Classic Car Museum, with 86 of 131 vehicles, drives toward late November opening

From Kearney, Nebraska: Classic Car Museum, with 86 of 131 vehicles, drives toward late November opening

KEARNEY — Cars have been on their way to Kearney for the past two weeks, and the Classic Car Museum now has 86 of its 131 vehicles.

The museum should open in late November, according to Director J.L. Schmidt.

The collection, valued at $3.5 million, has been arriving in special trucks. Each vehicle is chronicled with digital photography that will eventually be posted on iPads for tourists. Each photo will be published in a coffee table book.

The collection will be on display on the east side of Cabela’s at 3600 E. Highway 30.

The renovations to the museum building are almost complete, Schmidt said. The building was a Rockwell Manufacturing plant before Cabela’s came to Kearney.

The collection belonged to construction and real estate businessman Bernie Taulborg and his wife, Janice, of Elkhorn. The Taulborgs have have 157 cars and have been collecting them since 1970.

The Taulborgs donated the collection through the Kearney Area Community Foundation. In a ceremony May 11, the Taulborgs presented the collection to the foundation.

The Kearney Visitors Bureau paid to remodel 50,000 square feet of Cabela’s space to hold the collection and a small gift shop.

Projectors will show documentaries about automobiles. There will be three rotating turntables large enough to hold a vehicle and giant artwork and photographs will decorate the 28-foot walls.

A gas station and drive-in theater are being replicated.

In addition, the mueseum plans to open a concession stand where visitors may buy snacks and refreshments while oldies music plays.