Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum celebrates the history and evolution of racing cars through its theme, “The Spirit of Competition”. The Simeone Foundation differs from most other automotive collections as the cars are used to tell the story of the Spirit of Competition through the evolution of thought and design.

Cars

Assembled over 50 years by Dr. Frederick Simeone, the collection contains more than 75 historically significant cars, including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Corvette, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes, Porsche and more. The oldest is a Renault “Vanderbilt” from 1907, at the origin of the first car races in the USA, so named because imported by the millionaire William K. Vanderbilt.

Then there are many icons of motor racing, such as the Bugatti 35 or the Bugatti 57 “Tank”, the Bentley 4.5L, here a Tourer version with compressor, the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 and 8C 2300 and 2900, several Ferrari 250, an Aston Martin DBR 1, a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, the Ford GT 40 or a Porsche 917. Different categories are represented, endurance prototypes, pre-war Grand Prix cars, NASCAR or record machines. Regular temporary exhibitions also illustrate the competitive spirit and the cars are regularly taken out of the museum onto the 3-acre lot in back for Demonstration Days.

Besides cars

The Simeone Foundation Library is one of the largest automotive libraries in the world and is accessible for research. It offers a vast collection of periodicals, photographs and manufacturers’ literature. The library offers a wide variety of research materials for the automotive historian, conservator and manufacturer. In addition, general information on specific cars for auction houses and writers is also available.