Equally remarkable was how an American entrepreneur came to convince the New Brunswick government to support his sports car manufacturing dream to the tune of $23 million. Or the outrageously over the top Champagne Safari, a 1934 expedition of Charles Bedaux who travelled through the northern Alberta wilderness seeking a new route to Alaska.

Bedaux purchased five new Citroen half-tracks from the Paris factory and loaded them with what he deemed necessary survival gear including 400 French novels, champagne, truffles, silk pajamas, cocktail dresses and 30 pairs of Bedaux's wife's shoes. He was accompanied by his wife, by his mistress and Hollywood cinematographer Floyd Crosby, geographers, surveyors, geologists, 53 cowboys and 130 horses.

Say what?

Theyre all stories being told in gleeful fashion by the Reynolds-Alberta Museums latest exhibit, Auto Adventure and the Mysteries of the Collection. Through an amazing assortment of automobiles come tales of larger than life adventurers, told in the style and tradition of the pulp magazine.

Inspired by the success of its Oddball Tractor Company display last year, museum curator Dan Bodie says this newest exhibit seemed a natural fit. We wanted to take a lighthearted, playful approach, explains museum curator Dan Bodie. We chose items from our collection with great, quirky stories.

The Bedaux story, for instance, is really about indulgence and ego at a time when the automobile was gaining favour as a plaything for the rich and famous. Even though it seems so quirky to us now, these were the extreme sports of the day, Bodie observes. Bedaux liked to be in the limelight and he was an egotist. He had the means to entertain his extravagant indulgences.

The Citroen Halftruck that is part of the exhibit is the only remaining one from Bedauxs Champagne Safari. The innovative vehicle, with its rear tracks and frame-mounted front roller, could drive through mud kind of an early SUV. It was made by Andre Citroen in St. Ame, Paris.

Now, about that infamous entrepreneur: his name was Malcolm Bricklin and he produced the infamous Bricklin sports car. With its gull-winged doors and wedge-shaped profile, it was an instant head turner. Bricklin managed to convince the New Brunswick government that his venture had legs, but as Bodie now notes, the idea was not well executed and fell flat on its face. Just 2,808 Bricklins were produced during the one-time production run in 1974-75.

Other treasures on display include a 1905 S Victorian Touring Cadillac. This grand old caddy embodies the precision engineering championed by Henry Martyn Leland, a key figure in the original Cadillac car company. It was machined so that the parts were interchangeable, a rare practice for the time and, for its engineering excellence, the design won the prestigious Dewar Trophy for engineering excellence in 1908.

Back in the days when horse and buggy was still the preferred method of taking the dearly departed to their final places of rest, the 1916 Buick Hearse provides a fascinating glimpse at an unusual piece of early automotive history. The Buick ambulances used in the First World War provided the design pattern for their street hearses and, with their finely detailed carvings, they were as much works of art as methods of conveyance.

The 1940 LaSalle Convertible was made during the last year the LaSalle was produced and is one of only 75 made that year, making it exceptionally rare. The V-8 engine that now rests under the hood of the museums specimen came out of a Second World War tank. We call that one a creative restoration, Bodie says. Yet as fascinating as the vehicles are, it is the window they open to the people who built and operated them that sets this exhibit apart from some others. Were seeing people smiling at this exhibit a little bit more, Bodie reports. The stories behind the items help people see them in a more personal, human way.

The Reynolds-Alberta Museum is located 2 km west of Wetaskiwin on Hwy 13, just 40 minutes south of Edmonton. The museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for youth age 7-17 and $20 for families (two adults and children 7-17). Children age six and under are admitted free. For information, visit the website at www.cd.gov.ab.ca or call 1-800-661-4726.