Introducing the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

At Petrolicious, it’s always important to keep our eyes on the story and—of course, possible stories. We’re truly grateful and humbled by the response of you, the reader, over the last few years, and try to unearth new and interesting stories each day for you to enjoy.

Philadelphia is home to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, and after speaking to them it became clear quite quickly that they’d soon be able to help us bring amazing stories to Petrolicious.com. With the help of Dr. Fred Simeone, an accomplished neurosurgeon who was born into an enthusiastic motoring family, we’ll be featuring some interesting tales in the coming months of how he was able to acquire so many astounding vehicles.

There’s no other word for it—with a collection dedicated to the evolution of racing sports cars, have you wondered where cars like the the “Hippy” Martini-liveried Porsche 917, Stirling Moss’ Nürburgring-winning 1958 Aston Martin DBR1, the first Shelby Daytona Coupe, and the 1938 Mille Miglia-winning Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B now live?

There will be no braggadocio; these aren’t vehicles acquired on a whim during a flashy car auction. Simeone and his foundation are committed to both preserving these vehicles and using them during twice-per-month “Demo Days”, where you can actually see, hear, and watch their collection be exercised.

Our first piece from Dr. Fred Simeone is on deck for this week—a peculiar tale of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL that at one time had been used as part payment for an inground swimming pool! 

Image Source: ©Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum & ©Andrew Taylor