LeMay - America's Car Museum
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersTacoma, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
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.
LeMay - America's Car Museum firmographics
Firmographics- 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
LeMay - America's Car Museum industry classification
Industry- 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
Where LeMay - America's Car Museum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tacoma
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
LeMay - America's Car Museum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Retail Store: On-site and online store selling ACM-themed merchandise, apparel, books, posters, and automobilia. Active members receive 10% discount.
- Food & Beverage: Revenue from El Koreano café operated by ACT 3 Catering, serving Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine in a fast-casual setting.
- 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).
- Donations & Charitable Support: General donations, honorarium giving, vehicle donations, and grant funding from organizations like Tacoma Creates for educational programming.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission - Adults 13-64 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission - Youth and Seniors |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Family Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Silver Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Gold Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Club Auto Membership |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Concours Club Membership |
| Freemium | Annual | Museums for All (SNAP/EBT Program) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels9 records
LeMay - America's Car Museum product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use LeMay - America's Car Museum
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
LeMay - America's Car Museum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
LeMay - America's Car Museum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- America's Automotive TrustflagshipParent 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 MuseumcoreReciprocal 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 CreatesflagshipCommunity-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)corePartnership 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)coreReciprocal museum network providing ACM Family-level members and above access to 350+ museums nationwide at no additional cost.
- NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum)coreReciprocal museum association providing ACM Family-level members and above access to 1,000+ museums and cultural institutions for free.
- ACT 3 Catering (El Koreano)coreLocal 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 FarmcoreTitle sponsor of State Farm Theater. Policy holders and employees receive 10% discount on adult admission. Major corporate sponsor providing marketing exposure and member discounts.
- HagertycoreInsurance partner. Policy holders and employees receive 10% discount on adult admission. Provides marketing exposure through sponsorship.
- Porsche Club of AmericaminorHosts periodic Porsche Cars & Coffee events at ACM. Partnership with regional car club for community driving events.
- Z Car Club (ZCCW)minorHosts Z Car Show events at ACM bringing together Nissan Z-series enthusiasts.
- Museum of GlasscorePartner 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 ShowminorPartner 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 CommissionminorPartner in celebrating Route 66's 100th anniversary through refreshed exhibitions and the seventh Route 66 Drive Home cross-country journey.
- Renton Technical CollegeminorStudents 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 RoastersminorLocal coffee roaster providing coffee at Tacoma Cars & Coffee events held monthly at ACM.
- Humanities WashingtonminorNonprofit bringing Speakers Bureau programs to ACM, including 'If Cars Could Talk' presentations on automotive history.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LeMay - America's Car Museum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
LeMay - America's Car Museum social profiles
Digital presenceLeMay - America's Car Museum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LeMay - America's Car Museum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
LeMay - America's Car Museum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LeMay - America's Car Museum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does LeMay - America's Car Museum do?
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.
Is LeMay - America's Car Museum a public or private company?
LeMay - America's Car Museum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was LeMay - America's Car Museum founded?
LeMay - America's Car Museum was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is LeMay - America's Car Museum based?
LeMay - America's Car Museum is headquartered in Tacoma, United States, in the North America region.
How does LeMay - America's Car Museum make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. General Admission Tickets are the primary driver. The others are membership Subscriptions, event Space Rentals, retail Store, food & Beverage, corporate Sponsorships, donations & Charitable Support and vehicle Donations.
Who are LeMay - America's Car Museum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blackhawk Automotive Museum, Gilmore Car Museum, AACA Museum (Antique Automobile Club of America), National Automobile Museum, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, Petersen Automotive Museum and Marconi Automotive Museum. British Motor Museum is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are National Corvette Museum and Revs Institute.
Does LeMay - America's Car Museum have an API?
No public API is recorded for LeMay - America's Car Museum.
What industry is LeMay - America's Car Museum in?
LeMay - America's Car Museum's product category is Automotive Museum and Cultural Attraction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAF, Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film), with a secondary code of CRALAJAG, Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops. Its NAICS code is 71211.