Meet the motor historian

28 Dec 2015

Matt Lombard is living his boyhood dreams of playing with cars as a curator at the National Motor Museum.

Like many young boys, Matt Lombard loved cars, but he also had two uncles who collected vintage vehicles and introduced him to the fascinating world of beautifully-restored Hudson motor cars, traction engines and fire engines.

“As a young lad, I was often found with a pair of overalls and climbing all over either a car or an engine,” he recalls.

Matt’s passion for vehicles has continued into adulthood and he is now a curator at the National Motor Museum in South Australia, where he records and catalogues its collection of cars.

“I now have an interest in motorcars throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries and the people who influenced their development, such as designers, engineers and restorers. In many respects, I find their life stories just as interesting as the vehicles themselves,” he says.

Many of the cars at the National Motor Museum come from generous benefactors who wish to help grow the museum’s collection and see their own vehicles preserved for posterity, while others are donated through the Federal Government’s cultural gifts program.

“One of the most interesting vehicles we have on display is a 1934 Chrysler Airflow sedan. This is a revolutionary car in terms of the design and science behind it, but at the time, it was seen as ugly,” he explains. “We have many other interesting vehicles, such as a Delorean DMC 12 sports car which is, arguably far more famous for its role in the Back To The Future movies than it ever was when sold new.

The National Motor Museum also recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a display of up to 400 vehicles, special feature displays and a photo exhibition.

“In the past, we have done displays on the development of the hearse in Australia and delved into the background of why we have hearses and how they developed over the years,” explains Matt.

“We have also had exhibitions featuring unusual vehicles, such as micro cars and light cars, which were a phenomena during the time before World War II and after World War II.” •