Jeff Lane has been an automotive enthusiast since an early age. His grandfather sold Fords in a rural Michigan town; his father started an automotive supply business. Jeff was first introduced to MGs by his father when they attended car shows. He expressed an interest in having a TF to restore. As an early teen, Jeff could be found in the garage working on his MG or racing motorcycles at local motocross tracks. Jeff took, and passed, his drivers examination in the 1955 MG TF he had been building for four years. With his drivers license, he moved on to racing MG Midgets at Waterford Hills (a local track) and then to SCCA competition–racing MG Midgets and Volvos.

Over the next ten years, Jeff slowly started his collection–an MG TC here, a Dodge M-37 there, then a Citroen SM. Around 1995, he began collecting in earnest. He looked for European cars that were technically significant or uniquely different from the mainstream.

He purchased cars that made people smile. In no time, he had outgrown his garage. By the time his collection had grown to five buildings, and with the encouragement of his wife, he began thinking about opening a museum.

The perfect location was found in the former Sunbeam Bread bakery at 702 Murfreesboro Pike in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1889, the American Bread Company opened in Nashville, and in 1951 the company moved to then new facilities on Murfreesboro Pike. At 132,000 square feet, it was the largest and most modern bakery in the area. The company produced Melody Bread, the first round-topped loaf available in Nashville. In 1953, the Sunbeam label was adopted, and the bakery began using that name exclusively. By the end of the 1950s, the Nashville bakery began baking special breads and cake items in vacuum sealed metal cans. Developed for their nutritional value and extended shelf life, these specialty products were created for the exclusive use of the Department of Defense. By 1988, the Nashville bakery facility was fully automated and producing a full line of Sunbeam and Roman Meal products. Production ceased in Nashville in 1994, although distribution continued from the company's headquarters on Murfreesboro Pike until the end of 2002.

The building, circa 1950, has a high ceiling, natural light, and hand-crafted brick and maple wood floor. The architectural style complements the age of the cars represented. The main floor has approximately 40,000 square feet of open space, ideal for displaying the collection of over 125 vehicles.

Lane Motor Museum is one of the few museums in the U.S. to specialize in European cars. It is a working museum with the goal being to maintain all vehicles in running order. Some cars are in showroom condition, while others represent typical aging. Efforts are made to restore each vehicle to near original specifications.