• The Panhard & Levassor 1896 Wagonette. In 1900, Panhard was making 75 cars a month, more than any US automaker, and more than most in Europe. By then, though, Levassor had been in a serious car accident in 1897, and ignoring his doctor’s orders to rest, collapsed and died over his drawing board.
  • McLaren 1995 F1–with it’s one-plus-two seat configuration (the driver sits in the middle of three, with the flanking side seats staggered behind), its top speed of 240 mph, and its ability to go from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds (that’s three point four), the McLaren was the ultimate street car of the 20th century.

Revs Institute is a three-story, 80,000 square-foot haven for automotive history. With more than 100 vintage cars built between 1896 and 1995, the Institute is considered by many to host the premier collections of their kind in the world. This is significantly more than a showcase of roadsters and racing cars, however. Revs offers a selection of documents, photographs, posters, and custom mascots—simply stated, hood ornaments and radiator caps that serve as a car company’s badge—that tell the story of how automobiles affected the evolution of 20th century society. The collections belong to business executive, artist, philanthropist, and historic automobile authority, Miles Collier—grandson of Barron Collier, for whom Collier County, Florida is named.

  • The Ford 1909 Model T Touring car helped create the middle class. It sold at between $275 and $600, was produced at half the cost of other autos, and the manufacturer raised wages from $3 to $5 per day for its workers.
  • The Dusenberg chassis—-buyers would purchase that first, and then add a custom body—-or two—-
  • The Dusenberg 1930 J Phaeton, LeBaron was owned by a wealthier crowd. Custom built, no two cars were exactly alike. Owners would purchase the chassis first–which started at around $8500–and then would add a custom body, crafted by custom body houses that were often descended from 19th century carriage builders. In fact, an owner may opt to own two different bodies–one for sunny skies and one for harsher weather. All in, the Dusenberg would likely cost between $18,000 and $19,000.
In 1912, electric starters became a game changer, putting more women behind the wheel. Before that, cars had crank starters that were difficult to turn, often injuring the person starting the car.

All of the cars still run, and are taken out at least once a year for a drive.

Not a car buff? Neither am I—-you’ll still like this—-

Revs is not just for car enthusiasts, though they will revel in the sights and information to be had there. Anyone who loves history and art should consider visiting here, as well. I am not a “car person” by any stretch of the imagination, and have visited twice with guests. Some of our guests have loved cars, others can take or leave them—but everyone has been thoroughly impressed with this walk through 20th century history, and glad to have experienced Mr. Collier’s collection of extraordinary automobiles—the car enthusiasts extremely so.

Custom mascots could be stolen when the cars’ owners were out for the evening. To avoid losing these fancy and expensive ornaments, they were sometimes replaced with plain radiator caps–“night caps”–that would give their owners greater peace of mind.

The Institute’s docents are extremely knowledgeable car enthusiasts. Stationed throughout the galleries, they welcome the opportunity to answer visitors’ questions. Engage them—they truly love what they are doing and love to share both “nuts and bolts” information and human-interest stories about the cars.

With a top speed of 130 mph, racing car, 1950 Cadillac Series 61, was built to reduce both weight and wind resistance. The French nicknamed this popular entry at Le Mans, “Le Monstre..”

Limited hours and entry—-buy tickets ahead

Visitors are required to reserve tickets ahead of their visit—-walk-ins are not allowed. Revs is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and in an effort to offer visitors their best experience, the number of people allowed in during any given hour is limited. It takes approximately two hours to tour the Institute—tickets are available each hour on the hour from 10:00 am through 2:00 pm. Visitors can enjoy a guided tour or can explore the exhibits on their own. All tickets are non-refundable.

For more information, please see https://revsinstitute.org/

The Jorgensen Eagle 1974 Indianapolis 500 car won the Indianapolis 500 in 1975.

There were so many interesting and beautiful cars–but this is my favorite. The Parisian-made Dellahaye 1937 Type 135 MS Special Roadster has its original Hermes leather interior. The wheels can’t be seen when the car approaches, giving it the appearance that it is floating toward you–and the windshield retracts so that people have an unobstructed view of the drivers–how do you not love that??

These are just a few of the many cars to see at Revs Institute–I hope that you get a chance to visit them in person. It’s well worth the trip!

Until next time,