Now I am not a car guy, I can identify some cars on sight, like I know a 57 Chevy has much more pronounced tail fins then the 55 models, and I know the difference between Formula 1 and NASCAR, but other than that I am pretty lost.  But I appreciate cars.  I like what they represent.  The human spirit behind cars, the inventive attitude, the application of science combined with the need for aerodynamics the wonderful combination of function and form.  The continued progression of speed and comfort tempered with the safety of the operator and economics of the day.

The Revs Institute has cars, cars, cars, and more cars.  And not just any cars, high performance, high end, beautiful, high functioning automobiles.   If you like cars you will love the Revs Institute.  If you are just a so-so car person you still enjoy the Revs Institute.  A truly amazing thing about this museum is that over ninety percent of the vehicle at this museum actually drive and are taken out once a year onto the road.  (Under strictly controlled circumstances, often video recorded for the website.)

The Revs Institute is set in a commercial/professional park area of Naples only 2.13 miles from the Gulf Coast.  Being a bit of museum geek, I immediately recognized from the exterior that this building was built with the express purpose of housing this museum with thoughts of protecting the collection from both hurricanes and persons with bad intentions.  A majority of the collection is owned by one man Miles Collier who opened the institute to the public in 2008.  Miles Collier’s passion for cars came from his father and uncle who helped bring auto racing to the United States, who were founding members of  the  Automobile Racing Club of America, which is three years older than NASCAR.  Located in Collier County which was named for Mile’s grandfather Barron Gift Collier, who was the largest landowner and developer in Florida starting in 1911. (Barron was also involved in vehicle safety as he introduced the use of white and yellow traffic divider lines on highways.)

The Revs Institute is three levels containing four principal areas over two floors (fully wheelchair accessible); Porsche: Designed to Excel, Automobility: The Car, The Road & Modern Life;  Vitesse : Sports Motoring & Motoring Sports; Revs: Racing Cars & Racing Me.   [Vitesse- French for speed or moving rapidly].  This museum also has one of the greatest research libraries for automotive history in existence including such things as Manuals, Parts Catalogs, Posters, Racing Rule Books.  Unsurprisingly the library also maintains a great deal of Sales Literature with the underlying theme that came to be the philosophy in the 1950s, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday”.   If you want to know what interior color schemes were available for a Cadillac in 1955, the Institute’s library might have a swatch of material so you can see it with your own eyes.  The digital photography portion has over 700,000 images that can be browsed and if needed for a project purchased online.

The docents are all volunteers, all lovers of cars, and hearing about their favorites, about the designers, the way developments in racing filtered down to the consumer are fascinating.  My only problem is some of the direct lighting is a little harsh, creating shadows and glare from some of the vehicle glass.  I happened to have a pocket flashlight, but the flashlight from a cell phone would do when viewing into the vehicles.

The Institute also acts as an educational facility giving classes on automotive repairs both for teens and adults.   Classes offered come in two to four hour sessions with such offerings as Engines 101, Express Engines 101, Steering & Suspension 101, Electrical 101 and Metal Fabrication 101.

So, if you are going to be in Naples Florida, go to the website, make a reservation (sorry no walk ins), set aside a couple of hours and enjoy the vehicles and stories. Check out my favorite, 1937 Delahaye Type 135MS Special Roadster.

What can I say I like my cars like I like my French fries and women, a little thick and curvy.

Or if you are not going to be on the Gulf Coast, check out their amazing website, especially the video section on a great many cars on their annual run.

Categories: Travel and Diversions

Tags: 1937 Delahaye Type 135MS Special Roadster, cars, Collier, Florida, Miles Collier, museum, Naples, the Revs Institute