YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD about Audrain. You might have been to its prestigious Motor Week and Concours on the US East Coast, seen its sponsorship of the Goodwood Members' Meeting or maybe even visited its museum in Newport, Rhode Island. But behind the scenes, there's so much more. And so many cars! It's the kind of set-up that needs a tour guide, and who better for that than Audrain CEO Donald Osborne: classic car valuer, writer, presenter and, of course, expert sidekick on Jay Leno's Garage. We arrive at the museum outside of opening hours, Donald is on his way, and director and curator David de Muzio is on hand to give us a whistlestop history lesson of the museum.
It's housed in a stunning building on one of the main shopping streets of desirable Newport, Rhode Island. If you've not been, you might be surprised by the town's history, its dramatic coastline, and rows of historic shops, housing and uber-mansions, which date mostly from the turn-ofthe-century Gilded Era, with connections to the Vanderbilt family.
The museum building was originally built as a row of six shopfronts at street level and 11 offices above, by art and antiques dealer Adolphe L Audrain so there's the question of the name answered. Born in California in 1859 to Parisian parents, Adolphe got to know Newport when he summered there, and later speculated that New Yorkers also spending ten weeks every year in Newport could be in need of retail therapy. New York architect Bruce Price was commissioned in 1902 to design the building, drawing inspiration from the Florentine Renaissance with huge arched windows and a roof balustrade crowned with stone lions it sounds preposterous but it worked, attracting dressmakers, jewellers, Brooks Brothers clothing and Pierce-Arrow and Indian Motorcycle dealerships.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2024 من Octane.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2024 من Octane.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
Jem Marsh
The hard-bitten Marcos boss was driven like few others and never knew when he was beaten. Thankfully
Vandamm House
A Mid-Century Modernist masterpiece that was immortalised on celluloid - despite never actually existing
Making light
Alfa Romeo's post-war renaissance began with the 1900 saloon - and matured with Zagato's featherweight coupé version, as Jay Harvey discovers
FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
Is burgeoning classic car interest in the Middle East good for the global classic market? Nathan Chadwick investigates
Before the beginning
This rare Amazon Green pre-production Range Rover is Velar chassis number 4. James Elliott charts its historically revealing factory restoration
Ben Cussons
As the outgoing chairman of the Royal Automobile Club hands on to his successor, Robert Coucher quizzes him about the evolution of this great British institution
BULLDOG & THE PUPPIES
We gather five motoring masterpieces by avant-garde designer William Towns - and drive all of them
Below the tip of the Audrain iceberg
As the Audrain organisation grows, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge car collection that feeds it
Flying the Scottish flag
Young Ecurie Ecosse driver Chloe Grant gets to grips with the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type at Goodwood. Matthew Hayward is Octane's witness