Stahl's Automotive Museum

An incredible museum with many rare one-of-a-kind cars. It was a very enjoyable and educational experience.

So many cars, so rich in history and lots of memorabilia to appreciate! This museum offers something for everyone- both young and old. If you're looking for something to do on a Tuesday afternoon between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00, this is the place to be! They're also open the first Saturday of every month from 11-4. They do have special hours for events if you'd like to book something. Since their hours are limited, plan your visit accordingly. You don't have to be a car buff or even a history buff..... just walk around and take it all in. It's an overload (in a very good way) for your sight and senses! Stahl's is located (almost hidden) in an industrial area, but once you walk in, you're transported to an era gone by. The modern world is left behind as you browse through the immense collection of beautiful cars from the past. In fact, they have so many cars that they can't display them all at once. They will at times remove some cars and replace them with different ones from their collection. So if you happen to go on different occasions, you may see different cars on display.Every volunteer and docent are friendly, knowledgeable and can guide you through, answer your questions and provide you with interesting facts about most anything on display in the museum. It's a must see and best of all, it's free! I wouldn't mind going back again, just because there's so much to see and learn! Enjoy your visit as you step back in time!

I heard about this museum a few years ago when my parents, my Uncle Bob and I forget who else went. They praised it but it was tough for me to believe some incredible car museum would be out in Chesterfield Township. Then someone hipped me to the Roush Automotive Collection in Livonia which exceeded my expectations. A couple of years later a guy I follow on Instagram raves about Stahls Automotive Foundation and it's priority for a visit increases. Well, I finally made it out to this cavernous warehouse near 26 Mile and Gratiot and it was so incredible I already went back for a second visit about a month later. Getting there was a bit of a challenge as there's a sprawling construction project in the office/industrial park subdivision Stahls is in and I had to backtrack all the way back to about 25 Mile and practically crawl along one way, one lane streets when Stahls is just a stone's throw from 26 Mile. No matter though. Hell, one reviewer was talking about driving 2 and a half hours to get here and it being worth it. The entrance room is filled with automated musical machines, a player banjo and such. Lots of old timey artifacts are in these cozy confines. There's also a donation box here as Stahls is just pay what you wanna. I threw in a fiver as I was by my lonesome and times are tough right now but it seemed like everyone else was throwing down with Mr. Andrew Jackson in there. And this place is worth it. The main room is expansive and impressive, row after row of gleaming antique automobiles of all shapes, sizes and eras, around a hundred in all. They have more in storage and sometimes rotate em in and out and around. The perfect replica Delorean from Back to the Future, complete with flux capacitor and Mr. Fusion, was in a different place on my second visit, parked by a giant circus music machine. There's at least three of those. I'm not sure which one if any was responsible for the pipe organ music - Henry Mancini's Pink Panther and other songs - merrily wafting through this marvelous museum but the pipes can be seen upstairs to the rear. Most every vehicle has a card with pertinent information on it, make, year, history, price then and price adjusted for inflation now which I really appreciated. There's plenty of dark shirted docents around, too. They're very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It seems like they're all just car guys who consider it a pleasure to hang out with such an incredible collection and shoot the breeze. They answered a couple questions for me and one even came back later with more information he had gleaned. Stahls is only open Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 4 and the occasional Thursday evening for neon night where I was promised the only light was from the museum's extensive collection of vintage neon signs and old school gas pumps. I came back for that and they cheated a little. There were two large bright overhead lights in a couple corners left on. I wanted to be like that Kylo Ren meme yelling DARKER! DARKER!! but it was still pretty dim through much of the museum and with lots of older folks congregating here, some probably with not the best eyesight I have to begrudgingly acknowledge they can probably only make it so dark. I need to see the Steve McQueen movie The Reivers as they have a bright yellow car from it here. I'll probably pass on seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Tucker again but there's autos from those movies, too. There's also an Ed "Big Daddy" Roth hot rod I'm pretty sure I've seen at Autorama here. On my first visit there were some fun Halloween decorations scattered around. I assume they put up Christmas decorations, too, but they weren't yet up on Neon Night in early November. I appreciate that, too. The Holiday season shouldn't start til Thanksgiving! There's no presidential limos here unlike the couple they have at the Henry Ford Museum but apart from that I almost feel like the collection here could hang with the one there - and it's a donation only museum randomly out in exurbia! Stahls is truly amazing. You can easily while away a couple hours here. I think I'm gonna play that Moody Blues song Tuesday Afternoon and post a second set of photos from here.

