Horton Automotive Museum Tour
with Billy Dean Dobbs
The Horton Car Museum is a treasure chest of vintage automobiles located in the town of Nocona Texas. This museum has helped fuel Nocona's economic revitalization. The town was suffering with high unemployment. The town's biggest employer has closed.
Then local businessman Pete Horton went to his very first classic car auction, fell in love with Corvette's and bought 16 in one day. He brought them home and put them in this building. Horton Museum curator, Billy Dean Dobbs explains.
Billy Dean Dobbs with Rick Walker
So then he comes home here to Nocona and decides to stick them into an old car dealership and turn it into a museum.
Yeah his warehouse in this building we're in here right now. I believe the building was built back in the early 20's and at that time it was a Ford Dealership.
So this whole front section is devoted to Corvettes?
Yeah pretty much so right here in the front there is a few 69' Camaro's in here but pretty much all of the 50's, 60's vettes are all matching cars.
The museum has grown. The Horton collection now includes 138 cars and the front section you'll find one of the finest corvette collections in the world.
Certainly Vette collection from 1953-1973, all but 3 models we don't have a 59, 68 or 71 yet.
There are over 40 Corvettes on display here. Some have been owned by celebrities.
This right here this is the start of the Corvettes and this one here is a 1953 Corvette. They only built 300 of them and all 300 of them were the same colour inside and out. All black with a red interior.
Every car in the Horton collection is show quality. These things are all pristine.
Oh yeah the Mr. Horton, he's a sharp cat on Automobiles and as you can see you know he just doesn't mess with anything that needs to be restored or any kind of work like that. He buys everything tip top shape.
The collection has expanded to include true classics. Most of the pre-1950's cars are housed in the rear portion of the main museum which has grown to a staggering 37,400 square feet in size.
Mr and Mrs. Horton they have a 4 split window 1963 models Vette's. One of them that is owned down here is a Zeo 6. This white split 63 model here, this car here belonged to Sandra Bullock, TV actor and at the time her husband Jesse James, he was the one that restored it.
The Horton Automotive museum has become the focal point for car enthusiasts who gather every May in Nocona Texas for a Classic Car auction run by Vicari Auctions which is part of a big car show. The car show has become the town's biggest festival of the year.
So what does this museum do for the community I guess it really does drive tourism here?
Yeah it's amazing, we get you know just word of mouth and it's been in some magazines, it's been on TV.
Thanks to Billy Dean Dobbs, every car in this collection is maintained with fully charged batteries. Every car is started at least once every two weeks. Here we have an orange 1969 Camaro, this car here belonged to Drew Brees, the New Orlean Saints Quarterback.
The Horton Automotive Museum. A success story that shows how restored classic cars have been used to restore an entire community and transform it into the classic car capital of Texas.
Rick Walker SST Nocona Texas
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