San Sylmar and the Nethercutt
That smiling face belonged to Jack Boison Nethercutt. He passed away last year at the age of 91.
J.B. Nethercutt was a great businessman. He co-founded Merle Norman Cosmetics with his aunt, Merle Norman, back in the 1930's, and built it into a hugely successful firm and made millions of dollars.
What did Mr. Nethercutt do with his money? He bought and restored cars. At his death, he owned over 240 automobiles, many of which he restored to concours quality, wining the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance six times, more than any other individual.
Mr. Nethercutt's collection resides in Southern California in Sylmar, California, in a remarkable museum called "San Sylmar." "The Nethercutt Collection and Museum" is free to the public. There's also a rather personal and quirky collection of mechanical musical instruments and glass miniatures — skip that, and just go see the cars.
Nethercutt's taste leaned toward luxury vehicles — there are lots of Rolls Royces, several Bugattis, Mercedes, and the like, from the antique (1890 – 1915), Vintage (1916 – 1924) and Classic (1925 – 1948) periods. I have whiled away many an afternoon drooling over the collection, which is impressive for its sheer number of cars, if not for the condition of each individual vehicle.
Also impressive is the research center, which houses a great collection of automotive books, and is open to scholars by appointment.
The Nethercutt is a great place — an amazing tribute to one man's passion for automobiles.
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