Academy of Art University Automobile Museum

The Academy of Art University Automobile Museum is a non-profit museum located in San Francisco, California. The museum serves both as a conservator of automotive history and as a tool for students in the industrial design department at the Academy of Art University, particularly those in the Automotive Restoration program. Forbes has estimated the value of the museum's collection to be $70 million. The museum is accessible for the public by appointment at scheduled times.HistoryA former President of the Academy of Art University, Richard A. Stephens, started the museum and is the proprietor of over half of the cars. The Stephens family—including Richard’s daughter and current University President Elisa Stephens—began to seriously collect antique cars in the 1990s. The first car purchased for the collection was a 1929 Packard due to its being built the same year that the University was founded by Richard S. Stephens. In 1999, AAU purchased the main showroom it has today at 1849 Washington Street and then bought additional showroom space in 2012.In 2016, the museum was described by Hemmings Motor News’ Dan Stoner as being “one of the largest collections of antique cars on the West Coast.”Currently, the museum has seven full-time workers who maintain and preserve the vehicles.Exhibits and collectionsThe Tucker 48 is one of the museum’s most prized vehicles. The Tucker 48 that the museum has in its display is production car #1003. The car was purchased at auction for $2,035,000 from the previous owner, George Lucas, who executive produced the 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream. The car has also been exhibited at the San Francisco International Auto Show, among other car shows.