By Phillip Bostwick

My copy of the March 2009 issue of Alfa Owner arrived while we were in Sarasota, Florida for the month of March, thawing out from a very cold and snowy Boston winter. Upon reading the article about the Simone Foundation Museum that opened in Philadelphia in June 2008, I determined to visit the museum on our drive back to Boston at the end of our one month stay in Florida. I can report that the museum is full of extremely magnificent racing sports cars, many of which are in original, unrestored condition, and many with significant racing history. This museum is a must for any vintage racing sports car aficionado, and I highly recommend a trip to it.

The cars were all collected by Dr. Fred Simeone, a retired Philadelphia neurosurgeon, over a fifty-year period. Dr. Simeone was at the museum when we arrived, having just given a tour to the Washington, DC chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club. The museum is conveniently located a few blocks off I-95 at the exit for the Philadelphia International Airport (Exit 13). Directions to and information about the museum can be found on the museum’s website www.simeonemuseum.org. Admission is a modest $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for students. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The collection is about amateur racing of racing sports cars. There is only one pure race car in the collection (a 1921 Duesenberg). Many of the cars in the collection competed at Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, Sebring, Nurburgring, Watkins Glen, Brooklands, the Bonneville Salt Flats and other venues. In addition to many lovely and significant Alfa Romeo sports cars, there are many other interesting and beautiful racing sports cars in Dr. Simeone’s collection. These include 1937 and 1938 BMW 328s, Jaguars (SS-100, C-Type, D-Type), a 1927 Mercedes Benz Sportwagen that won the first German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 1927, a 1952 Cunningham C4R (one of only 3 built), a 1958 Aston Martin DBR 1 that won the 1958 Nurburgring 1000 Km driven by Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham, a 1936 Bugatti 57G "Tank" that won the 1937 Le Mans race, a 1964 Cobra Daytona Coupe (the first of six built) that raced at Daytona and set records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and many others.

Set forth below are photos of some of Dr. Simeone’s Alfa Romeo automobiles, together with his comments about the cars from the museum catalogue.

1. 1929 Alfa Romeo Supersport. These supercharged roadsters handily won road races throughout Europe in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Known for their speed and reliability, they were usually victorious in their displacement class. Remarkable power was efficiently produced from a 1750 cc engine.

2. 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Mille Miglia Spider. The 8C 2300 MM Spider with body by Castagna was the fastest, most powerful, best handling sports car one could buy in the early 1930s, and won races wherever they entered. This car bears a brass plaque declaring it made 135.1 mph at Brooklands.

3. 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Le Mans. Only eight of these magnificent cars were made on a long chassis to conform with the Le Mans race regulations. These cars were winners in 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934. This car was raced by Lord Howe very successfully.

4. 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Monza. This car, shown on a model of the "partenza" from which the cars departed at Brescia for the Mille Miglia, has a Zagato body and is one of only five factory-made Monzas made. It started as a pure race car, but in this case fenders and lights were added so that it could compete in the 1933 Mille Miglia, where it came in second.

5. 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C2900A. This car came in second in the 1937 Mille Miglia and enjoyed other racing successes in Italy. With independent four wheel suspension, a transaxle, double overhead cam, and dual supercharged engine, these cars were advanced far beyond their time.

6. 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B MM. This car is "The Jewel in the Crown" in Dr. Simeone’s collection. Heralded as the finest pre-war sports racing cars, Alfa Romeo made four of these to compete in the 1938 Mille Miglia race. Advanced styling, independent adjustable suspension, and an engine capable of producing 255 horsepower made them the easy winner. The 1938 8C2900B is one of the most beautiful racing sports cars ever built. This car won the 1938 Mille Miglia driven by Clemente Biondetti, the first of his four Mille wins.

The 1938 8C2900B MM has always been my most favorite racing sports car, not only because of its styling and performance, but because Phil Hill, my all time race-car hero, sold his Jaguar XK 120 in the late 1940s during his early racing career to buy and race one in California against the post-war cars. He was able to beat XK 120s with it.

Dr. Simeone is to be congratulated on collecting these cars and displaying them so well in his new Foundation Museum. In addition to the cars, the museum has many vintage racing posters, black and white racing movies, model cars and other interesting memorabilia. I guarantee you will enjoy it immensely.

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