Simeone Museum Demo Day, March 2023

March 26, 2023 RichardReina Events, museums Corvette Sting Ray, Ferrari 250P, Ford GT40, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

If my own blog posts are to be believed, I have visited the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia five times: October 2011, October 2012, December 2015, June 2016, and February 2022. This most recent Saturday, March 25, 2023, can now be counted as visit #6. Any visit to the Simeone, with its collection of historic racing and sports cars, is special. Saturday was a Demo Day, and Demo Days are extra special because a small theme-based collection of vehicles is chosen, and they are taken outside to the back lot so that attendees may delight to the sights and sounds of them motorvatin’ (a Chuck Berry coinage) under their own power.

The theme this time was “Sebring ‘65”, an infamous race because of the deluge which caused cars to plow through what was described as up to 8 inches of standing water on the track. For this Demo, the museum selected its ’64 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe and ’66 Ford GT40 Mk II. The program listed the ’63 Corvette Grand Sport, but in lieu of that, a stock ’66 Corvette 427 roadster was chosen (nice to have such illustrious machinery as backup). Last but not least, on loan from Luigi Chinetti Jr. was a ’63 Ferrari 250P. (The Ferrari was not part of the driving portion of the day’s festivities – one can only presume that the loan arrangement excluded such an option.)

My friend Terry, whose idea it was to visit on this particular Demo Day, accompanied me. We arrived about 30 minutes before showtime, and to my pleasant surprise, all four cars were arranged at the front of the seating area; they were not roped off (as I’ve seen done previously) so guests were free to get up close and personal with the cars. Soon enough, the program started and we were treated to a slide show, including technical specs of the cars and film footage of the actual 1965 Sebring 12-hour race. The variety of vehicles racing that day, American and foreign, was huge, and the race stood out because 1^st and 2^nd place overall were taken by two American teams. The Chevy-powered Chaparral of Jim Hall and Hap Sharp came in first, followed by a GT40 driven by Ken Miles and Bruce McLaren. To Enzo’s chagrin (he had earlier threatened to boycott the race), his 250LM finished third.

BELOW: RED FERRARI AND YELLOW FORD GT DURING SLIDE SHOW PRESENTATION:

After the slide show, it was Ford vs. Chevy in the back lot. I should not have been amazed that all three cars started up on first attempt. They were slowly driven out of the building, and once on pavement, the drivers picked up a little bit of speed, but not too much! These vehicles are too valuable to put them at risk. (The Cobra Daytona, in particular, as one of the most singularly-famous cars in the world, must have an incalculable monetary value.)

After the show, we toured the rest of the static display within the museum, and promised each other that this would not be the last time we’d visit the Simeone in 2023.

2012 Bonhams Auction: Preserving the Automobile

March 6, 2022 RichardReina Auctions, Events Bonhams, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

I can’t put my finger on exactly when I started to notice the change. As far as I could remember, the old car hobby had always treasured restored cars, the more beautifully restored, the better. Trophies were awarded for the cars which had the most perfectly polished paint, the most mirror-like metal, the most crease-free upholstery. I’d see cars with paint that far exceeded any factory spray job. Formerly polished parts now wore triple-plated chrome. Cars entered into judged shows lost points for a scuff on a sidewall or a foot mark on a floor mat. It took many years of hobby participation to come to grips with the reality that for some owners, their immaculately restored cars would never be driven on the road, as that would cause (horrors!) fuel stains on the carbs, heat stains on the exhaust, grass stains on the tires, and points deducted on the judging sheet.

Some of the images of these cars are embedded in my brain. There was the line of two-seat T-Birds, each with identical yellow ink stamps in the exact same locations in their engine compartments. There was the E-Type roadster, top up, whose owner told me that the top has never been down, and never will be, as that might crease the plastic rear window. Then there was the owner of the perfect Mach I Mustang who told me the totality of the car’s mileage since restoration has been “driven onto the trailer, and driven off the trailer”. It got to the point where AACA issued a statement that over restored cars would be no more likely to win trophies than cars restored “just” to factory standards.

