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<\/a>\u201cWe\u2019ve scanned and archived more than 5 million pages, so far, and there\u2019s still a whole lot to go,\u201d said \u201cMac\u201d McPherson, executive director of the research library.<\/p>\n
You begin to understand the magnitude of that task as you look down the several aisles of books and documents stretching nearly the length of the building.<\/p>\n
If you need service manuals for very old cars, or design drawings, or books about the vehicle, or books and articles about early San Diego, they\u2019re likely to be there.<\/p>\n
Doesn\u2019t everyone need a schematic of the first Studebaker truck from before Word War I?<\/p>\n
How did McPherson get to this place in life?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not dead sure,\u201d said the retired Navy man and master printer. He\u2019s always been interested in old cars, so this was right up his alley. \u201cI just came in to help out a little, and found myself in charge of the place.\u201d<\/p>\n Lest you think this is all about American cars, absolutely not. The library has documentation about cars from all over the world, going back to when they were first made \u2014 even if they were powered by steam, as many were.<\/p>\n Mac could even provide information about perhaps the worst car ever built \u2014 the Trabant, which was Communist East Germany\u2019s attempt to match the success the Volkswagen enjoyed worldwide. The Trabant was so bad even the people who built it didn\u2019t want to drive it.<\/p>\n There are many items available for sale at the museum \u2014 often duplicates of the items already scanned and archived. There are many more items that are one of a kind, and will never be sold. Those items can be scanned and printed out for a nominal fee.<\/p>\n The museum exists on contributions, some of those sales and donations. Mac is particularly grateful for ongoing support from the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a place to see and appreciate if you\u2019re at all interested in the topic.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a little hard to find, but not terribly so, and there\u2019s not a whole lot of parking.<\/p>\n But if cars \u2014 all kinds of cars \u2014 are what you\u2019re interested in, you can look past all that and enjoy.<\/p>\n The Horseless Carriage Foundation and the Automotive Research Library in La Mesa is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The foundation also offers presentations at schools \u2014 complete with a vintage Model T Ford. For more information, or to make a donation, visit the library at 8186 Center St. or visit online at hcfi.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>