Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Ranked as Number One in the World

By Jordan Rimpela
Jul 23, 2019 | Simeone Collection

The top honor of being classified as "number one in the world" is a huge get for the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia and comes all the way from the Classic Car Trust, a not-for-profit organization based out of Liechtenstein.

We all place a high value on preserving rare and historically significant cars in racing history, and the Simeone Collection knows this all too well—bi-weekly they actually run the cars in their large lot in the back of the museum in a series they dub, "Demo Days".

If you're in Philadelphia, plan a trip to check out the collection. You won't be disappointed.

Find the press release below this video (to whet your appetite) and let us know what you think in the comments below.

SIMEONE COLLECTION RANKED “NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD”

Philadelphia, Pa., July 23, 2019 – The Classic Car Trust, nonprofit organization based in Liechtenstein, recently announced that the Simeone Collection, 65 rare and significant racing sports cars that comprise the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, was ranked as the number one collection in the world. Using data-based methodology, the Trust evaluated and ranked the 100 best for the historical value of the collection, as well as its educational and charitable contribution to society. The Simeone Collection was ranked at the top with the highest score.

The Classic Car Trust conducted a detailed analysis of over 200 car collections worldwide to make their evaluation. The announcement was made on June 26th in Paris, at a ceremony at the National Headquarters of the Automobile Club of France.

"This is the equivalent of winning one of the greatest prizes in the historic car world and we hope that the collection will be recognized as a place of education, artistic appreciation, and preservation," said Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum founder Dr. Fred Simeone.

The Classic Car Trust studies the historic car world in terms of evaluating the cars, promoting interest in automotive history, and maintaining a continued passion for special automobiles. The Trust believes that special collections can preserve interest in the histories and technical accomplishments of significant cars through the ages since the invention of the automobile.

The Simeone Foundation collection started 50 years ago when the finest examples of important sports-racing automobiles were available. In 2008, the cars were donated to the charitable museum to inspire visitors, assure historical integrity, and to use the collection as a stimulus for its educational programs that focus on developing inspirational themes for school children.

The Simeone Museum has twice received “Museum of the Year” from the Octane Awards in London; in 2011, the first year the honor was bestowed, and again in 2017. In 2013, the museum was awarded “Publication of the Year” for The Stewardship of Historically Important Automobiles. One of the most significant cars in the collection, a 1964 Cobra Daytona Coupe, was selected as “Car of the Year” in 2014.

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, located near the Philadelphia international Airport, is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Since the museum opened in 2008, it has been internationally recognized for the quality of the collection’s automobiles, and the instructive nature of the displays. All of the cars have important historic meaning in the development of sports car road racing, from its beginnings at the turn of the century, to the 1970s. Recognition of the significance of some of the cars has been acknowledged in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and a variety of automotive publications.

The Simeone Museum is noted for its bi-weekly “Demo Days,” where cars from the collection are run on the large lot in back of the museum. This is one of the few places in the world where extremely rare racing sports cars can be seen in operation on a regular basis. Also, many of the cars in the collection are in original, as-raced condition. Dr. Simeone was an early proponent of “preservation over restoration,” a philosophy that is now widely accepted.
More information on the Museum can be found on www.simeonemuseum.org, or by calling 215-365-7233.