Some of the largest, privately-owned car collections in the world are ones that we may never get to see. Even smaller exotic car collections tend to stay cooped up in garages and warehouses, protected from the public eye until it’s time for a car show or high-end event. The American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Florida also isn’t open to the public but rather works as a space for educating future car enthusiasts through local outreach programs and opening the doors for local charities to host one-of-a-kind events worth attending.

Cars for a cause

The American Muscle Car Museum is a rather unique collection. While it is privately owned, visitors can still spend hours in this car-enthusiast playground, oggling cars from every generation. You can’t just visit the collection on any odd day, either, as the owner, Mark Pieloch, has decided to give his private collection a true purpose: the American Muscle Car Museum is only open to host charity events, and, on a few occasions, special holidays like Veterans Day.

What makes the collection even more notable is that this isn’t a business venture for Mr. Pieloch, as the museum volunteers the space for many local charities, like the Children’s Advocacy Center of Brevard. Along with free use of this incredible space, the American Muscle Car Museum provides these charities with the catering and beverage service, as well as offers volunteers.

This means that the charities are able to keep as much of the funds as they are able to raise without having to deduct the cost of hosting the event — which is a pretty big deal.

More than a private car collection

With the American Muscle Car Museum, Mr. Pieloch has done something rather odd and extraordinary. While some car collectors who have spent millions on finding the most unique and collectible cars might be tempted to keep them sheltered from the public eye, this museum is open to anyone looking to attend charity events, giving the museum a genuine and wholesome purpose.

There is something for everyone at the American Muscle Car Museum

Fans of any type of car can enjoy the collection hiding inside of the American Muscle Car Museum. The cars are some of the best condition variations, uniquely specced, and beautifully colored options that were ever created, including one-off cars and cars with unique history and heritage you can’t see anywhere else. Here’s a taste of what you can expect to see at the museum:

• More Ford GTs than you’ve probably ever seen in one place
• Almost 50 Indianapolis 500 cars
• 30 absolutely stunning Porsches, including the 918 Spyder for hypercar fans and even some Porsche tractors
• 29 Yenkos
• Over 35 Shelby’s
• A car that is actually a giant high heel shoe with an engine
• Motorcycles, novelty bumper cars, old soda, and cigarette dispensers, and one Indian outboard motor that most people didn’t know existed

With hundreds of cars in the collection, it’s hard to know which ones to even look at, and I spent well over 5 hours in the museum without feeling like I saw everything there.

What makes the collection so astonishing is the owner and team’s dedication to the maintenance of the collection. Full-time staff led by Operations and Restoration Manager, Ed Dedick, work daily to keep each and every car in the collection in pristine condition, and while you may not want to take any of these incredibly low-mileage cars out for a spin, all of the cars are kept in genuine running condition.