Lane Motor Museum

Lane Motor Museum Summer Smash II - July 24, 2010

What do a 200,000 pound former US Army LARC LX, a watermelon, and an old car have in common?  Not a thing but the Lane Motor Museum's Summer Smash II combined them into an interesting exhibition.

The LARC LX is reputedly the largest amphibious vehicle ever built.  Weighing in at 200,000 pounds and carrying a 165hp diesel engine for each of the four gigantic wheels it is truly an enormous wheeled vehicle.

This is the second "Summer Smash" that the museum has held, and the purpose is to use the LARC LX to smash a car and any other items that people happened to bring with them to be crushed.  As the photos below show it does a very, very good job of that!

They started with the car but I'm going to start with the watermelon ;)

And here comes the car ....

Before and after shots of the victim ....

Lane Motor Museum Summer Smash III - July 23, 2011

Today was the third annual Summer Smash at the Lane Museum.  As has been the case for the past few weeks it was very hot but unlike previous days there was a good breeze blowing to keep things from overheating too badly.

As with last year the LARC LX was called back into service but this year it was a double-smash.  A Porsche and a Volvo were the victims this year and they did not fare much better than the Pontiac last year.

Before .....

During .....

Aftermath .....

The Victor .....

To The Spectators Go The Spoils .....

Lane Motor Museum - Numerous Visits

The Lane Motor Museum is only a few miles from my home and for anyone interested in automobiles or motorsports it is a truly interesting place.  They have many vehicles that are not going to be seen at most museums.  As with a very few other museums there are only a few few barricades to prevent visitors from getting close to the exhibits so I was able to take some good photographs of the vehicles on display.

If you are in the Nashville area this place is a must see.  They are on Murfreesboro Road near downtown Nashville and not at all difficult to find.  Take a look next time you are in town, it's worth the visit.  I've been there several times, and the exhibits are always changing so it never gets dull.  Give them a try, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Note that some of the vehicles in the photographs below are no longer on display.  Like most museums the Lane Museum changes their displays around from time to time.  It keeps the displays fresh and dynamic for people like me who visit frequently.  On the other hand if someone plans to visit to see a specific vehicle it would be in their best interest to call ahead and make sure it is still on display.

General Muesum Shots ...

Automobile Shots ...

Motorcycle Shots ...

Logos, Emblems, and Misc. Shots ...