But the hobby started to change, and it was subtle at first. Some non-restored original cars were winning prizes formerly reserved for the over restored beauties. Values of well-kept originals began to rise and keep pace with fresh restorations. Some pundits came up with a few key phrases like, “a car is original only once”, and “anyone with a checkbook can restore a car, but it takes perseverance to keep a car original”. The word “patina” entered the hobby’s lexicon, and the condition itself was embraced, indeed, celebrated. An all-original car with dull paint, tattered carpets, and a greasy engine compartment could seriously compete with a restored version of the same make and model, and depending on judging criteria, might beat it. This was, as I called it at the time, the hobby taking a hard right turn in valuing originality over restoration.

It was 10 years ago, in October 2012, that Bonhams, the esteemed auction house, teamed up with the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia PA, to present the first of what they billed as “Preserving the Automobile … the first-ever auction to promote the concept of preservation of collector cars.” Bonhams was attaching itself to a theme that Dr. Fred Simeone himself had practiced with his own collection and would eventually author a book about, which is the notion of preserving vehicles in much the same way that one preserves fine art and historic furniture. All the cars on auction on that 8^th day of October were unrestored. To be fair, not all of them were what one would call “preserved”; in fact, a few of them needed a good deal of restoration or might even be of value only as parts cars. But Bonhams and the Simeone Foundation together where out to make a point: there was value to be recognized in offering lots without the shiny bits, in the hopes that others would agree with the efforts to keep the cars as original as possible.

I attended the auction that day and clearly recall thinking that there were some bargains to be had, presuming that the sold cars ran and drove (unlike most other auctions, lots were not driven across the block during the bidding process). Some of these values look even more remarkable with 10 years’ hindsight. Since this inaugural auction in 2012, Bonhams has returned to the Simeone location in most succeeding years with the same theme. In this sometimes over-hyped hobby, it is refreshing to see the efforts made by these two organizations to support and encourage preservation as an important component of it.

Sold lots are listed in ascending price order.

Lot 415, 1946 Lincoln Model 66H Sedan, sold for $2,530 with buyer’s premium. One of the least expensive lots at this auction, and understandably so. Bonhams made no claim that this V-12 Lincoln 4-door started or ran, instead falling back on typical auction hyperbole like “strikingly original”, “dirty but complete” and “a lovely project for the winter months”. These late ‘40s Lincolns were not as attractive as the cars that preceded them or came after them. Still, if your starting budget was $2,500 and you wanted a project, here you go!

Lot 451, 1927 Buick Master Six Opera Coupe, sold for $5,520 with buyer’s premium. The description states that this is a running, driving example which is all original except for its upholstery. In 2012, interest in pre-war cars had been on a long and steady decline but has since picked up. I called this a fair deal in 2012 and it looks even better 10 years later.

Lot 461, Chrysler Town and Country convertible, sold for $9,200 with buyer’s premium. Calling this car “rough” is an understatement. It may have been drivable, but the woodwork alone would soak up most of the next owner’s budget like a brush dipped in shellac. On the positive side, this was the final Woodie American convertible built, with 2022 values hovering close to six figures.

Lot 445, 1970 Jaguar E-Type 2-door coupe (NOT a 2+2), sold for $15,000 with buyer’s premium. The website notes that the car had been off the road since 1990, and had been repainted once in its factory color. The paint does not show well. The description further states that the engine spins freely and “it is anticipated that the car could be made to run”. Even with those caveats, this is a deal for a Series II E-Type, which today carries a value as per my CPI guide between $40-80,000.

Lot 418, 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Roadster with Hard Top, sold for $17,250 with buyer’s premium. One repaint in a shade of red a little off from the factory red. Runs, but has been sitting. This was another deal in 2012 dollars that looks especially attractive today. Although I didn’t photograph it, one front fender had a dent as if an object had fallen onto it, so there was the potential for some body work in its future. Today’s values for the 230 SL are between $75k and $130k according to CPI.

