LeMay - America's Car Museum

What LeMay - America's Car Museum does

LeMay - America's Car Museum (ACM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit automotive museum located in Tacoma, Washington, founded in 2012 and operating within the America's Automotive Trust (AAT) parent ecosystem. The museum is housed in a 165,000-square-foot, four-story facility displaying more than 250 vehicles spanning 20th-century American automotive heritage, derived from the former LeMay private collection that at its peak exceeded 3,000 vehicles and was the largest privately owned automobile collection in the world. ACM offers integrated visitor experiences including permanent and rotating exhibitions (e.g., The Birth of the American Supercar, British Bikes, American Built, Route 66, Master Collector), the world's first CXC MP3 Motion Pro III racing simulators powered by Assetto Corsa simulation software, slot car tracks, an on-site El Koreano Korean-Mexican fusion café operated by ACT 3 Catering, and an ACM Store.

Name

LeMay - America's Car Museum

Legal name

LeMay - America's Car Museum

Website

https://americascarmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Museum and Cultural Attraction

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Automotive museum exhibitions
• Event space rentals
• Educational STEM programs
• Museum membership programs
• Racing simulator experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Revenue from individual and group admission tickets to the museum. Adults (13-64) $24.50, Youth (5-12) $17.50, Seniors (65+) $22.50, with various discounts available.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership tiers ranging from Student ($30) to Individual ($60), Family ($120), Silver ($300), Gold ($600), Club Auto ($1,200), and Concours Club ($100,000). Higher tiers include tangible benefits affecting tax deductibility.
3. Event Space Rentals: Revenue from renting museum spaces for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, car shows, and private gatherings. Multiple venues available from 30 to 7,500 person capacity.
4. Retail Store: On-site and online store selling ACM-themed merchandise, apparel, books, posters, and automobilia. Active members receive 10% discount.
5. Food & Beverage: Revenue from El Koreano café operated by ACT 3 Catering, serving Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine in a fast-casual setting.
6. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorship revenue from corporate partners at various levels: Presenting Sponsors ($3,000,000+), Sustaining Partners ($1,000,000+), Official Provider ($100,000+), Preferred Provider ($10,000), Provider ($1,200-$9,999).
7. Donations & Charitable Support: General donations, honorarium giving, vehicle donations, and grant funding from organizations like Tacoma Creates for educational programming.
8. Vehicle Donations: Accepts vehicle donations from collectors; donors receive recognition and potential tax deductibility benefits. Currently only accepts restored vehicles in working order.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

LeMay - America's Car Museum operates a 165,000-square-foot nonprofit automotive museum in Tacoma, WA featuring four floors with more than 250 vehicles, rotating exhibitions, and permanent collections. The museum complements its core gallery experience with racing simulators, an on-site café, retail store, event space rentals, K-12 educational programming, and tiered membership subscriptions.

Product overview

LeMay - America's Car Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum offering a unified visitor experience centered around its main attraction: a 165,000-square-foot, four-floor facility displaying more than 250 vehicles. The museum combines its core automotive exhibitions with integrated add-on services including the Speed Zone (racing simulators and slot cars), event space rentals (multiple venues ranging from 30 to 7,500 capacity), on-site El Koreano café, ACM Store, and membership programs. Educational offerings span school programs, youth/family activities, adult programming, and virtual STEM curricula. The museum generates revenue through general admission, memberships (ranging from $30 Student to $100,000 Concours Club), event rentals, food service, retail, and vehicle donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LeMay - America's Car Museum (Main Museum Experience)

