Riverside International Automotive Museum

The Riverside International Automotive Museum, or RIAM, is a non-profit corporation, located in Riverside, California

Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...

, dedicated to; "Preserving the memory of California's rich motorsports heritage". Primary museum exhibits include memorabilia and artifacts from the Riverside International Raceway

Riverside International Raceway

Riverside International Raceway was a race track or road course in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989...

, the Ontario Motor Speedway

Ontario Motor Speedway

The Ontario Motor Speedway, located in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles, was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: IndyCar Series and USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a ...

, and local racing champion Dan Gurney

Dan Gurney

Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...

.

The museum houses several history-making race cars, and the largest and most comprehensive collection of Maserati

Maserati

Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...

road cars in the United States, including an example of every Maserati model that has been made available in the U.S. since 1951.

History

The RIAM was founded in 2006 as a 501.(c)(3) non-profit corporation by Ray and Doug Magnon, father and son racing enthusiasts.

Ray was a close friend of Skip Hudson during high school. Their mutual interest in racing lead both to also become friends with Dan Gurney, after Dan's family moved to Riverside. Skip and Dan's racing careers took off about the same time, and all three have remained friends. Doug Magnon, the president of the RIAM, caught the racing bug from his father Ray.

As part of their interest in automobile racing, the Magnons began collecting automobiles. Keeping with their Italian heritage the Magnons (originally spelled Magnone) started collecting Maseratis. It was one of the oldest of the Italian automobile brands, and it had a rich racing tradition in Europe.

They built a 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) facility in 2006 to house their growing collection. After hiring Bruce Ward as the director, they opened the museum to the public in December, 2007.

Events

In March 2009, the museum hosted the first Legends of Riverside Film Festival and charity fund raiser. The museum worked with Dave Wolin to bring what was previously known as the Southern Yosemite Automotive Film Festival to the museum. In addition to showcasing popular racing films, the annual event offers attendees an opportunity to personally meet famous racing legends of the past. In attendance at the 2009 event were racing greats Dan Gurney, Elliot and Stuart Forbes-Robinson, Bob Bondurant

Bob Bondurant

Robert Bondurant is an American former racecar driver who raced for Shelby American, Ferrari and Eagle teams.During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian motorcycle on dirt ovals...

, Peter Brock

Peter Brock

Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...

, George Follmer

George Follmer

George Follmer is a retired American race car driver, and one of the most successful road racers of the 1970s. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona....

, and Dick Guldstrand. The second annual event was held March 26–28, 2010 and featured special guest of honor Carroll Shelby

Carroll Shelby

Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965...

. Racers Dave MacDonald

Dave MacDonald

David George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led...

, Phil Hill

Phil Hill

Philip Toll Hill, Jr., was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero...

, Richie Ginther

Richie Ginther

Paul Richard "Richie" Ginther was a racecar driver from the United States. During a varied career, the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix saw Ginther take Honda's first Grand Prix victory, a victory which would also prove to be Ginther's only win in Formula One...

, Ronnie Bucknum

Ronnie Bucknum

Ronnie Bucknum was an American racecar driver, born in Alhambra, California.Bucknum participated in 11 Formula One World Championship grands prix, debuting on August 2, 1964. He scored a total of 2 championship points...

and Chuck Daigh

Chuck Daigh

Chuck Daigh was an American racing car driver. He broke into Grand Prix racing through Lance Reventlow's Scarab team, through the virtue of being one of the resident engineers. Born in Long Beach, California, he participated in six World Championship Formula One races, debuting on May 29, 1960 and...

were honored as well.

The museum also makes the facility available for special events and business functions. One of the first such events held at the museum was the 2008 Old Riverside Foundation Awards, held March 16, 2008, when the RIAM received the Celebrating Riverside’s Heritage award.

Collections and exhibits

Riverside International Raceway: The Riverside International Raceway (RIR) operated from September 22, 1957 to July 2, 1989. For most of its life, the RIR was located in an unincorporated area of Riverside County, California

Riverside County, California

Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...

, just outside the city limits of Riverside, and about ten miles (16 km) from the current location of the museum. In 1984 the RIR property became part of the city of Moreno Valley

Moreno Valley, California

Moreno Valley is a city located in Riverside County, California.A relatively young city, its rapid growth in the 1980s and the first decade of the 21st century made it second-largest city in Riverside County by population, and one of the Inland Empire's population centers. As of the 2010 census,...

