Briggs Cunningham was a big name in sports cars and upper class racing circles a generation and a half ago. Today, his most tangible legacy arguably is the San Diego Auto Museum in the city's renowned Balboa Park, amidst a cluster of museums.
Cunningham founded this car-and-motorcycle museum, which was formally approved by the San Diego City Commission in 1980 to occupy a one-time California Pacific International Exposition building of 1935. The museum opened in 1988.
Curiously, the nearby Aerospace Museum occupies what was th Ford Motor exhibition hall of 1935. San Diego was home to Consolidated Aircraft, which developed PBY amphibians and B-24 bombers for World War II, and Ryan, builder of Lindbergh's plane which soloed the Atlantic in 1927
Some 37 car and cycle clubs are bound together as the San Diego Car Club Council (SDCCC) which publishes a newsletter - the SDAM Courier - and also carries announcements from the state-wide Association of California Car Clubs (ACCC) which has a strong legislative agenda for motorists and car collectors. The Council meets the first Tuesday of each month at the SDAM.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiasts/Classics_Corner/Museum_Hawk/Museum_Hawk_San_Diego_Automotive.S217.A453.html
The Association of California car clubs has 116 member car clubs
http://www.acccdefender.org/memberclubs.htm
