Military Vehicle Technology Foundation

{{Infobox museum

|name = Military Vehicle Technology Foundation

|image = Mvtflogo.png

|imagesize = 189

|caption =

|map_type = USA California Northern

|map_caption = Former location of the collection

|coordinates = {{coord|37.200978|-122.112816|display=inline}}

|established = 1998

|dissolved = 2018

|location = Portola Valley, California

|type = Military museum

|founder = Jacques Littlefield (1949–2009)

|website =

}}

The Military Vehicle Technology Foundation was a large collection of military vehicles located in Portola Valley, California. It was founded in 1998 by Jacques Littlefield, and closed in 2018, with its collection being distributed to other museums. Many of its vehicles are now part of the American Heritage Museum run by the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts.

History

The first acquisition was an unrestored M3A1 Scout Car. The first two tanks arrived on site in 1983, and by 1988 the collection comprised five armored vehicles. Subsequent military vehicles and associated equipment were acquired from dealers, collectors, or in trade with various museums or government agencies in the United States and abroad. By the middle of the 1990s the collection included examples from almost all historically significant land battles of the last half-century. The oldest armored military vehicle in the collection is a World War I era M1917 light tank.{{cite web |url=http://mvtf.org/about.html |title=About Us |author= |website=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) |access-date=11 March 2016}}

The Foundation was established in early 1998. Littlefield's major objective for the Foundation was to preserve the collection for the future. Over 200 armored fighting vehicles were present in the collection,{{cite web |url=http://www.mvtf.org/col_intro.html |title=Introduction to our Collection |author= |website=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185729/http://www.mvtf.org/col_intro.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} displayed in a {{convert|48000|ft2}} exhibition space at Littlefield's {{convert|470|acre|adj=on}} Pony Tracks Ranch in the Vista Verde neighborhood. The ranch was once owned by former San Francisco Mayor and California Governor "Sunny Jim" Rolph.{{cite news |url=https://www.portolavalley.net/home/showdocument?id=112 |title=An Unusual Collection |date=Winter 2004 |work=The Portola Valley Post |pages=3–4 |access-date=9 March 2020}} The foundation offered tours of its collection with a mandatory donation until the inventory was transported to the new museum in Stow.{{cite web |url=http://mvtf.org/pub_tours.html |title=Tours: General Public |author= |website=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) |access-date=11 March 2016}}

In 2012 the foundation started a new program in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America to start the youth Venturing Crew 551. Crew 551's stated goals were to assist in the restoration of vehicles, and to help educate the public through tours and presentations about the significance of armored vehicles throughout history.{{cite web |url=http://crew551.org/#about |title=About Us |date=2012 |website=Venturing Tank Crew 551 |author= |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601150330/http://crew551.org/ |archive-date=1 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}

=Collings Foundation=

Jacques Littlefield died after a decade-long battle with colon cancer on January 7, 2009. The foundation signed over its collection to the Collings Foundation on July 4, 2013. A year later, the Collings Foundation auctioned off 120 of the vehicles to fund creation of the new American Heritage Museum to display the collection at the Collings Foundation headquarters in Stow, Massachusetts.{{cite news |url=http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2013/11/silicon_valley_tank_collection.html |title=Silicon Valley tank collection heading east to The Collings Foundation in Stow |author= |date= 11 November 2013 |newspaper=The Springfield Republican |agency=AP |access-date=11 March 2016}}

In 2015, the Stow Planning Board questioned the educational merit of the proposed museum. The educational purpose was needed in order to allow the planned {{convert|60000|sqft|adj=on}} museum to be built on land that was zoned for residential use.{{cite news |url=http://stowindependent.com/planning-board-wrestles-with-collings-museum-application-july-29-2015 |title=Planning Board Wrestles with Collings Museum Application ... |author=Needle, Ann |date=29 July 2015 |newspaper=The Stow Independent |access-date=11 March 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/08/05/plans-for-museum-to-house-the-ex-littlefield-military-vehicle-collection-stalled/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807182242/http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/08/05/plans-for-museum-to-house-the-ex-littlefield-military-vehicle-collection-stalled/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 7, 2015 |title=Plans for museum to house the ex-Littlefield military vehicle collection stalled |author=Strohl, Daniel |date=5 August 2015 |newspaper=Hemmings |access-date=11 March 2016}} The Planning Board rejected the foundation's application in August 2015{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2015/08/31/proposed-military-museum-shot-down-stow/QHi10qK0wcftsaUIOfcy8H/story.html |title=Proposed military museum is voted down in Stow |author=Sweeney, Emily |date=31 August 2015 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=11 March 2016}} but a settlement was eventually reached in July 2017 and construction of the museum was completed in 2018. The museum held a "preview" opening in October 2018 and fully opened in May 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.collingsfoundation.org/american-heritage-museum/|title=Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum|date=23 January 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegram.com/news/20190502/american-heritage-museum-celebrates-grand-opening |title=American Heritage Museum celebrates grand opening |author=Jonathan Phelps |date= 2 May 2019 |newspaper=Worcester Telegram |access-date=5 May 2019}}

The MVTF officially closed for tours on March 25, 2018. The last of the vehicles left the premises on July 30, 2018.{{cite news |url=http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20170728/collings-foundation-reaches-settlement-to-build-new-museum |title=Collings Foundation reaches settlement to build new museum |author=Phelps, Jonathan |date=28 July 2017 |newspaper=The MetroWest Daily News |access-date=3 May 2018}}

File:A World of Tanks.jpg

Image:Kübelwagen and Panzerfaust.jpg|Schwimmwagen of the collection

Image:Matilda MK2 Series 4.jpg|Preserved Matilda tank

File:ZSU-23-4 Shilka (7999782358).jpg|ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 2012

References

External links

[http://www.milweb.net/features/toad.php Churchill Toad acquisition]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20161016051848/http://bernardzeephotos.com/tanks/tanks.html Large, high quality photojournal of a visit by Bernard Zee]
[http://www.mishalov.com/littlefield-6jan07/ Photojournal of a visit by Neil Mishalov]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130601150330/http://crew551.org/ Information about Venture crew 551]
{{cite web |url=http://www.yelp.com/biz/military-vehicle-technology-foundation-portola-valley |title=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation |date=2016 |author= |website=Yelp |access-date=11 March 2016 }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/LC14 |title=The Littlefield Collection |date=11 July 2014 |website=Auctions America |access-date=3 May 2018}}

Category:Military and war museums in California

Category:Museums established in 1998

Military Vehicle Technology Foundation

History

=Collings Foundation=

References

Further reading

External links