We love cars. From today’s latest, to world-class racers and American legends, all the way back to the pioneers that started it all. And while there are many great car museums that dot our land, and the world, none can quite compare to a collection that only recently opened its doors to the public. It started out as one man’s dream, but is now a national treasure. And our Yolanda Vazquez takes us there.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Some of the world’s most magnificent and memorable cars...

SCOT KELLER: This is a 1977 Plymouth Fury Sport…

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: …have found a new home in the nation’s largest automobile museum...

RON BERGTOLL: I’m a Tacoma resident--I tell you this is beautiful.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Filled with four floors of classic, vintage and super horsepower cars…the LeMay-America’s car museum, located in Tacoma, Washington, offers a little something...

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: ...hug those corners baby, hug those corners!..whew...

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ:… for everyone.

And the fun continues with an up close look at some classic beauties.

SCOT KELLER: My vision for the museum and our vision for the museum is really to create a space people can’t get enough of...

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: the museum’s aluminum roof sets the stage for the automotive abundance found inside. Must-see vehicles include this beautiful 1930 red Duisenberg j convertible and this 1917 Crane Simplex bought new by John D. Rockefeller.

DAVID MADEIRA: Beautiful touring car…representative of the era...Jay Leno's got one like it...

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: With space for 500 cars, a large portion of them are from the private collection of the late Harold LeMay. After WWII, the Tacoma-based resident started a refuse collection business and turned it into a multi-million dollar enterprise. He was a modest man who had a passion for cars.

DAVID MADEIRA: He really loved every car he ever saw. He just couldn’t help himself. Found a reason to love it.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: A car guy to his core, LeMay amassed a pretty impressive collection--so when he passed away in 2000—a 65 million dollar fundraising effort began to preserve not only his legacy but also a rolling slice of Americana.

DAVID MADEIRA: So I came out here from the east and we developed a plan to build America’s car museum—this needs to be about us.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: President and CEO, David Madeira, says their goal was to create a flexible space where vehicles from themed exhibits like the British invasion, Indy race cars and Ferrari mystique could be rotated around. But it’s the tried and true American automotive icons of the 20th century that resonate the most with attendees.

BILL HOLME: It’s beautiful to see these older cars in this museum, they're just wonderful… they go back all the way from the early 1900’s to current period. It's an amazing collection that you will not see anywhere else.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: For example this 1948 tucker is very rare. And the list of classic and rarely seen cars go on and on….

WILLIAM CASEY: I’ve traveled all over the world and never seen anything like this.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: 93-year old William Casey traveled from Connecticut to visit the museum. He says it’s like taking a trip down memory lane.

...so you've seen cars from quite a number of decades, right?

WILLIAM CASEY: Oh yea. Since 1948 when I bought my first car...a Chevy.

SCOT KELLER: we get asked what’s most important car in museum. I have my favorites…we've got cars here that are worth multiple 7 figures. But really at the end of the day, most important car here is the one you that have an emotional connection with.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Chief Marketing Communications Officer Scot Keller is particularly fond of this 1963 split window dark blue Corvette...

SCOT KELLER: Every time I walk past car… I’m instantly transported back to that era...

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: He says vehicles like this Flintstones Flintmobile, 80’s era Mercury Grand Marquis and 1977 Plymouth Fury...

SCOT KELLER: Can I deliver it to the house? … Or are you just going to enjoy the moment... (laughter)

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ:...conjure up the most amazing memories. They also tell the story of America’s never-ending love affair with the automobile. Harold LeMay made that connection long ago…and now he has a museum that embodies that spirit.

DAVID MADIERA: I think knowing this place will exist for a long time, telling his story but more importantly all of our stories—I think would thrill him. I hope so...