You'd never guess what's inside this plain looking warehouse: The exotic car
collection of Philadelphia Neurosurgeon Fred Simeone. Its a private collection
of race cars from the 1920s to the 1970s.
One of the collection's oldest race cars is this 1921 Dusenberg. Jay Leno and his
mechanic were trying to identify its history last month and think that it may have
raced at Le Mans in 1923 or 1924
A Bentley with a Supercharger? Yup and in the 1930s. Thats Dr. Simeone and the big knob
below the grill is the supercharger. It used 7 horsepower to deliver an additional 15 horsepower
"Gentlemen, start your engines!" These are race cars from the 1950s. The first one is a
Ferrari Testarossa, second is an Astin Martin, third is a Jaguar
The Testarossa up close
And the Astin Martin next to it.
Three of these Ford Mark IV GT 40s won Le Mans in 1967
Dr. Simeone said they found this 1921 Vauxhill in a barn in the english country side.
Original brushed aluminum finish, leather, and paint. Some old cars are like old furniture:
If you try to pretty them up they become less valuable
This is my favorite car in the collection. They should make a movie about this car. It is the
First Shelby Cobra Daytona Coup. Carroll Shelby built 6 of these. This is the prototype and the only
one built in the USA. It won the Seabring Enduro race and also raced at Le Mans. It set 23 land speed
records at the Bonneville salt flats in 1965. It ended up in the hands of an eccentric woman who
lived in the California woods and wouldn't let anyone look at it. Not even Shelby himself could see it
when he went to visit her. It stayed locked away for 25 years, until the woman committed suicide. Then her
mother sold it to a collector for about $3 Million in 2001. Dr. Simeone wouldn't say but the rumors on the
internet suggest he paid $4 Million for it in 2002
"My Maserati does one-eighty-five..."
Porsche 912 that raced at Le Mans in 1970
They call this a mother-in-law seat. It retracts back into the chassis after you dump her going around the bend.
The car is a Cord, which was made in America. Go figure
Photography © 2004 Brian Kopp
Craig's Picture of the Day © 2004 Craig Hollabaugh
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