I had never been, so when my friend Anne suggested it might be fun to visit the Larz Anderson Auto Museum for British Car Day, I said, “I’m in.”  Mid-morning, three of us set out from Worcester and arrived at 15 Newton Street in Brookline in time to find on-street parking a short distance from the entrance.  It was a bright sunny day but with a breeze, so it wasn’t uncomfortably hot.  Admission to the Lawn Events is $10, which includes admission to the museum; the current exhibit, “Dream, Obsession, Expression: Art of the Automobile” is on display until May 2012.

As you might imagine from its name, the Auto Museum was originally the carriage house on the Brookline estate owned by American businessman and diplomat Larz Anderson and his fabulously wealthy wife Isabel Weld Perkins.  These aristocratic socialites purchased their first “horseless carriage,” a Winton Runabout, in 1899.  In the years following, they began to collect American and European automobiles, and on Sunday afternoons would open the doors to the carriage house and invite the public to view their growing collection.  Today, the Museum is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the collector car community through educational outreach and the preservation of its permanent collection of early automobiles.  Lawn Events are held almost every Saturday and Sunday throughout the spring, summer, and fall; lectures, exhibits, and special activities are also regularly scheduled.

My friends and I admired the many models of British cars, ambled through the art exhibit, and enjoyed burgers and hot dogs purchased from the concession.  I took a bunch of photos, but since I’m not a photographer, the cars don’t look their best.  Nevertheless, I’ve created a small gallery for you; click on each thumbnail for a larger image, then use your “back” button to continue to the next image.