Simeone museum lays out history of competition sports cars

Unlike Europe, with its multimillion-dollar manufacturer-sponsored auto museums, the United States has built its auto museums almost entirely with private money. Traveling around the country, you can find spectacular collections such as the Nethercutt in Sylmar, Calif., small enthusiast-run museums such as the Pierce-Arrow museum in Buffalo and everything in between.

There are museums for hearses, microcars, tractors and every conceivable form of transport--including a museum in Ferndale, Calif., for human-powered vehicles.

However, some of the most spectacular cars of all remain in private collections, to be seen occasionally at Pebble Beach or Meadow Brook, a museum temporary exhibit or when they come up for sale at auction. Outside of these opportunities, the chance that you can see a Bugatti Atlantique or a Mercedes-Benz Autobahn Kurier is slim to none.

One notable collector, Philadelphia neurosurgeon Fred Simeone, decided a couple of years ago to transfer his lifelong collection to his foundation and opened an absolute jewel of a museum near the Philadelphia airport. Sitting near an Audi dealership, the modest building gives no clue as to what it contains.

Dreams come to life

This is a virtual history of rare, track-focused cars from the dawn of sports-car racing to the end of the 1960s--cars that generations of kids dreamed of, that appeared on countless bedroom walls, in amateur drawings and in magazine reviews and that were reported on in the competition news sit in the building in neat rows. Some are concours restorations, but many proudly wear their original patina and are only refurbished mechanically.

Here you will find the minimalist Mercer Raceabout in original condition, Stutzes, Duponts, and a world-class collection of prewar Alfa Romeos.

One of two Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwings" remains unrestored, the paint bubbling on its front.

A BMW 328 sits quietly in front of a N

By Ronan McGrath