The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, in St Petersburg, FL, is not very large by museum standards, but it has a nice collection of around 60 vintage automobiles from the 30's to the 80's, most from Europe and many with unusual designs or technical innovations. Included in the collection are a number of automobiles that are not often seen in the US, including a few from the former Communist Bloc--and several of the displays are one of just a few surviving examples of their kind.
Here are some photos from the museum:
The Museum building.
Inside the exhibit.
Working replica of the "first automobile", a steam-powered wagon built in 1770 by French artillery engineer Nicolas Cugnot. It had rack and pinion steering and a reverse gear, and was used to pull artillery pieces and haul ammunition.
Kubelwagen Type 82 field car. The Nazi equivalent of the WW2 US Jeep, designed by Ferdinand Porsche. Almost 50,000 were made during the war
A 1935 Audi, manufactured in Germany. It was found by the museum sitting neglected in a field in Lakeland, Florida, and was purchased for restoration. This is typical of the condition in which many of the museum's cars were obtained. All of the museum's cars are in full working condition--they are all legal to drive in Florida. The museum's restorers use original parts where possible; if no parts are available, they are custom-made by a machine-shop. The museum estimates it will take about 18 months to restore this Audi.
Hanomag Kommisbrot, a 1-cylinder gasoline-powered car made in Germany from 1925-1927. "Kommisbrot" is a type of bread loaf--the car got its name from its rounded shape. About 16,000 were manufactured.
Avions Voisin Model C7 Chasteness. The Voisin Company in France was one of the first aircraft manufacturers in Europe, making a number of military planes during World War One. In 1924 the company expanded into the automobile business, and sold 1350 of its C7 models over the next four years.
Willys Knight Model 56. The Willys company in the US is most famous for manufacturing the Jeep used by the Army in World War Two, but in 1928 and 1929 it sold almost 14,000 of its 6-cylinder Model 56.
The Panhard Dynamic. Made in France from 1936 to 1939, the Dynamic was one of the earliest cars with a single-piece unibody, done in Art Deco style. Panhard sold 2500 of them.
Peugot Darl'Mat. Built in France from 1937 to 1939 as a racer and a roadster, the Darl'Mat had a four-cylinder engine, an aluminum body, and a convertible top that rolled back into the trunk. This one was impounded by the Paris Police when its owner abandoned it, and was purchased at auction by the museum in 1957.
1922 Milburn Light Electric. The Milburn Wagon Company of Toledo, Ohio, began manufacturing electric cars in 1914. This coupe featured a battery pack that was placed on rollers, enabling drivers to quickly change out the batteries instead of recharging (commercial "battery-switching" shops were the electric car's version of the gas station). By 1923 sales of electric cars were dwindling, and in 1924 Milburn went out of business.
Maserati Sebring Series II. Maserati manufactured 243 of these in Italy from 1965 to 1967. The 3694cc 6-cylinder engine produced 255 horsepower.
Jaguar E. Manufactured in England from 1971 to 1974. V12 engine with 272 horsepower.
Mercedes 130H. Although Mercedes was best-known for high-end luxury cars, the Model 130, made in Germany from 1934 to 1935, was Germany's first attempt at a "people's car" that would be small, cheap and reliable--and would lead to the Volkswagen.
Tatra Plan. Produced in Czechoslovakia from 1946 to 1951, the Tatra company's Plan car was named in honor of the Communist Party's Five Year Plan. Over 6,000 were produced. It was supposed to be the Communist version of the Volkswagen, but few people in the Soviet Bloc ever actually had a car. A number of Tatra Plans were exported to the West--this one was imported into Belgium.
1967 Tatra 603. A high-end luxury car produced by the Czechoslovakian Tatra company, the 603 was used as a limousine by Communist Party officials throughout Eastern Europe. Almost 28,000 of them were made between 1956 and 1978. This one belonged to the management of a factory in Prague.
1929 Cord L29 Brougham. One of the first front-wheel drive cars produced in the US. Only 8 L29 Broughams remain today.
1971 CGE Gregoire. A small electric car designed in France by the Compagnie Generale de Electricite. It could travel 80 miles at 50 mph on a single charge. Only 11 prototypes were made, and the car never went into production.
Mathis VL 333. This small three-wheeled car was designed in France during World War Two and presented to the Paris Auto Show in 1946. It never went into production, and only nine prototypes were ever made. This is the only surviving one.
1929 Ford Model A wood-fired. During World War Two, gasoline was scarce, and many cars were modified to run on alternative fuels like coal or wood. This Ford Model A, manufactured in Spain under license, was fitted with a wood-burning system sometime in 1939 or 1940:
Wood charcoal is burned in the black firebox on the left, and the fumes go through a series of filters in the green canister on the right, where the hydrogen is extracted and sent to the engine carburetor as fuel.
DeLorean. Over 8,000 DeLoreans were made from 1981 to 1982, but the sales never took off and the company went bankrupt--after its owner, John DeLorean, was arrested trying to arrange a cocaine deal to fund his company. With its stainless steel body and its gull-wing doors, the DeLorean gets my vote for the best-looking car ever.