, and five years later was razed to build a shopping mall and housing development. A large part of the museum's focus is on the history of the RIR, with many photos and mementos on display. The museum also provides background on the 1953 and 1954 Orange Empire National Sports Car Races, a precursor to the RIR, that took place at March Air Force Base, which has since been renamed the March Joint Air Reserve Base

March Joint Air Reserve Base

March Joint Air Reserve Base is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force Headquarters and the 452d Air Mobility Wing , the largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force...

.

Ontario Motor Speedway: A second California raceway highlighted by the museum is the Ontario Motor Speedway

Ontario Motor Speedway

(OMS) which was located in Ontario, California

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

. The OMS was designed similar to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but was only in operation from 1970 until 1981.
Dan Gurney: Although born and raised in Port Jefferson, New York, Dan Gurney moved with his parents to Riverside, California after he graduated from high school in 1948. He quickly became involved in auto racing, and began racing hot rods around the orange groves of Riverside. Eventually he became a top road racer, and one of the most popular Formula One Grand Prix drivers in the sport. He won 51 races, and was the first driver ever to win in all four major categories: Grand Prix, Indy Car, NASCAR and Sports Car. Gurney won his first NASCAR race at Riverside International Raceway in 1963. A hometown favorite, he went on to win a total of five races on his local track. One of the museum's main exhibits highlights Dan Gurney's career, honoring him as a local hero.

Archives: The RIAM has assembled a large archive of racing related materials, and seeks to expand the archives through acquisitions and donations. The archives, which are currently being digitized, include racing related, photos, magazines, programs, brochures, and posters, as well as official documents pertaining to races, racetracks and racecars from around the state. The archive also contains many hours of racing-related audio and video recordings.

Restoration projects: In a corner of the museum's showroom are two service bays where visitors can get an upclose look at museum restoration projects that are underway.

Automobiles

One of the principles of the museum's founders is to maintain all vehicles in roadworthy condition, and to ensure they get regular use. In addition, some of the cars at the museum are on loan from other museums or private owners. For both these reasons the cars on display at any given time may vary.

