Okay, I admit, I am not a big "car guy". My car does not function as a status symbol or a luxury item, it is to get where I need to go and take me on roadtrips. That's not to say that the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, IL is not an amazing attraction, but the reason I traveled there was not for the Automobiles, but rather for the Holy Grail of Mold-A-Ramas.
But I will get to that in a bit. First let's take a look at the Volo Auto Museum. To anyone who loves cars this is going to be the place dreams are made of. There are multiple buildings packed with classic cars, most which are actually for sale. But this museum appeals more people than just gear heads. There is also much to be enjoyed by fans of TV and film. About any famous vehicle can be found here.
The Blues Mobile......
The Delorean......
Ecto 1....
Pee-Wee's Bicycle......
Kit from Knight Rider...........
The Beverly Hillbilly's Jalopy.....
Herbie the Love Bug, from "Herbie Fully Loaded"
And what would a car Museum be without a General Lee.....
Even famous animated vehicles are represented.
They have a car from Walt Disney World that has been driven by Cruella Deville, Miss Piggy AND Barbie in parades.
They have Grandpa Munster's "Dragula" raise car which would go on to inspire the Rob Zombie song of the same name. Great car, great song, great music video.
The cars are all behind velvet robes and you are forbidden to touch them, oddly the one exception is the Flintstones Car from the John Goodman movie, which you are allowed to climb into.
Of course one of the most legendary cars shown at roadside attractions and museums is the Death Car of Bonnie Clyde. Now, at one point of history there were at least 5 different cars on exhibit claiming to be the genuine deal. Volo has one of these fakes.
Supposedly, this version was the one that was used as a mobile for the prop car used in the Warren Betty Movie......that car can actually be found in the Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, DC.
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If you like Batman you are in luck!
They not only have the original Adam West Batmobile.....
But the Michael Keaton version as well....
If you prefer the Christian Bale version, they have the Semi that Heath Ledger's Joker rode in....
They have a collection of "oddity" type vehicles as well....
There are a handful of pretty cool non-vehicular props as well, including a T-800 used in T2:Judgement Day....
And the horrifying suit used in Mike Meyers desecration of "The Cat in the Hat".......
They have a full body suit of "Sully" from Monsters INC, that was recalled because it was deemed to be too dangerous to used for promotional purposes.
Like any good museum, there is a decent collection of creepy mannequins....
They also have a cool little Animatronic Pirate Show, sadly it was non-operational while we were there.
All this was truly wonderful, but the real reason from my visit was this:
It is what I feel is the Holy Grail when it comes collecting Mold-A-Ramas. This is the only existing functional Disneyland Toy Factory on public display. It still produces plastic Mickey Mouses.
For a closer look at this amazing piece of machinery, check out the video below.....
The Carpetbagger
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