The DeRose family are widely regarded as passionate winemakers.
Slightly less well-known is the fact that they are all certifiable
auto-philes, as well.
The DeRose family are widely regarded as passionate winemakers. Slightly less well-known is the fact that they are all certifiable auto-philes, as well.
The Nostalgia Auto Museum, a labor of love for both the Cedolini and DeRose sides of the family, is an impressive display of classic cars culled from both the family’s private collections and vehicles donated or purchased from various museums and individuals. Though the museum
is the only collection in the United States focused on Graham-Paige automobiles, it is still something of a hidden treasure, situated next door to the DeRose Winery.
And while the collection has even inspired a few wines, it is open only a few times a month – exactly how the family likes it.
“These cars used to be state of the art technology,” said Cliff Guinn, the museum’s curator. “It gives younger people, who don’t have memories of these automobiles, a chance to see how far technology has advanced in just a few short years.”
Classic cars have been a family passion for decades. “Uncle” Al DeRose had a taste for unusual cars which later turned into a passion for collecting, and remains an interest despite his 90 years. Al’s first collector’s car was a 1924 Flint, which is still housed in the Nostalgia Museum.
While the DeRose family’s love affair with the cars is intriguing, it is the cars’ history that is made for Hollywood, literally. The company that manufactured the original Graham-Paige model went bankrupt due to the Depression, was bought by the Japanese and was sold back again to owners in the U.S. They resurrected the model as the “Hollywood,” only to go out of business again during WWII. As such, the cars are extremely rare and the winery may well house the biggest collection of Graham-Paiges in the world.
And it’s that sense of history and nostalgia that has kept the family enchanted with the cars over the years.
When Tony Cedolini married Patricia DeRose, he caught the classic car bug after listening to his mother-in-law, Mary, fondly recall driving a new Graham-Paige to high school in the late 1920s when she was only 15 years old.
“I was lucky enough to find a similar car,” Cedolini said. “It took me a while to restore it – I’d lose interest and then come back again – but when I was finished it was really neat… I mean, this was the car to have, back in its heyday.”
The rest of the family were equally impressed and delved into the world of classic cars to varying degrees. All told, the family has collected over 25 classic cars, including a number of Fords, Chevys, one Jaguar and several foreign cars – but the focus has always been on the Graham.
Cedolini’s enthusiasm for Graham cars eventually led him to form the Golden State Graham club nearly 25 years ago with five other fans, which today is the largest and most active such club in the nation.
In 2000, Cedolini proposed that the family pool their resources and open a museum to ensure that the cars were properly preserved and to benefit the community at large. Clearing out an old storage space that had once housed wine vats, the family moved their collection to the DeRose Winery and established the museum as a non-profit.
“We’re all getting a little older,” Cedolini said. “If we just keep the cars sitting in some garage, they’re not really beneficial to anyone. This way we and anyone who wants to visit can enjoy the cars together.”
Each car in the museum would have sold for between $800 and $1,500 at the height of its popularity. The Nostalgia Museum has restored each auto to cherry condition, putting roughly 20 man-hours a week into the upkeep of the collection, although Guinn says anyone could easily spend more than 80 hours each week. In good weather, the family tries to take each car out on the road at least once every month or so, to keep them in running condition. Today, any of the cars would sell for upwards of $30,000.
While the family says that every car has its own story to tell, a definite highlight of the collection is a 1934 white Packard Limousine that both of Cedolini’s daughters were married in, and a 1956 Lincoln Continental, fabled to have belonged to movie star Doris Day.
“All of these cars are unique and unusual,” said Pat DeRose. “They’re beautifully designed and there really are not a lot around anymore.”
Though the family had no plans to expand the museum, they do occasionally sell one or two cars for the purpose of incorporating new ones into the museum. Some cars, however, are strictly off-limits, such as the ’32 Ford, the ’24 Flint, the ’31 Graham and the ’34 Packard.
The collection also features memorabilia from a bygone age, including old car horns, automobile ads, and a handful of LIFE magazines from the WWII era, displaying a 10 cent price tag.
The museum is open the first Saturday of every month, and can see anywhere from one to 50 plus visitors in a single weekend. Tours can also be arranged on other days for groups who call in advance. Often tours include a wine tasting afterwards, where visitors can sample from the DeRose line of wines named after classic cars, with names like “Hollywood Red” and “Sharknose Chardonnay” – which earned the museum and winery a mention in a Spring 2003 feature about the San Benito County Wine Trail in Sunset Magazine.
“It’s a real fulfilling feeling, knowing that something I did for fun can benefit other people,” Cedolini said. “I think a lot of people actually appreciate this sort of thing. I think our old crony war stories about cars really interest some people.”
For more information about the Nostalgia Museum, call the DeRose Winery at (831) 636-9143.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
