Inside the World’s Greatest Classic Car Collections – Part 5: Fred Simeone

A renowned neurologist and tireless figure in the medical field, where he received numerous honours, Professor Fred Simeone nurtured an authentic passion for racing cars – predominantly European – built for road and circuit competition. These were the classic “Sports” cars, mostly open-bodied, associated with legendary races such as the Mille Miglia, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Targa Florio and the 1,000 Kilometres of the Nürburgring. Cars that were protagonists of epic competitions, yet homologated for road use and fitted with registration documents and licence plates like any ordinary vehicle. For each of them, Simeone personally carried out – or commissioned – in-depth research into their origins, victories, modifications and every aspect that defined their lives as competition cars.

As the collection grew and following his retirement from medical practice, the choice was made to ensure continuity for a collection that had become a true repository of culture and history from an entire era. His goals became twofold: to create a museum in which to house the cars, arranged with rigorous logic according to period and type of competition, and to guarantee the survival of the collection beyond his own lifetime.