Manufacturer	Year	Model	Comment
Maserati	1951	A6G 2000 Coupe Maserati A6 Maserati A6 were various cars made by Maserati of Italy, named for the Alfieri brothers and for the straight-six engine....	By Pinin Farina.
Maserati	1962	3500 GTi Maserati 3500 Maserati 3500 was a 2-door coupé and convertible made by Maserati of Italy. It was the company's first attempt at the Gran Turismo market and large-volume production.- History :...	Once owned by actor Dan Blocker Dan Blocker Dan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:... , best known for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the 60's TV series Bonanza. He was also a racing enthusiast and original owner of the Nickey-Vinegaroon race car (a 1965 Huffaker Genie MK10).
Maserati	1963	3500 GTi
Maserati	1964	Quattroporte Maserati Quattroporte The Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati in Italy. The name translated from Italian literally means "four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years....
Maserati	1967	Quattroporte
Maserati	1965	Mistral Spyder Maserati Mistral The Maserati Mistral , named after a cold northerly wind of southern France, was the successor to the iconic 3500 GT, it was also the first in a series of classic Maseratis to be given the name of a wind. It was offered both in Coupe and Spyder form...
Maserati	1967	Mistral Coupe
Maserati	1968	Mexico Maserati Mexico The Vignale Maserati Mexico body was first used on a 5000GT chassis which an important Mexican customer had shipped to Italy for repair after crashing it. Thereafter the model became known as the Mexico. By coincidence, the Cooper-Maserati win in the Mexican Grand Prix occurred the following year...
Maserati	1968	Ghibli Coupe Maserati Ghibli The Maserati Ghibli is a Gran Turismo car produced by Italian manufacturer Maserati in two generations: first from 1966–73, and again as the Maserati Ghibli II from 1992–97.- Ghibli I :...
Maserati	1970	Indy Maserati Indy Named to celebrate Maserati's two victories at the Indy 500, the Maserati Indy first appeared in 1968, at the Salone dell'automobile di Torino as a prototype by Carrozzeria Vignale that was to replace the ageing Mexico and Quattroporte....
Maserati	1971	Quattroporte II, Frua Prototipo	By Pietro Frua, and originally owned by King Juan Carlos of Spain
Maserati	1973	Bora Maserati Bora The Maserati Bora is a Maserati two-seater coupe powered by a V8 engine mounted amidships. Produced from 1971 to 1978, it had a top speed of .-History:...
Maserati	1973	Merak Maserati Merak The Maserati Merak was an Italian sports car introduced in 1972, essentially a junior version of the Maserati Bora. It substituted an all new Maserati designed quad-cam V-6 motor for the Bora's larger V-8, resulting not only in a lower cost, but room for a small backseat and better handling due to...
Maserati	1974	Merak
Maserati	1975	Khamsin Maserati Khamsin The Maserati Khamsin was a sports car introduced as a Bertone prototype in 1972 at the Turin Auto Show. In 1973 it was put on display at the Paris Motor Show, where it was badged as a Maserati...
Maserati	1980	Kyalami Maserati Kyalami The Maserati Kyalami is an automobile which was produced by Maserati in Italy from 1976 to 1983.Named after the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa, it was a new model rushed into production after Alessandro de Tomaso took helm of the company...
Maserati	1980	Quattroporte III
Maserati	1982	Quattroporte III	Color: Rosso Rubino. Once owned by actor David Carradine David Carradine David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues... , best known for his role as Caine in the television series Kung Fu Kung Fu (TV series) Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series... .
Maserati	1982	Quattroporte III
Maserati	1984	Quattroporte III
Maserati	1989	Biturbo Spyder Maserati Biturbo The Maserati Biturbo is a sports car introduced by Maserati in 1981. The Biturbo is a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé featuring, as the name implies, a two-litre V6 engine with two turbochargers and a luxurious interior.The car was designed by Pierangelo Andreani, an engineer from the De...
Maserati	2002	Spyder Cambiocorsa
Maserati	2005	Spyder 90th Anniverary
Maserati	2005	Quattroporte
Maserati	2006	GranSport Victory
Maserati	2006	MC12 Stradale Maserati MC12 The Maserati MC12 is a two-seater sports car produced by Italian car maker Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 cars produced...
Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...	1977	308 GTB Ferrari 308 GTB The Ferrari 308 GTB are mid-engined sports cars manufactured by the Italian company Ferrari in the 1970s-1980s. They made up the lower end of the company's range...
Ferrari	1984	Berlinetta Boxer injected (512 BBi)
Ferrari	2001	360 Modena Spider Ferrari 360 The Ferrari 360 is a mid-engine midsize two-seater sports car produced from late 1999 until 2005. The 360 replaced the Ferrari F355 and was itself replaced by the fairly similar Ferrari F430...
Ford	2006	GT Ford GT The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :...
Jaguar	1961	MK II Sedan Jaguar Mark 2 The Jaguar Mark 2 is a medium sized saloon car built from 1959 to 1967 by the Jaguar company in Coventry, England, as successors to the Jaguar 2.4 and 3.4 models, manufactured between 1957 and 1959...
Jaguar	1967	420 G Sedan Jaguar 420 and Daimler Sovereign (1966–69) The Jaguar 420 and its Daimler Sovereign equivalent were introduced at the October 1966 London Motor Show and produced for two years as the ultimate expression of a series of "compact sporting saloons" offered by Jaguar throughout that decade, all of which shared the same wheelbase...
Jaguar	1974	XK8 Roadster
Jaguar	1994	XJ220 Jaguar XJ220 The Jaguar XJ220 is a mid-engined supercar produced by Jaguar in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw Racing as Jaguar Sport between 1992 and 1994. It held the record for the highest top speed of a production car , until the arrival of the McLaren F1 in 1994...
Custom Race Car	1970	Gurney Olsonite Eagle
Custom Race Car	1980	Penske PC-7

Motorcycles

The RIAM has one motorcycle on display. It is a 1986 Ducati 750 F1 that was ridden by Gary Patton to the 1988 American Road Racing Association Open Twin class championship. During the 1987 and 1988 seasons the mortocycle won events at Riverside International Raceway and Willow Springs Raceway.

External links