If you’re a fan of American cars made from the 1940’s through the 1970’s, and you find yourself in the Myrtle Beach (South Carolina) area, you may want to visit Wheels of Yesteryear. This is a private automobile collection of Paul and Carol Cummings which has been on display in Myrtle Beach since the fall of 2009.
Note: Click on images to enlarge.
The complete collection consists of over 100 cars and about half of them are on display at any given time. Each January the Cummings rotate the cars on display to showcase different aspects of the collection.
The cars are placed quite closely together which does not afford many photographs of individual models but fans of cars from this era will still be treated to an interesting selection of automobiles none-the-less. Many of the cars on display are in 100% original condition. I had a selection of Nikon 1 gear with me and concentrated on capturing images of some of the details on many of the display units.
Wheels of Yesteryear also features a very eclectic collection of other period memorabilia like signage, posters, hub caps, toys, and castings of various sorts which also makes for some unique images. Throughout your visit you’ll be entertained with period music and commercials as if you were listening to your favourite AM radio station ‘back in the day’. NASCAR fans may also enjoy seeing the spoiler fin signed by Richard Petty.
The facility is open 7 days a week and at under $10 a person it is an affordable activity, especially if you happen to hit a rainy day and you’re looking for something to do in Myrtle Beach.
The lighting is varied and you’ll likely have to move around quite a bit to find some good highlight angles. Bringing a mid-focal length zoom lens and perhaps a longer length zoom will allow you to capture a lot of the chrome and other period details. I focused on these details during our visit. Since the aisles can be a bit narrow using zoom lenses will provide you with a lot more shooting flexibility. A macro lens may also be a good thing to pop into your camera bag.
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Hi Thomas
Another car gallery that I recommend, having visited it recently, is Swope’s Cars of Yesteryear in Elizabethtown KY (near Fort Knox). There is no charge for visitors, they just ask that you sign the guest book and not touch the cars. Tripods are allowed. The cars range from a 1915 Paris taxi up to the 1960s and most are in excellent condition. I had a pleasant morning there shooting hood ornaments; it was a much better photo expedition than my time at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where they keep you away from the vehicles.
Hi Darrell,
Thanks very much for sharing the tip on another place to photograph vintage cars! Some of these older vehicles are true works of art!
Tom
I put a few downsized samples here in case you are interested. All shot with E-M5 and 75.
https://app.box.com/s/m2ev32eea0sz7qt7fc2kaygjd3jm6y9r
I want to thank you Tom, for your many posted examples from the V2 and 70-300. Your stellar results, and those of a friend who has a J4, have convinced me to get an N1 body and 70-300. I also use DxO 10 and can see what excellent things it does for your shots as it does for LX7, which I also use.
Hi Darrell,
Thanks for sharing your images with us – you have some great captures! I especially liked the last three samples and how you were able to find shooting angles that had good separation between your main subject and the background.
Tom
Tom, nice shots. I made a couple of prints from the museum and was going to display them in a local gallery in Virginia. Two buyers there bought them both before I could put them up on the wall. One was the corvette and the other, believe it or not was of the ash tray arm rest in that car that sat alone near the far back wall. Making two more for the display tomorrow.
Hi Mike,
That’s great news about the prints! There was so much detail to see at the location I doubt if I even noticed the ashtray!
Tom
This looks like a really interesting place to visit. Thanks for posting the article and photos. I loved all the photos and the picture with the left grille and headlight of what looks like a red 1957 chevy is an outstanding capture.
Hi Ray,
It is an interesting place to visit. While the cars are not in ‘mint’ condition, it is a great collection and the overall atmosphere captures the period very well.
Tom