After a long week of playing tour guide for my visiting family from Los Angeles, it was time for my wife and me to relax. Having recently picked up a brochure for a place called the "History Garage," a museum devoted to restored classic cars from the '50s to the '70s, we decided this would be an ideal time to check it out. We jumped on a train to Tokyo, not really knowing what to expect, and after arriving we quickly learned that the History Garage is part of a huge auto theme park/mall known as Mega Web.

Once we worked our way through the maze of shops and cafes, we arrived at the entrance to the auto gallery. Being that the museum is funded by the kind folks at Toyota, visitors are welcomed with a very pleasant surprise: no entrance fee! What met us as we stepped through the doors, however, was simply amazing.

Behold the 1977 Lotus/Ford/John Players Special Formula 1 car, complete with its 1976 Japan Grand Prix championship trophy. Also on display is a more modern version of Toyota's TF open-wheeler and numerous parts and accessories from various championship Formula efforts.

In 1998 and '99, Toyota entered 3 of its GT-Ones into the prototype class for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was whipping ass on everyone and looked tough to beat, but could never put together a victory due to reliability issues and hard luck. Its best finish was 2nd.

For the 1998 Monte Carlo World Rally event, Toyota introduced an all new Corolla entry. It offered a lighter chassis and more visibility than the previous GT4 chassis. Apart from the chassis, there were no similarities to the average Corolla you'd find on the street. The engine was a derivative of the previous Group A motor and the drive train was converted to an all-wheel drive from the stock front-drive setup.

The complete line of MR2s/MRSs is temporarily on display, models ranging from the 1983 AW11 chassis to the latest MRS incarnation. Included in the MR2/MRS evolution line is a development car code name 222D.

This monster was supposed to be unleashed in the FIA's sports car racing Group B class. Since it was a prototype, not too much information is available about the car. It was rumored to have a 600-plus horsepower, 2.0-liter motor, and rocks a ground-up tube chassis. Due to the FIA eliminating the class, this project never came to life.

Not only are there full-sized vehicles on display, there were also numerous display cases filled with rare collectables and autographed artwork. Over 3,000 toys were also being shown, all available for purchase.

Scattered throughout the halls are completely restored and rare vehicles, rides ranging from a Ferrari Nino to a 1950's Subaru 360.

The History Garage is pretty much the equivalent of a remarkable car collection on display at the J. Paul Getty. As we left, I had but one thought pop into my head: "That was best museum I have ever visited!" Now I realize how art connoisseurs feel when they discover a great exhibit. Thank you, Toyota!