The Simeone Museum is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can see, hear, and smell famous race cars run. The Demo Days, which began in 2009, feature extremely rare racing sports cars from the Simeone collection being driven on the three-acre lot in back of the Museum. 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 12 Noon, weather permitting. Visitors are encouraged to check the Museum’s Web site (www.SimeoneMuseum.org) before coming for any last minute changes. Admission to the Demonstration Days is included as part of the regular admission price.
2012 Driving Demonstration Days Schedule
January 21st
(Note: this is the third Saturday due to Phila Auto Show)
Yes! we’re still on despite the weather!
The Development of the American V-8 Engine
No other engine configuration defines America like the V-8. We’ll discuss the development of this design, why it works so well, and show some examples from the museum collection. This will be an inside event and will also feature a Q&A with Joe Spinelli, an acknowledged expert on Ford Motor Company engines.
1950 Cadillac Allard
1953 Cunningham C4R
1963 Corvette Grand Sport
1966 Ford GT40 MkII
February 25th
Stutz: America’s Unsung Le Mans Hero
We’ll pay tribute to Stutz, one of the very few American car manufacturers to seriously compete in international competition before WWII.
1916 Stutz Bearcat
1927 Stutz Black Hawk
1928 Stutz Black Hawk Speedster
1929 Stutz Supercharged Le Mans
March 24th
Tribute to Sebring
Where international racing began in the US after the war.
1953 Cunningham C4R
1953 Jaguar C-Type
1963 Corvette Grand Sport
April 28th
Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg: three great American icons
We’ll have a discussion of how these three names became linked together and why they represented the pinnacle of American automotive engineering in the 1920s and into the 1930s.
1921 Duesenberg GP (display only)
1928 Auburn 8-88
1933 Auburn 12-165
1935 Auburn 851
1937 Supercharged Cord
May 26th
England vs. Italy in the Battle for Le Mans
In the late 1920s, Bentley ruled Le Mans. By the early 1930s, it was Alfa Romeo. We’ll discuss why the shift happened and why even patriotic racers like Lord Howe found to necessary to buy Italian if they wanted to win.
1927 Bentley Speed Model
1930 Bentley 4.5 L Supercharged
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans
June 23rd
Vive Le France! French Cars at Le Mans
We’ll demonstrate three cars from France that competed in the 1930s, including two models that won the race outright from 1937 to 1939.
1938 Peugeot Darl’mat
1936 Delahaye 135S
1937 Bugatti 57G “Tank”
July 28th
Ferrari Beaters
In the 1950s, 1960s and into the early 1970s, Ferrari was the car to beat in international competition. We’ll look at three cars that did this successfully.
1958 Aston Martin DBR1
1967 Ford MkIV
1970 Porsche 917
(On display only)
1958 Ferrari 250 TR
1963 Ferrari 250 LM
August 25th
The Effects of Competition
We’ll look at four landmarks in racecar engineering and the innovations they spawned by the need to win.
1909 American Underslung
1924 Lancia Lambda
1956 Jaguar D-Type
1966 Ford GT40
September 22nd
Watkins Glen: Where American Road Racing Resumed
The beginnings of this great track will be covered, and four cars will be demonstrated which actually competed there.
1950 Cadillac Allard
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
1963 Corvette Grand Sport
October 27th
American Road Racing in the 1950s
A tribute to the Sports Car Club of America and the re-emergence of amateur road racing after the war. Three cars that were readily available to amateur racers will be demonstrated.
1953 Jaguar C-Type
1954 Ferrari 375MM
1956 Maserati 300S
November 24th
Peoples’ Choice
You vote for the cars you want to see. This is always one of our most popular Demonstration Days of the year.