Route 66 Car Museum Springfield MO: 75 Classics on the Mother Road
The museum is Springfield’s only car museum and sits on the exact Route 66 alignment that makes it a natural stop for westbound travelers leaving the city. The collection is personal rather than institutional — it reflects Mace’s taste and his decades of acquisition — which means the range is wider and stranger than a curated museum collection would be. Seven Jaguars share space with a 1936 Horch sold to the German military, a truck from the film version of The Grapes of Wrath, and a replica Batmobile. A 1963 Morgan belonged to General Norman Schwarzkopf. A 1933 Auburn 12 and a 1926 Kissel Brougham are both National First Prize winners from the Antique Automobile Club of America.
Where Is the Route 66 Car Museum?
Address: 1634 W. College Street, Springfield, MO 65806
Phone: (417) 459-2452
Email: [email protected]
Website: 66carmuseum.com
Hours: Open daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas only.
Admission: $15 adults, $13 seniors and veterans, $5 children ages 3–9, free for children age 2 and under. Tickets purchased at the door only — no advance booking required for individual visitors.
Tour Duration: Allow 1 to 2 hours for a thorough visit. Reading the individual car placards — which are detailed and worth the time — extends the visit toward the 2-hour mark.
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Driving Context: The museum is located on West College Street, which is the historic Route 66 alignment through Springfield’s South Side. It is approximately 1.5 miles west of downtown Springfield and easily accessible from I-44 via the James River Freeway exit. Free parking is available in the museum’s lot, which also accommodates tour buses. The College Street Cafe shares the parking lot and provides a convenient dining option.
The History of the Route 66 Car Museum
Guy Mace and a Lifetime of Collecting
The Route 66 Car Museum began, by Mace’s own account, with a Jaguar he bought in 1990. Over the next 26 years he accumulated automobiles the way serious collectors do — opportunistically, obsessively, and with a specific aesthetic sense that prioritized rarity, history, and condition over systematic completeness. By 2016 he had assembled more than 70 cars and the collection had outgrown private enjoyment. He opened a 20,000-square-foot facility on West College Street — on Route 66 — and invited the public in.
The timing was deliberate. Springfield had been actively marketing its Route 66 heritage for years, and the College Street alignment was a recognized Route 66 corridor. A car museum on Route 66, in the city that was the birthplace of Route 66, told a story that a museum in an industrial park could not. The building’s exterior — yellow, with the Route 66 shield visible from the street — signals its identity before you reach the parking lot.
The Philosophy of the Collection
The museum’s collection is organized around five loose categories: Brass Era automobiles (1890–1915), classic cars (defined broadly as rare, valuable, and historically significant), celebrity and movie vehicles, sports cars, and what the museum calls ‘cars that strike a fancy’ — meaning pieces that don’t fit neatly into any category but were compelling enough to acquire. This last category is responsible for some of the most interesting vehicles in the building.
The collection is not static. Mace has continued adding vehicles, and the current count stands at more than 75 automobiles. The museum prides itself on the depth of its individual placards — each vehicle has detailed signage explaining its provenance, its significance, and in many cases the specific history of that individual car rather than just the model.
The Standout Vehicles
The 1936 Horch
The most historically significant vehicle in the collection may be the 1936 Horch — one of approximately 50 automobiles of this model sold to the German government in 1937 for use by military general officers. This specific vehicle was stored for more than 50 years in South Dakota and remains 100 percent original. It took second place in the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Prewar Preservation Class, one of the most prestigious concours competitions in the world. There is no equivalent piece in the collection for pure historical weight.
The Grapes of Wrath Truck
The Grapes of Wrath
General Schwarzkopf’s Morgan and Other Notables
Among the celebrity-owned vehicles, the 1963 Morgan is perhaps the most intriguing: it was owned by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of coalition forces during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The collection also includes seven Jaguars, two Rolls Royces, a 1933 Auburn 12 and a 1926 Kissel Brougham (both AACA National First Prize winners), and the Gotham Roadster — a replica Batmobile that draws immediate recognition from visitors of every age. The mix of military history, Hollywood provenance, British sports cars, and American classics gives the collection an eclecticism that reflects its private origins.
What to Expect When You Visit
The museum is a single large floor of 20,000 square feet — no stairs, no hidden wings, no elevator decisions to make. Cars are arranged throughout the space with room to walk around most vehicles and view them from multiple angles. The lighting is designed for the vehicles rather than the visitors, which means individual cars are well-lit while the overall atmosphere skews darker and more atmospheric than a brightly lit retail space.
The individual placards are the museum’s most underrated feature and the one that most visitors mention in reviews. Each card explains not just what the car is but why it matters and, where applicable, the specific history of that individual vehicle. The 1936 Horch’s placard, for example, gives the context of German military procurement, the car’s postwar concealment in South Dakota, and its Pebble Beach competition history. Reading every placard turns a 1-hour visit into a 2-hour one. Most visitors find this worthwhile.
