Southward Museum Trust by Mark Sukhija

We stopped at the Southward Museum Trust whilst en route to Wellington from Taranaki .

Founded in 1972, the Southward Museum is the largest collection of vintage vehicles in the Southern Hemisphere. Over 250 vehicles are owned by the museum of which over half are on display at any one time. The exhbition itself when we visited was quite varied and included the 1895 Mercedes Velo, a 1912 Buick, 1955 Mercedes Gullwing, 1911 Triumph, 1950 "Gangster" Cadillac and a 1938 Mercedes 540K.

Of the many exhibits on display during this visit, the Gangster Cadillac and the Mercedes 540K stood out. The Gangster Cadillac was a genuine impressive exhibit. The Cadillac was and a bomb-proof floor. The windows were riddled with bullet holes as if to demonstrate their robustness. The Mercedes 540K stood out for quite different features. It is one of only two ever made. The Merc has obviously well maintained and is polished to a high sheen. It is a 1938 model. It is left-hand drive. The dials are calibrated in miles. Left and drive and calibrated in miles? A 1938 Merc? The rumour is that this was to be a gift to the King of England (a suspected Nazi-sympathiser) from one Adolf Hitler who would place him on the throne when Germany won the war. Intriguing?

The collection boasts many vehicles with the bulk being pre-1970 and on display on the ground floor. In the basement below, are many cars from from 1960's and 1970's in addition to many fire-engines. Of course, there are two planes and many bikes on display as well. With a variety of Benz, Messerschmidts, Rolls Royce, Wolseley, Tara, Cadillacs, and Vauxhalls this is a truly fascinating and impressive exhibit. Mark and his not-at-all-interested-in-cars companion can recommend a visit at Southwards.

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