UNIQUE EXHIBIT SET TO OPEN AT SARATOGA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM
/The Saratoga Automobile Museum, known nationwide for presenting unusual exhibits, has outdone itself with the upcoming presentation of “The Kevin Biebel Collection – Real Steel: Stories of Automotive Archaeology.”
Biebel, a Connecticut businessman who has displayed a lifelong fascination with all things mechanical, is a collector of memorabilia as well as unusual automobiles, thus the “Automotive Archaelogy” segment of the exhibit title. So along with cars ranging from a 1907 Success and 1908 Sears to his 1960’s Kent Fuller dragster and 1932 Plymouth roadster that came from the factory with a special Princeton University paint job, Biebel has accumulated untold interesting items that chronicle the development of the automobile.
“A visit to the Biebel’s home, garages or manufacturing facility is like walking through the warehouses of the Smithsonian,” said exhibit curator Ron Hedger. “Original artwork here, vintage advertisements there, dozens of vehicles on racks awaiting restoration, the original model and patent drawings for turn signals on a bookcase. Neither Kevin nor visitors can proceed from one point to another without stopping repeatedly to investigate unusual items.”
Kevin and Yvonne Biebel, who became interested in the Saratoga Automobile Museum through participation in its various auto shows and concours d’elegance, have graciously agreed to share many of these unseen items with the public in the new exhibit, which will open with a formal ceremony at 6 pm on Friday, November 13th and to the general public the following day. Tickets for the opening, at $10 for members and $20 for non-members, are currently available online or at the museum admissions desk.
Biebel will share stories of his collection during the event, including how the Sears, originally purchased from the Sears Catalogue, made its way to the longstanding Bridgewater, NY Automobile Museum and on to his collection. A number of his vehicles are national award winners and have been displayed individually at the ACCA Museum in Hershey, PA. They range from barn finds to restored beauties and include a motorcycle that spent decades inside the wall of a house before being discovered. Enthusiasts can expect to hear this story and more at the opening event.
The Biebel’s have also provided a number of go-karts for a mini-exhibit on the history of the toys turned racing machines and will collaborate with the museum’s educational program by donating a vintage TQ-midget race car for an upcoming student restoration project.
Details on the opening event, other exhibits and SAM’s ongoing educational programs, including the nationally heralded Distracted Driving program featuring state-of-the-art driving simulators, are available online atwww.saratogaautomuseum.org.