The Starbird Museum In Oklahoma Just Might Be The Strangest Tourist Trap Yet
By Lisa Sammons|Published April 05, 2021
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Lisa Sammons
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Lisa loves animals and has dogs, rats, cats, guinea pigs, and snakes. She is passionate about animal rescue and live music - traveling across the country to see a favorite band is a pretty regular occurrence! Being out hiking in the woods enjoying the scenery with her beloved dogs is another favorite hobby, and also checking out the Pokemon Go scene in whatever city she happens to be in at any given time (coffee and dog leash in hand). You can reach Lisa at lsammons@onlyinyourstate.com
Looking back at old-time predictions of the future is absolutely fascinating – from The Jetsons to Star Trek, people have always taken great pleasure in imagining what technology, architecture, and cars of the future world would look like. Whether you’re a fan of futuristic predictions or just love automobiles, famed car designer Darryl Starbird’s museum north of Afton is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon!
Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Hall of Fame Museum has over 40,000 square feet of custom-made cars. The museum houses dozens of custom-made cars from Starbird himself and other famed designers.
Some of the cars, like Starbird's famous Predicta, are really strange designs! Many of the cars have a distinctive "bubble top" that was considered extremely futuristic in the 1960s.
The Predicta was constructed from parts of a 1957 Thunderbird that Starbird purchased from a junkyard. It was restored in 1996 when Starbird opened the museum.
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You won't want to get back in your boring modern-day car after seeing the museum's futuristic bubble top cars!
You may notice that the Predicta doesn't have a steering wheel. The car could be steered from either of the front two seats, using the shaft in between the seats.
The museum is full of old memorabilia and photos. Each year, Starbird hosts a car show in Tulsa that is popular with automotive enthusiasts from all over the country.
The AMC Pacer was not super-popular at the time of its inception, but this modified 4x4 version is too cool! The museum has many cars like this that are unlike any you see on the road today.
Darryl Starbird and his wife are often working at the front desk of the museum! If you’re a fan of cars, you should definitely stop in next time you’re in the area. You’ll see all kinds of strange cars you won’t find anywhere else.
To see more photos of the museum’s collection, check out their website. Have you been to the Starbird museum? Tell us your favorite model in the comments!
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