutes without traffic (so, basically never). But if you make it a day trip—hit the museum, grab some fish and chips at the Channel Islands Harbor, and maybe walk the beach at Hollywood Beach—it’s a top-tier Saturday.
The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard isn't trying to be the biggest museum in the world. It’s trying to be the most "car-guy" museum. It succeeds because it feels human. It’s a place where the cars have names and the grease under the fingernails of the curators is real.
Practical Next Steps for Your Visit
- Check the Calendar: Before you head out, visit their official website to confirm they aren't closed for a private event or a layout change. Weekends are your best bet, usually 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Bring a Camera (and a Wide Lens): The cars are parked relatively close together. If you want those epic shots, a wide-angle lens on your phone or DSLR is going to be your best friend to capture the murals and the cars in one frame.
- Plan for Two Hours: You can rush through in thirty minutes, but you’ll miss the details. Give yourself time to read the placards and watch the model trains run their circuits.
- Support Local: The museum is a non-profit. Buying a shirt or a hat in the gift shop actually goes toward keeping the lights on and the tires aired up.
- Explore the Area: Once you're done, drive five minutes over to the Collection at Riverpark for food, or head south to see the historic heritage homes in downtown Oxnard to keep the "old school" vibe going.