My Visit to the Simeone Foundation Museum: | FerrariChat

My Visit to the Simeone Foundation Museum:

Discussion in 'South Central - USA (TN, MS, AL, GA)' started by Gatorrari, Dec 1, 2009.

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  1. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Jim Pernikoff
    #1 Gatorrari, Dec 1, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    During my Thanksgiving visit to the northeast, I persuaded my host that we should visit the new Simeone Foundation Auto Museum near the Philadelphia airport. Located on a side street surrounded by rental car lots, new car dealers, and long-term parking lots, it's not easy to find, though on Saturday it was busy enough that their parking lot was full and people were having to park on the street.

    The reason? Most of the cars in the collection are driveable, and on the fourth Saturday of every month (which this was), they take several cars out back and run them around on a three-acre paved lot between the museum and the Airport rail line right-of-way. And I was told that they were written up in a New York Times article, so quite a few people came from as far away as NYC.

    This month's theme was "Americans at Le Mans", and one of the cars run was this fabulous Ford GT40 Mark II, a sister car to the trio that swept the race. This one was entrusted to Alan Mann racing and driven by Frank Gardner and John Whitmore but retired after only 31 laps. The three young men standing behind the car in the first photo are my host's three sons; the two older ones have gotten rides in my Ferrari, and while their main sport is baseball, they are getting a bit "car crazy" like most teens their age.
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  2. robert biscan

    robert biscan F1 Veteran

    Jan 17, 2003
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    Thanks for the pics. That car looks like it means business.
     
  3. 355lover

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    May 21, 2009
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    Wow, I never really looked at the GT40 that much before. Beautiful car! All those complex curves and swoops by the intake are just beautiful. Thanks for the great pics!
     
  4. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #4 Gatorrari, Dec 3, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The second car shown was the first of the six Cobra Daytona Coupes that were built in the early sixties to take on the Ferrari 250 GTO.

    This car finished its career setting some records at Bonneville. The fit and finish, especially when compared to the pristine GT40, was downright awful, but it was original, and that potentially makes a car like this more valuable. And those four autographs on the roof -- Carroll Shelby, Pete Brock, Phil Hill and Bob Bokndurant -- ensure that the roof, at least, will likely never be repainted. A $7 million car, perhaps?
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  5. ddemuro

    ddemuro Formula 3

    Nov 16, 2006
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    Amazing - very cool! Love the shots of the Shelby Daytona!
     
  6. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #6 Gatorrari, Dec 4, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The third car demonstrated was the oldest: the Cunningham C4R that won the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring driven by John Fitch and Phil Walters. Powered by a 331 cid Chrysler Hemi, the car looked like a handful even at the relatively modest speed allowed by the small size of the paved lot. Driving it for 12 hours and keeping it on the track looks like it must have been hard work. Downforce? We don't need no stinkin' downforce.....

    A bonus was the pert Triumph GT6 parked nearby.
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  7. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #7 Gatorrari, Dec 9, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I have photos from inside the museum that I just haven't had time to load. Here's a teaser: the famous "hippie" Porsche 917LH which, McQueen's movie notwithstanding, is the car that really finished second in the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours.
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  8. CMY

    CMY F1 World Champ

    Oct 15, 2004
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    That Daytona is amazing- I haven't seen any close-up shots of if before. Thank you!
     
  9. Bill Sawyer

    Bill Sawyer Formula 3

    Feb 26, 2002
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    Great stuff Gatorrari! You do a great job of keeping us informed of all things automotive.

    I use a picture of my daughter sitting in your Ferrari at Road Atlanta as the background picture on my computer...
     
  10. nthfinity

    nthfinity F1 Veteran

    Mar 21, 2005
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    There is an amazing story that car could tell. It was the "Lost" Daytona for many years; arguably stolen twice, involved with a suicide, and lies.

    This car belonged to Phil Spectre originally, and if I remember the story; he gifted the car to one of his body guards. That body guard later died, and he gave it to his daughter; who left it in a storage shed for 30 years under lock and key. She never once told anybody about the car... perhaps because the car was never technically her fathers?

    30 years later, a woman was found in a park on fire. Rescue came in time to put her out... only for her to tell her rescuers to let her die. She had no ID, and was burned beyond recognition. She died in the hospital a short while later (days or weeks). A longer while later, a woman was reported missing when she failed to make payments on her rental home. She had no direct next-of-kin. A long partnership with a common law husband, and perhaps some kind of Last Will.

    Suddenly, it was found out she had this storage shed. Her common law husband had taken bolt cutters, and opened it to his amazement find the Daytona Coupe... tires flat, but all there.

    With that discovery, the dead woman's mother took the car in secret, and a court battle ensued. She quickly saw a big paycheck, and quickly sold it through a car broker; who initially offered $2,000,000. The mother said she knew it was valuable, and said it was worth more. The broker came back with double; to which she agreed.

    Meanwhile, the court battle determined that indeed, legally, the car belonged to the common law husband. The sale was already completed. I think 1/2 the money was given to him, but I don't recall.

    Oh yeah, When the car was discovered, Phil Spectre also launched a suite to get the car back claiming it was never given to the body guard, who was fired under less than ideal circumstances.
     
  11. CMY

    CMY F1 World Champ

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    #11 CMY, Dec 10, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Here's a pic of how it was found.. big props to Dr. Simeone for keeping it completely original (aside from the stupid lettering Phil Spector had done on the doors). ;)
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  12. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    It's a great story. I remember how for many years I heard that only 5 Daytonas had been built, since this car was out of sight and thus out of mind. I'm glad that Dr. Simeone at least cleaned up the car a little bit; as grubby as it looks today it's far better than in this photo!
     
  13. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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  14. kaamacat

    kaamacat Formula 3

    Jun 13, 2004
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    Jim........ those are outstanding cars (and pics). Ya know we can all drool over pics of cars we see on-the-street very day, but, these cars are truely in their own category in the terms of unique and exotic!

    BobR
     
  15. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Dec 6, 2002
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    Waaay cool!

    There were two of the Ferrari 3 seaters, one got a honkin' stainless rear wing, to hold it on the road.....
     

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