Nelson Classic Car Museum is a private, world-class, collection of fabulous classic cars. It includes some of the most sought-after models of classic motoring, beautifully presented and meticulously maintained. Unlike most car museums the majority of cars are not roped off so you can get an up-close and personal view. Twice a year at our Hoods Up! Friday event you can get even closer.

With over 150 beautiful veteran, vintage and classic cars, this remarkable museum is a standout attraction. It’s easy to see why Classic American magazine dubbed it “New Zealand’s Coolest Car Collection.”

The collection began locally in 1967 and has grown since with vehicles gathered from New Zealand and overseas. Some of these cars were already restored, others were purchased in partially restored, original, or very rough condition and carefully restored by us.

This is a very personal collection. Apart from a few temporary visiting vehicles, all of the vehicles are owned by one local family and the wide variety of vehicles reflect their many personal passions.

In 2001 the collection was made available for public viewing. Initially there were approximately 30 cars in what is now our ‘front shed’. Later, the ‘back shed’ was constructed, and about 70 cars were on display. The back shed was originally intended as storage but then people kept asking to see what was in there.

The cars were displayed alongside the World of WearableArt collection for 19 years until WoW closed its collection to the public in March 2020 prior to the Covid-19 lockdowns. In August 2020 the museum reopened its doors after a huge refurbishment effort as the Nelson Classic Car Museum. Since then the collection and the sets have continued to grow.

There are now over 200 cars in the collection with more than 150 classic cars on display at any time. The collection currently spans more than 120 years of motoring with the oldest vehicle being our 1903 Cadillac, which has known Nelson as its home since new. The most modern car is our 2024 Chevrolet Corvette C8, the first production Corvette to be mid-engined and the first available in right hand drive from the factory.

This is a live collection so vehicles come and go as they are used for events and by the owners of the collection – as a result the collection will vary a small amount each week. Usually around 40 of the cars are in ready to drive condition, with the rest needing half a day to a week of effort to get them ready to drive. Keep an eye out as you visit for current regos and warrants of fitness (the New Zealand vehicle licences and safety checks respectively).

As mentioned above, the collection is housed across two separate buildings and is located on the same site that was home to the Nelson Motor Vehicle Assembly Plant (1970 – 1998) – commonly referred to locally as “The Honda Factory” – which assembled more than 160,000 vehicles including Triumph, Leyland, Rover, Jaguar, Daimler, Austin, Land Rover and finally Honda. The front shed of the museum is the last original building from the assembly plant still standing.

The vehicles in this collection reflect the cultural and technical history of the last 120 plus years. They also hold cherished personal memories for many of our visitors who come here to be transported back in time and reminisce about favourite road trips or dream of future ones. We love that each visitor takes away something different from exploring our collection and that so many people who profess to not be car lovers leave having thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Not only do we have a vast collection of some of the world’s most beautiful and collectable cars, we are the only place in the world you can see the Bonneville Speed Week record-holding World’s Fastest Mini.

Whether you’re a passionate petrolhead or simply appreciate craftsmanship and nostalgia, you’ll be captivated by the range of cars on display. While the collection can be viewed in less time, we recommend setting aside 1 to 2 hours for your visit so that you can appreciate every aspect of the collection at a leisurely pace and also browse our museum store, stocked with great gifts, local crafts, and art, plus stop for lunch or coffee at Little Engine Eatery on site. Your ticket lasts all day, and if you decide you’ll want to come back soon you can upgrade your ticket on the day to an Annual Pass for less than the cost of two days adult admission. Whether you’re a lifelong enthusiast or just curious, visiting on your own or with the family in tow, we believe you’ll be impressed.