by Wilson F. Fang
One of the reasons I live in San Francisco is that it's one of the few cities in the United States where a car-free existence is actually conceivable. The City is relatively small, making it easy to go from Point A to Point B either on foot or by mass transit. The municipal transit system boasts of a large, if not entirely reliable, route network. And the density of the urban landscape means that many attractions are located close enough to each other and to places of residence to negate the need of traveling by car. Add this to the dearth of parking, the challenges of navigating the city's oft-choked streets, and the high costs of registering, fueling, and insuring one's precious chariot, well, this should be more than enough justification for most people to go totally without wheels!
But what about those of us for whom an automobile is more than a means to make one's way to the other end of town? That breed of man (or woman) for whom the sight of sunlight shining down on crisply sculpted sheetmetal inspires awe. Whose heart races upon hearing the sound of a finely-tuned V8 engine rumbling in the background. Whose idea of craftsmanship refers not to French antique furniture or a fine Swiss watch, but rather to an aluminum camshaft hand-turned by an old metalworker with years of experience. Is there any hope for the avid car buff whence the day of the car-free metropolis comes to fruition?
The answer, thankfully, is yes. For as long as there are places like Blackhawk, us car junkies will always have a place to go to get our automobile fix.
"What", the uninitiated may inquire, "is Blackhawk…some sort of motor oil-flavored beverage?"
Er, no. Those of us with the proverbial gasoline running through our veins (or who stood too close to the tailpipes of a classic car inhaling exhaust fumes one too many times) know this to be the name of one of the best car museums in the country. Located (appropriately, some may say) in the posh East Bay town of Danville, Blackhawk is an museum that counts among its affiliates the prestigious Smithsonian Institution. It boasts of six exhibition areas, including Smithsonian- and national history-themed galleries, a library, and a discovery room.
What Blackhawk is most famous for, though, is its car collection. One of the main characteristics that distinguishes it from others of its ilk (or, indeed, a large car dealership) is its focus on presenting the vehicles not just as a mode of transportation but as works of art. This is in sharp contrast to, say, the Imperial Palace Auto Collection in Las Vegas, which chooses to display its cars in the most prosaic of fashions, parked side to side like they would be in a parking lot (not surprising,, as the collection is actually housed in a converted garage). Blackhawk, on the other hand, is housed in a handsome, multi-level structure that could easily house a couturier's atelier or a jeweler's showroom. Appropriate, one might say, as the original owners of the cars within were probably frequent clients of both types of establishments.
One enters the complex via the meandering paths of the nicely landscaped Cultural Plaza. The Blackhawk Museum is at one end of the plaza, with its post-modern, pink, ruby, and black Italian granite-clad building providing a nice focal point for the place. After walking into the lobby, one is further impressed by the copper-hued German skylights and glass, and soaring 40-foot tall columns of brushed stainless steel. Given that there seems to be more expensive building material here than in your average Italian palazzo, one can be excused for thinking that the architecture will overshadow the collection.
Which, of course, doesn't happen. On display at any given time are about 100 of the most gorgeous automobiles ever to grace the road, all exhibited against a dramatic backdrop of black granite floors and black textured walls…perfectly fitting into the museum's unique thrust to showcase the cars as not just transportation but individual works of fine art. There are two galleries devoted to the car collection. The lower gallery provides a century-spanning historical tour of the automotive sort. Among the highlights of this area include the 1901 Toledo Steam Car, whose owners were presumably brave enough to deal with the fact that there was 800 psi of steaming hot water burbling underneath the driver's seat; an American Underslung, widely regarded as the first US-made sports car; and a 1991 Vector Twin-Turbo, a low-slung, exotic grand tourer that looked to be the type that would be driven by rakish European playboys (or rich men dealing with midlife crisis).
The Upper Auto Gallery, so named because, well, it was on the upper floor of the museum, holds cars of more specialized interest. Here is Clark Gable's 1935 Duesenberg convertible, a Delahaye once owned by the King of Morocco, and Al Jolson's 1929 Mercedes-Benz Model S Tourer. Two of the more famous cars on this floor are the 1935 Bugatti Royale, a luxury car made by the renowned Ettore Bugatti that holds the record for being the largest production automobile ever built, and the 1924 Hispano-Suiza "Tulipwood" Torpedo, a race car covered with thin strips of mahogany, fastened to the frame with thousands of brass rivets. This last one was commissioned by none other than Henri Dubonnet, of the liqueur and aperitif fortune (perhaps he was tippling his own wares a little too heartily the day he ordered this particular car built).
I visited Blackhawk on a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon, when the sun was shining and breezes balmy--perfect weather for being outdoors. Yet there were quite a few folks wandering the all-black halls of the museum, wandering about in wonderment at the dazzling displays of automotive art. As for myself, well, one of the best parts of being there was seeing cars for what how I should think they should be appreciated by most urban dwellers--more as artwork to be admired and displayed lovingly, and not so much as a mode of conveyance. Certainly, one could argue that the chances of my wheezing little Kia Sportage ending up in a black marble showcase anytime soon are about the same as me winning a Pulitzer for writing this. But then again, methinks the long-deceased owner of the Curved Dash Oldsmobile on display at the museum's lower gallery, with its two little seats, tiller steering, and one-horsepower engine, would never in his life have guessed that his modest car would one day end up in such an august location. So wherever you are, Mr. ex-Oldsmobile owner, rest in peace. Your Olds has retired from the road, and gone to where it belongs, the Blackhawk Museum, a most appropriate resting place for cars of every ilk.
For more information about the Blackhawk Museum, please call 925.736.2277, or visit their website at www.blackhawkmuseum.org. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Free docent-led tours are offered on weekends.
