A series of monthly “Driving Demonstration Days” have been scheduled for 2013 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Demo Days, which began in 2009, feature rare racing sports cars from the Simeone collection being driven on a three-acre lot in back of the Museum. The Simeone Museum is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can see and hear famous race cars like these run. A brief lecture by Dr. Simeone on the importance of the cars and their place in history precedes each driving demonstration.
The Demonstration Days events are held on the 4th Saturday of each month at Noon, weather permitting. Visitors are encouraged to check the Museum’s website before coming for any last-minute changes. Admission to the Demonstration Days is included as part of the regular admission price. The Museum is located at 6825 Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19153, directly in back of the Airport Automall and five minutes off Interstate 95.
2013 Simeone Museum Driving Demonstration Days Schedule
January 26 – Mechanical Evolution of the Sports Car Engine (Held Indoors)
A discussion of the progression of technology in the design of sports car engines, beginning with the 1911 Mercer T-head and ending with the 1975 Alfa TT33 and the horizontally-opposed 12-cylinder.
1911/13 Mercer: T-head
1933 Auburn 12-165: V-12 Flathead
1928 Stutz: Overhead Cam
1937 Alfa Romeo 2.9A: Double Overhead Cam (DOHC)
1975 Alfa Romeo 33TT: Horizontally-opposed 12
February 23 – Cobra Daytona vs. 250 GTO: A Design Evaluation (Held Indoors)
Beginning in 1963, Carroll Shelby began his assault against the dominance of Enzo Ferrari in international endurance racing. We’ll look at the remarkable design similarities between the two cars that carried each manufacturer’s flag into battle and how American horsepower eventually overcame the thoroughbreds from Maranello.
1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
March 23 – Where was Mercedes at Le Mans?
Between the wars, Mercedes-Benz was dominant in Grand Prix racing, but often absent from endurance road racing, even though they won the Mille Miglia in 1931. We’ll look at the cars that were the leaders in that era and examine why the powerful Mercedes-Benz did not choose to compete at Le Mans.
1927 Mercedes-Benz Sportwagen
1927 Bentley 3-liter Speed Model
1929 Stutz Supercharged
1929 duPont Le Mans Speedster
April 27 – What happened to the great Fairmount Park Races?
From 1908 to 1911, Philadelphia hosted one of the world’s preeminent road races: the Fairmount Park Grand Prix. Over 400,000 spectators would attend these races and it was as highly regarded as the Vanderbilt Cup at the time. We’ll discuss why the race died and the man responsible for its demise.
1911/13 Mercer Raceabout
1912 National Speed Car
1916 Stutz Bearcat
May 25 – Alfa Romeo Club Day
A tribute to the greatest racing sports car of the 1930s: Alfa Romeo. We’ll discuss the history of the famed marque and the evolution of the legendary 8C 2.3 and 2.9 models.
1925 Alfa Romeo RLSS
1929 Alfa Romeo 1750 SS
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B
June 22 – The American Playboy!
Certain cars have so much style that they make anyone stand out from the crowd. We’ll examine four cars from the golden age of American sporting cars and what made them distinctive.
1915 Packard Gentleman’s Roadster
1926 Kissel 8-75
1929 duPont 2-passenger Speedster
1928 Auburn 8-88
July 27 – Racing Solutions for 1954
Less than a decade after the end of one of the most devastating wars in history, automotive manufacturers produced racing sports cars that, today, are classics. We’ll look at examples from each major country involved in endurance racing and what made each great.
1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing: Slanted, SOHC, straight six
1953 C-Type Jaguar: DOHC, straight six
1953 Cunningham C4R: OHV V-8 Hemi
1954 Ferrari 375 MM: DOHC, V-12
August 24 – Favorite Cars of Stirling Moss
Few drivers in the 1950s generated public adoration like Stirling Moss. He was part rock star, movie star and super athlete. We’ll examine three cars he has placed on his “top 10” list of the favorite cars he raced in his career.
1956 D-Type Jaguar
1956 Maserati 300S
1958 Aston Martin DBR1
September 28 – What happened to Ferrari Sports Car Racing?
Between 1949 and 1965, no other make dominated sports car road racing like Ferrari. They won a record nine Le Mans races in this period, including six straight, and then never won another. We’ll look at four examples of Ferrari race cars that established their legend.
1954 Ferrari 375 MM
1958 Ferrari 250 TR
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
1964 Ferrari 250 LM
October 26 – Land Speed Stock Cars
Ultimate speed has always been one of the strongest marketing features for automotive manufacturers. From the earliest days, places like Bonneville were used to set land speed records. We’ll look at four cars that set world records for ultimate speed.
1935 Auburn 851
1937 Supercharged Cord
1937 Bugatti 57G “Tank”
1954 Austin Healey 100-4
1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
November 30 – Peoples’ Choice Demo Day
You vote for the cars you want to see. Subscribers to the Museum’s email newsletter will be able to cast their ballot to pick the two cars for this month’s Demonstration Day. The ballots go out via email on Election Day and two weeks later the top two vote recipients will be announced. This is one of our most popular events! This is always one of our most popular Demonstration Days of the year. (Note: The November Demo Day will be on the 5th Saturday so it can be on the Saturday after Thanksgiving).
About the Museum
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is one of the greatest collections of racing sports cars in the world. Assembled by neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Simeone over a span of 50 years, the Museum contains over 60 of the rarest and most significant racing sports cars ever built. The Simeone was chosen ‘Museum of the Year’ by the International Historic Motoring Awards in London. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.
For more information call 215-365-7233, or visit www.simeonemuseum.org. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 for students. Children under 8 are admitted free.
[Source: Simeone Museum]
