Dream Museum Opens in Philadelphia

But unlike most of us, Fred made his dream come true. But the museum is different from most, in that the theme, “The Spirit of Competition“ , tells a story, and does so by the artistic use of full size dioramas. Not just a few blown up background photos, and a few models, but a fully three dimensional scene so real you could almost hear the cars roar and the crowds cheer.

Needless to say, this kind of production is usually the result of one person’s single vision and specific ideas of how the objects should be exhibited Since the early 1970s, Simeone has been collecting the cream of the crop of sports racing cars. Today, over 60 cars from his collection are now on display. Like an Alfa 8C2900 that won the Mille Miglia. The Aston Martin DBR1, driven by Stirling Moss. A Cobra coupe, lost for over thirty years. Simeone has long been an Alfa enthusiast, and has acquired and displayed ten significant Alfas. There are plenty of French cars too, such as the Bugatti “Tank” that won the 1937 LeMans, a T35, a Delahaye and a Peugeot Darl’mat.

Many museums have cars merely filling space, but looking through the Simeone roster, by far the majority have earned a spot in a museum by virtue of their racing victories, superb design, or technological advancements. If you’re gong to have an MG, make it an MG K3 Magnette; need a Porsche, include the 917LH that placed second at LeMans; a Cunningham you say, but make sure it’s the C4R that won at Sebring, and so it goes. Sixty cars, no slouches.

This is all housed in a very attractive building with 75,000 square feet, only five minutes off of I-95. It opened its doors to a crowd waiting to get in, on June 17th, and it’s been busy ever since. The Simeone Foundation Museum is located at 6825-31 Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia PA, 19153. You can reach the museum by phone at 215-365-7233 or visit the website at
www.simeonemuseum.org
Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for students.