Quantifiable outcome

• Grand Opening Weekend drew more than 10,000 persons in June 2012
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• America's Automotive TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization chartered to preserve and interpret the history and technology of the automobile and its influence on American culture. America's Automotive Trust (AAT) oversees LeMay – America's Car Museum along with RPM Foundation and Club Auto entities.
• Gilmore Car MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReciprocal membership benefits allowing ACM members to visit Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan at no additional cost. Cross-promotional relationship between two major automotive museums.
• Tacoma CreatesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-supported initiative from the City of Tacoma providing critical funding for arts organizations. Tacoma Creates enables free youth admission, TPS third-grade field trips, Museums for All program, and various community events at ACM through sales tax funding.
• Tacoma Public Schools (TPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing free field trip experiences for all TPS third-grade students through NearPod pre and post-visit lessons aligned with museum exhibits. Program includes classroom materials and teacher resources.
• ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReciprocal museum network providing ACM Family-level members and above access to 350+ museums nationwide at no additional cost.
• NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReciprocal museum association providing ACM Family-level members and above access to 1,000+ museums and cultural institutions for free.
• ACT 3 Catering (El Koreano)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal catering company operating El Koreano café at ACM - their first brick-and-mortar restaurant after 40+ years of catering and food trucks. Serves Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine during museum hours.
• State FarmcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of State Farm Theater. Policy holders and employees receive 10% discount on adult admission. Major corporate sponsor providing marketing exposure and member discounts.
• HagertycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance partner. Policy holders and employees receive 10% discount on adult admission. Provides marketing exposure through sponsorship.
• Porsche Club of AmericaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHosts periodic Porsche Cars & Coffee events at ACM. Partnership with regional car club for community driving events.
• Z Car Club (ZCCW)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHosts Z Car Show events at ACM bringing together Nissan Z-series enthusiasts.
• Museum of GlasscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum offering Chrome & Glass Combo ticket ($36) providing access to both ACM and Museum of Glass with 10% off coupon for both museum stores.
• Detroit Auto ShowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Route 66 Drive Home - an annual cross-country drive celebrating driving and keeping cars on the road, making the journey 'home' to Detroit.
• Route 66 Centennial CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in celebrating Route 66's 100th anniversary through refreshed exhibitions and the seventh Route 66 Drive Home cross-country journey.
• Renton Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents created the Road Trip Challenge kiosk for the Family Zone - a 1998 Ford Mustang converted to teach strategies for wise energy use.
• Naomi Joe Coffee RoastersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal coffee roaster providing coffee at Tacoma Cars & Coffee events held monthly at ACM.
• Humanities WashingtonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit bringing Speakers Bureau programs to ACM, including 'If Cars Could Talk' presentations on automotive history.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Blackhawk Automotive Museum: Danville, CA automotive museum similarly combining permanent collection, rotating exhibits, and event programming on a nonprofit basis. Comparable scale and donor/sponsor-driven operating model.
• Gilmore Car Museum: Large automotive campus museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, with similar multiple-building layout and event programming. Already an ACM reciprocal partner, making it the most directly comparable US automotive museum peer in scale and operating model.
• AACA Museum (Antique Automobile Club of America): Hershey, PA automotive heritage museum also delivering rotating exhibits, educational programming, and event rentals on a nonprofit basis. Directly comparable scope and member-supported business model.
• National Automobile Museum: Reno, NV nonprofit automotive museum featuring 200+ cars, event venues, and educational programming. Highly analogous in size, focus on American automotive history, and mixed revenue model.
• Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum: Philadelphia-based nonprofit automotive museum focused on racing and performance vehicles, with comparable event programming and donor-driven operating model. Strong peer for ACM's specialty/exhibition-led strategy.
• Petersen Automotive Museum: Iconic LA-based automotive museum with four floors and 100+ vehicles, premium event venues, and a strong corporate sponsorship and event-rental model. Closest large-scale urban comparable to ACM's mix of exhibitions, events, retail, and F&B.
• Marconi Automotive Museum: Tustin, CA specialty automotive museum hosting events, exhibits, and educational programming. Direct comparable on the museum-plus-event-rental hybrid model.

Regional players

• British Motor Museum: National UK automotive museum in Gaydon with rotating exhibits and event programming. Comparable in scale, mission, and museum-plus-event model, though geographically distinct from ACM's US-Pacific Northwest footprint.

Emerging players

• National Corvette Museum: Bowling Green, KY marquee-specific automotive museum with strong corporate sponsorship (GM), event space, and rotating exhibits. Comparable on the marquee-driven sponsorship and event model, though narrower product focus.
• Revs Institute: Naples, FL automotive-focused research and exhibition institute with a smaller but extremely high-value collection and education focus. Useful comparable for ACM's curation-led, education-anchored positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericasCarMuseum
• Xx.com/lemayacm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lemay-americas-car-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LeMay - America's Car Museum