Engineering + Design = Passion: The Nick Begovich Collection

November 20, 2021 – February 13, 2022

Dr. Nicholas Begovich was an engineer, a scientist, a philanthropist, a tinkerer, a car collector—but above all, he was an enthusiast. Dr. Begovich resided in Fullerton, CA, where he composed a significant car collection beginning in the early 1950’s and retained most, some purchased new, until his passing at the age of 98 in May 2020. 

Nicholas and Lee Begovich donated 14 post-War sports cars to the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at California State University, Fullerton, to benefit further gravitational wave, engineering, and computer science faculty and student research. 

Among Dr. Begovich’s many brilliant accomplishments was the development of electronic scan radar, which experts consider to be equal to the development of radar itself.

Dr. Begovich had strong interests in both striking design qualities and advanced engineering technologies and solutions. For him, there was no better outlet to explore these pursuits than through automobiles, and he spent much of his free time in his workshop tweaking and seeking to improve the functionality of his cars.

Over the course of his ownership, Dr. Begovich was enthusiastic about driving, though he actually drove the cars minimally, with a selection of the cars showing less than 2,000 miles in the 60 years since they were built.

When the Begoviches donated the collection to Cal State Fullerton on February 29th, 2020, as a lead gift for a university fundraising campaign, they desired to keep the collection of cars together. The Audrain was fortunate to acquire the collection to preserve, drive, and share each car, highlighting Nick Begovich’s passion as expressed through his interest in engineering, design, and history.