Think a Ford Model T or Packard is a thing of beauty? Check out this Olathe museum

If Packards and Ford Model Ts get your motor running, you might want to check out the Kansas City Automotive Museum, tucked away just north of I-35 and 119th Street in Olathe.

Founder Jeff Wagoner had always visited car museums when he traveled during his Navy career. Once he retired from the military and moved back here, he decided to make one that would not only delve into auto industry history but highlight Kansas City’s role in it.

“We’ve got a nice car collection in our history museum but the museum’s focus itself is on the history of Kansas City and how the automobile affected the city as it developed and how the city affected the automobile,” Wagoner said.

Several Kansas City figures get some attention. One is Homer Roberts, a man who became the first black car dealer in the country. Another is race car driver Masten Gregory, known as the “Kansas City Flash.”

It’s not just individuals who get a mention. The Ford Assembly Plant at 12th Street and Winchester Avenue in Kansas City also takes a spotlight.

“If you look real close, you can see it even from 435. You can look and see where it has Ford embossed in the smoke stacks, and it’s just a piece of history that you drive by and don’t even think about,” Wagoner said. “But that was the first Ford plant built anywhere out of the Detroit area, and that was right here in Kansas City.”

Volunteer docents give tours of the space, sharing their enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the cars with visitors.

Docent Jim Clock knows the little quirks that the average person wouldn’t, like how to open and close the shutters on a Hudson’s radiator.

“We like anything we can do to interact with people,” Clock said.

He especially enjoys showing people the torsion-level suspension system on the 1956 Packard that keeps it steady for a smooth ride.

Clock remembered the day a man came in and asked if the museum had a 1936 Chevrolet. It did, and when the man saw it, he pointed out a dent in it that he had made as a kid when his father owned that car.

There’s more to the place than just the car displays. The museum hosts numerous Pinewood Derby events for kids from all over the metro area for free, and even has some overnight programs for Scout troops.

Wagoner and his wife bought the Olathe building to house his law practice, and the first floor was the perfect size to house the museum when it opened in 2014. He estimates that about 25,000 visitors come through the doors each year.

Eventually, the museum will move downtown to 31st Street and Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City. Wagoner already has a classic and exotic car storage facility there that people pay to use, housing about 370 cars. There’s still some fundraising to do before building the new museum facility.

Wagoner and the museum staff focus on keeping the exhibits from becoming stale. Every month, there’s a new featured exhibit. September is spotlighting Mercedes Benz, while Packards are the center of October’s display.

A large number of the cars on display are actually on loan from local private owners, which gives the museum flexibility to change things out regularly.

“Six to eight months is a long time to be in the museum. We think there are over 10,000 collector cars in Kansas City. We have room for 31, so finding people that want their cars displayed here is generally not a problem. It’s figuring out what the right cars are,” Wagoner said.

The Kansas City Automotive Museum, 15095 W. 116th St., is open Tuesday through Sunday. Every third Saturday at 8 a.m., the museum hosts a free outdoor cars and coffee event where attendees can also get discounted admission to see inside the museum. For more information on hours and prices, go to kansascityautomuseum.com .