Malamut Auto Museum Foundation - Thousand Oaks, California

NOTE: The Michael Malamut Collection is a private collection and not open to the public. However, it is available for car club gatherings and charity events by appointment.

For Michael Malamut, the love of cars began long before he had a driver’s license. As a teenager, he repaired and sold vehicles to fund his own automotive dreams, with a particular focus on Volkswagens and early Porsches, affordable, sought-after cars with great resale potential. What started as a side hustle quickly grew into a lifelong pursuit, leading Malamut from mechanic to entrepreneur, collector, and automotive innovator.

His career took him from fixing Porsches to corporate sales and dealership partnerships, all while building a deep understanding of what makes a car valuable, not just in price, but in character. Over the years, this knowledge transformed into Autoland, a groundbreaking dealership model that embedded sales representatives inside credit union offices, revolutionizing the way cars were bought and financed. By the time he sold Autoland in 2001, Malamut had expanded to 600 locations across the U.S., solidifying his status as a leader in automotive retail innovation.

A Collection Built on Passion, Not Just Prestige

Unlike many private collections that focus solely on ultra-rare supercars, the Malamut Collection is a carefully curated lineup of vehicles that hold significance in automotive history and culture. From post-war microcars to iconic sports cars and luxury classics, every model in his collection represents a piece of the evolving car industry. His passion extends beyond the prestige of ownership, he selects cars based on drivability, uniqueness, and the joy they bring to enthusiasts.