My husband and I have been trying to get here for years and I am so glad we finally made it. You too need to get here, but don't wait years like we did. The museum is much more than a automotive museum. The first room you enter is filled with music machines. They are all gorgeous just to look at and we were both surprised to hear that every piece works. We watched about seven pieces while we were there. It was so incredible I could not imagine the automotive section could hold a candle. However, when you enter that portion of the museum and see the vast size of it, it is awe inspiring and even if you aren't into cars (like us) you will still find it amazing. One thing that makes the museum so great are all of the docents. I have never seen so many in a museum and they are all incredibly knowledgeable. Anytime we looked at something and asked each other a question out loud, a docent was nearby to answer our question and provide even more insight on the piece and the museum as a whole. They were incredible. Another wonderful aspect of the museum is the huge theater organ that was played by a young man in the automotive area. It was really something to hear him play and hear what he had to say about the incredible instrument. The museum is a true hidden gem.

As a non-automotive buff, I accompanied my husband on this day trip to be a supportive spouse, believing that only he would be the one having a great time - I was wrong! I found it to be fun and fascinating!Tucked inside what looks like an office complex is this hidden gem featuring this amazing collection of automobiles and automated music machines. The auto collection contains nearly 100 perfectly restored vehicles ranging from the late 1800s through the 1960s. Each vehicle offers an informational placard and a large number of very friendly and helpful docents throughout the collection are there to answer questions, making the visit even more fun and educational. The collection of automated music machines viewed upon entry was not only fascinating but also served to entertain during our visit, with occasional "performances" throughout the afternoon.This is indeed a hidden gem and definitely worth the 2.5-hour drive (each way) for us to spend the afternoon amongst these beautiful machines. Their days and hours of operation are limited and (free) tickets must be reserved ahead of time. I don't know if this policy is COVID-related, but I'd definitely check before planning your visit. It was indeed, lots of fun!

After reading an article in my local newspaper, The Macomb Daily, I planned to attend a special opening for Veteran's Day this year. Since I had never heard of this particular museum, I expected a trickle of military vets at a sparsely occupied barn of sorts out in the country. I couldn't have been more off target. Set in an industrial park west of Gratiot Avenue and south of 26 Mile Road, they have a modern building that would make for a great factory location.When I arrived, outdoors there were a few military vehicles on display from the Army's Tank and Automotive Command, as well as the local Arsenal of Democracy Museum a few miles away. They had valet parking available, but I chose to park my old pick-up a few blocks away and walk in. Yes, it was that well-attended that many parked up the streets for blocks around.I met up with a Seabee buddy of mine in the afternoon and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. As we toured the museum, I saw cars whose names I had only heard of, but had never seen. All of the antique cars were well displayed and I was always able to poke my head inside and look-but-don't-touch. Many had the hood up, or perhaps in the case of split engine covers, one side would be open. A nice addition to the interior - some of the levers and driver controls had the placement of tags describing what function the particular control performed.I didn't take many pictures on my 1st visit, as there were hundreds of visitors which made it difficult to take a clean shot.Another feature to this museum is the many music boxes and such on display. While we were in the main part of the museum, we were delightfully entertained by a gentleman who sat down at the organ console and played a patriotic medley of military songs and other nationalistic tunes especially appropriate on a federal holiday.Admission on that day was by free-will donation and all proceeds went to a local charitable organization.The museum is only open on Tuesdays and one Saturday per month. This is a great museum for anyone who has an interest in automobiles of the past. As a side note, outside of two vehicles made for movies, I don't recall any car on display that was newer than the mid 1960's.This is a museum that I highly recommend!

This is a great car collection. Much to see, musical instruments, automobiles, gas pumps, signage, etc. Great staff and Docents as well!

Hidden gem full of unique vintage cars, gas pumps, mechanical music machines and general Americana. There is too much to list. Wow! The attention to detail here is tremendous. Quite frankly, I found the vehicle displays more interesting than those at the Henry Ford Museum and more entertaining too. The friendly staff will randomly fire up an old car and rev the engine loudly. An inconspicuous staff suddenly starts jamming on an old Wurlitzer organ in true surround sound. There's a huge carnival organ as big as a house! This place is so cool (audience: HOW COOL IS IT!), it's so cool that comedian Jay Leno stopped in for a visit. Really, he did, for a fundraiser. The museum gets 5 well earned stars for blowing away my expectations. The hours are very limited (check the website) and, best of all, it's FREE. Of course there's a donation box, I suggest giving generously for a job well done.

This is a hidden gem of Automotive history. They are only open Tuesdays, between 1pm and 4pm. They are open occasionally for special events, like the Veterans Day event, where they opened on a Sunday. They have some amazing vehicles and musical machines. If you have a free Tuesday, check them out. I would get there when the doors open so you have all the time you want.

First time visitor today, WOW! Wonderful collection of gorgeous cars and unique mechanical things! I was truly fascinated by it all. If you enjoy walking through time, this is the place for you. They did a wonderful job putting this collection together. Truly a hidden GEM! Highly recommend!