Gear up for the grandest display of classic cars in Central Florida

Fresh off from selling one of 19 original “General Lee” 1969 Dodge Chargers from The Dukes of Hazzard television show, one would think Kerry Bogard would be a little down. Not so when he has 27 more equally impressive classic cars tucked away in his Mount Dora Museum of Speed.

The only classic car museum in Central Florida specializing in American-made muscle cars, the 6,000-square-foot showroom is a dream come true for motorheads. Unlike other historical museums where some displays can collect dust as they sit undisturbed for ages, the classic car collection at the Mount Dora Museum of Speed is constantly evolving. Over a dozen cars are on permanent display at the museum while another 14 or so are for sale.

“We just sold the General Lee that’s been on display for about a year,” Bogard said. “We’re getting three or four calls a day about it, but it’s probably because of the new “Duke’s movie.”

While the museum doubles as a dealer showroom for classic cars, the constant parade of new inventory and an eclectic collection of auto memorabilia, also known as “mobilia,” keep repeat visitors coming back for more time and time again. For those that missed the General Lee at the museum, along with it went some original Dukes of Hazard scripts, props from the movie and autographs from the entire cast.

Tucked in between the 1966 Shelby Mustang GT-350 (one of the original 11 Paxton Supercharged cars built by Carroll Shelby) and the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette "fuel injected" roadster (one of 1007 made) are a near-endless assortment of antiques. During his 35-year run as a classic car collector and eventually a bonded and licensed dealer, Kerry says when he attends classic car shows to search for his newest treasure, he and his wife, Cindy, often purchase various other antiques.

From vintage juke boxes and Coca-Cola machines, to about a dozen classic gas pumps from the 1920s through the 1960s, the museum is a great place to immerse in the American culture of the muscle car. While a desert trading post dominates the museum, visitors must look in every nook and cranny to spot the rarest caches of Americana, including several electric guitars autographed by rock music greats such as Aerosmith, Jon Bon Jovi and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The glitz and glamour of muscle cars and rock stars is not only showcased all around the museum, occasionally a special visitor to the museum brings that magic to the showroom. While Bogard can’t reveal all of his famous classic car buyers, a few that didn’t mind the word getting out are pop icon Mariah Carey, and professional hockey player and Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux.

“If you were here a couple months ago, Kid Rock came in,” he said.

While the rare celebrity visit is an added perk, Bogard says it’s the classic cars that keep him purring like a well-tuned road machine. Former radio industry executives, the Bogards started their car business in 1990 and retired to Mount Dora because of the peaceful setting and the opportunity to open the Mount Dora Museum of Speed in 2001.

“My wife and I are both from the broadcasting industry and this was our hobby,” he said. “Now I’m living the dream of a lot of guys.”