On The Road--Revs Institute, Naples, Florida

Revs Institute has a much-deserved reputation as one of the leading car museums in the United States. Founded by former sports car racer Miles Collier in 2008 from his personal collection, the museum has 115 cars including a significant collection of Porsches.

I took a docent-led tour which I highly recommend. Throughout the tour, the docents told stories of the cars. For example, as part of the collection, there is a Volkswagen which led to the story of how the daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, Louise Piëch, saved Porsche after War II. When her father and husband were imprisoned after World War II in France, she built a distribution network for Volkswagen which provided funding for the development of Porsche.

One of the earlier sports cars in the collection is the Leonidis, an MG originally prepared for racing. It was raced in the 1935 Le Mans by an all-female team. Collier’s father bought the car in September 1935 and raced it in Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) races including the 1939 Le Mans. Later, the car with Miles Collier at the wheel participated in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) races.

The museum has a broad base of cars ranging from an 1896 touring car Panhard & Levassor and a 1909 Ford Model T to a 1930 Duesenberg J with 265 horsepower and a 1928 Stutz Black Hawk. The Black Hawk won five races in two weeks and was America’s fastest production car.

In the racing studio is the Jorgeson Eagle designed by Dan Gurney. Driven by Unser, this car won the rain shortened 1975 Indianapolis 500.

The collection also has two 1950 Cadillacs which participated in the 1950 Le Mans. The “Petit Pataud” was driven by Miles Collier and his brother, Sam. The second car, nicknamed “Le Monstre” because of its unique streamlined body. The design had been tested in a wind tunnel, and was 13 mph faster than the “Petit Pataud.” The “Petit Pataud” finished tenth in the race while “Le Monstre,” driven by Briggs Cunningham and Phil Walters, finished eleventh because it ended up in a sandbank.

One of the highlights of the tour was a behind the scenes tour of the shop where the cars are maintained by technicians. Some of the cars participate in historic auto racing or car shows such as the concours. All except for three of the cars are “exercised” on a regular basis. As I was leaving, I noticed a transporter with a car inside.

Revs Institute has started RevsEd, a series of classes for adults and teenagers. Some of the classes address engines, steering & suspension, and metal fabrication. A class was in session, and we listened for several minutes.

One of the projects “under cover” at Revs Institute is “Razzofab” where a one-of-a-kind car is being developed. They are reengineering a 1960s Fiat 850 to today’s standard with a modern suspension and increased power. While not part of the tour, they have videos of the progress on the project to build a Fiat 850 to today’s standard.

Revs Institute is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with tickets purchased in advance.