The National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum is located on Highway 85A an hour northeast of Tulsa,
Oklahoma, on Grand Lake 'O The Cherokees. The 40,000 square foot facility houses over 40 custom built exotic vehicles by world renowned custom car builder and designer Darryl Starbird as well as many other famous hot rod and custom car builders. Every square inch of the wall and space is full of photos and memorabilia of famous custom built vehicles including street rods, nostalgic custom cars, vans, pickups, sports cars and experimental bubble topped concept looking vehicles of the future. Many of the vehicles
are priceless in value, having a historic significance as well as demonstrating thousands of hours of labor and ingenuity of design and workmanship.
Recognized as the first and only National
Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame, it honors the individuals that have created thousands of these types of vehicles since the early fifties.
Each year in June an Anniversary Celebration is held inducting two more custom & rod builders in conjunction with an outdoor car show and buffalo feast by the lake. (In 2005 it is on June 4-5).
A history in the form of thousands of photos and miscellaneous memorabilia is on display capturing the work of each of these icons in the custom car and street rod world. Actual original creations in full size cars
of the famous builders will also be displayed on a rotating basis. This is not your usual antique classic car
museum so prevalent throughout the country, but a unique display of one of a kind custom creations. Works of art in their own right, as well as visual illustrations of culture development that started in the '50's and has influenced our society, Detroit car designs and our very way of living
since.
The American Graffiti classic movie documents these trends for prosperity and Tom Wolfe the celebrated American author put the era and feeling into words in his book the Kandy Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby. I guess Toad in American Graffiti said it all when he was given the '58 Chevy custom car by his friend while he was away at college when he said, "This is better
than Darryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird". Come in and see what Toad was referring to and relive this American feeling of
a bygone era.
Directions:
Located in Afton, Oklahoma, the Museum is situated on eighty acres of lake front in a park like setting. It's just thirty-five minutes southwest of Joplin, Missouri off of Interstate I-44 (Tulsa to St. Louis). Take the Afton exit to Grove, Oklahoma Highway 59 then right on Highway 125 to Highway 85A.
Museum Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday 11a.m. - 5 p.m. (March - October)
Closed - (November - February)
(Call for appointments on "Off Days" or during "Closed" months).
National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum
55251 E. Highway 85A, Afton, Oklahoma 74331
Telephone: 918.257.4234 or 918.257.8073