Honest caveats: tickets must be purchased at the door — there is no advance booking for individual visitors. The museum closes at 5:00 PM sharp; arriving after 3:30 PM leaves limited time for a thorough visit. The gift shop carries Route 66 memorabilia, die-cast cars, and collectibles but is modest in size. The College Street Cafe in the shared parking lot is a convenient lunch or dinner option.
Best Time to Visit and Photography Tips
The museum is climate-controlled and open year-round, making it an excellent rainy-day option in any season. Springfield’s Route 66 travel season peaks in summer, when the museum sees its highest traffic. Weekday mornings tend to be quieter; Saturday afternoons in July and August can have groups and tour buses moving through simultaneously.
- The 1936 Horch is the most photogenic single vehicle in the museum — its pre-war German military styling is visually unlike anything else in the building. Position yourself at the front quarter panel and shoot at a low angle to emphasize the vehicle’s scale and period presence.
- The Grapes of Wrath truck rewards a wide-angle shot that captures both the vehicle and its Route 66 context — include the museum’s Route 66 signage in the background frame if it’s visible from your position to make the historical connection explicit in the image.
- The Gotham Roadster (Batmobile replica) is consistently the most-photographed vehicle by families with children. Shoot from straight ahead at bumper height to capture the full dramatic nose of the vehicle — the fin profile reads better from ground level than from standing height.
Tips for Visiting the Route 66 Car Museum
- Arrive by 3:30 PM at the latest if you want time to read the placards thoroughly — the museum closes at 5:00 PM and a 90-minute read-everything visit requires at least that much time.
- Tickets are purchased at the door only. No advance booking is required for individual visitors. Bus tour groups should call (417) 459-2452 or email [email protected] in advance.
- Read the individual car placards — this is the feature that most distinguishes the Route 66 Car Museum from a generic showroom and it is where most of the museum’s editorial value lives.
- The College Street Cafe in the shared parking lot is the most convenient dining option before or after the museum visit.
- The museum is fully accessible on a single floor — no stairs, no ramps required for the main collection. Contact the museum in advance for specific accessibility needs.
- The gift shop carries die-cast car collectibles, Route 66 memorabilia, and vintage license plates — a notch above the typical roadside souvenir shop.
2026 Route 66 Centennial Connection
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cars are in the Route 66 Car Museum?
The collection currently holds more than 75 automobiles across 20,000 square feet. The number has grown since the museum opened in 2016 and continues to reflect Guy Mace’s ongoing collecting interests. The vehicles range from 1907 to 2006 and include brass-era cars, pre-war classics, celebrity-owned vehicles, movie cars, and sports cars from both American and European manufacturers.
Is the Route 66 Car Museum worth visiting for non-car enthusiasts?
Yes, for visitors who engage with the individual car placards rather than treating the museum as a showroom. Several vehicles have compelling provenance stories that stand independently of any interest in the cars themselves — the 1936 Horch sold to the German military, the Grapes of Wrath truck, General Schwarzkopf’s Morgan. The museum works best as a history visit that uses cars as its medium rather than as an automotive enthusiast attraction exclusively.
What are the most notable vehicles in the collection?
The 1936 Horch (one of approximately 50 sold to the German military, 100% original, Pebble Beach Concours finalist), the truck from the 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath, the 1963 Morgan owned by General Norman Schwarzkopf, the Gotham Roadster (Batmobile replica), seven Jaguars, two Rolls Royces, and two AACA National First Prize winners (a 1933 Auburn 12 and a 1926 Kissel Brougham) are among the most frequently cited highlights.
Can tickets be purchased in advance?
No — tickets are purchased at the door only. No advance reservation is required for individual visitors. Tour buses and groups should contact the museum in advance at (417) 459-2452 or [email protected].
Is the Route 66 Car Museum the same as the History Museum on the Square’s Route 66 exhibit?
No — these are two separate attractions in Springfield. The Route 66 Car Museum at 1634 W. College Street is a private car collection focused on vehicles from across automotive history. The History Museum on the Square at 154 Park Central Square is a general history museum with a dedicated Route 66 gallery featuring interactive exhibits, neon signs, and a ’57 Chevy Bel Air, focused on Springfield’s role as the Birthplace of Route 66. Both are worth visiting for different reasons.
Final Thoughts on the Route 66 Car Museum
The Route 66 Car Museum works because it is honest about what it is: one person’s lifetime collection, opened to the public on a Route 66 alignment, with enough variety and provenance depth to sustain two hours of genuine attention. It is not a comprehensive history of the American automobile. It is not a systematic survey of Route 66 vehicles. It is 75-plus cars that Guy Mace found compelling enough to acquire and preserve, several of which are genuinely irreplaceable pieces of history.
Nearby Route 66 Highlights in Springfield
- Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven — 203 S. Glenstone Avenue — 2 miles east on the Glenstone Route 66 alignment — the vintage motel where Elvis Presley stayed in 1956, with his room preserved and bookable.
- History Museum on the Square, Route 66 Gallery — 154 Park Central Square — downtown Springfield — interactive Route 66 exhibits including neon signs, a ’57 Chevy Bel Air, and the story of Springfield as the Birthplace of the Mother Road.