Lot 443, 1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II with factory A/C, sold for $33,350 with buyer’s premium. These cars are rare and in my opinion, not as collectible as other ‘50s icons in part because not everyone knows about them and in part because some people know too much about them, to wit, parts are unavailable and they are notoriously expensive to restore. If this one was all there, and that appeared to be the case, this was a decent deal on a Mark II.

The Alfa Club Visits the Simeone Museum

February 13, 2022 RichardReina Events, museums Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

Last week’s post covered my first visit to the Simeone Museum, which occurred in 2011. This post features a return visit, which happened on Saturday, February 12, 2022, as the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club organized a tour of the museum.

Each of us paid for our own admission, and once inside, Jim, a museum docent and our guide for the day, began the tour promptly at 10:30 as promised. He was extremely knowledgeable and more importantly, spoke enthusiastically about each vehicle, bringing the cars and their stories to life. Many of the cars in the Simeone Collection are singularly famous, having participated in or won racing events around the globe. As such, they are arranged by theme, typically displayed together based on the race track or racing event where they competed.

There were two other highlights for us: first, it was a Demo Day, and the museum had chosen four cars to take outside and buzz around the back lot. The weather was in our favor, as after a particularly long stretch of daytime temps barely breaking above the freezing mark, Saturday reached 60 F, albeit with a stiff breeze. I had every intention of including video of the Demo Day, however, all my attempts to capture the cars while in motion are unusable. While I am proud of some of my photographic efforts, my skills as a videographer are quite poor.

Secondly, a special exhibit of English sports cars, all of them in British Racing Green, graced the walkway just inside the entrance. One downside was the crowd: in addition to the 40+ Alfa Club members, a British car club was also on hand. This led our docent Jim to remark that in his 10 years with the museum, he had never seen it so crowded on a Saturday morning. The museum’s insistence on 100% compliance with mask wearing helped alleviate any fears one may have had regarding the close quarters.

The photos below represent just some of the museum’s highlights. I’ve tried to avoid too much repetition with last week’s post. While about 90% of the museum’s collection is the same as it has been since it opened 12 years ago, some vehicles have been added to the mix. Another change worth noting is that the Shelby Daytona Coupe, known by its chassis number (CSX2287), is the very first car admitted to the National Historic Vehicle Register, quite an achievement over and above its performance accomplishments.

The ‘British Racing Green’ Collection

My First Visit to the Simeone Museum, 2011

February 6, 2022 RichardReina Events, museums Dr. Fred Simeone, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

Formally known as the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, Dr. Fred Simeone founded it using the historically significant race cars that he and his father had been collecting for decades. Many of their purchases were made decades ago when old racing cars were seen as worn out and without value. The museum is further set apart from others by their “Demo Days”, during which a small selection of machines, tied together by some central theme, is taken outside and driven around the large paved lot behind the museum. While no top speed runs are attempted, the driving is as spirited as conditions allow. Dr. Simeone, the hands-on collector that he is, uses these Demo Days to grab a microphone and speak to the cars’ histories.

My first visit to The Simeone, located in an industrial area not far from Philadelphia Airport, was in 2011. It was a Demo Day, and while the exact years and makes of the vehicles driven that day were not noted, I clearly recall the thrill of seeing and hearing older cars used as intended, rather than staring at them while they silently sat. (At a subsequent visit, I chuckled and nodded my head in agreement when I heard Dr. Simeone state, “A car that is not driven is a statue!”)

Of course, during any particular visit, most cars are on display inside, as reflected in these photos from that initial visit. I’m not the biggest automobile racing fan in the world, but it is moving to read about the historic accomplishments of these cars. If you have not visited the Simeone Museum, I strongly recommend it. If it’s at all possible to get there on a Demo Day (always Saturdays), all the better.