tampa bay automobile museum

479nancyr

visied museum with my husband and great nephew. They are car enthusiast and loved it. The staff was amazing, informative and happy to share their knowledge. A hidden treasure.

christophers388

I wasn't expecting a lot from a car museum tucked away in an off pitch Pinellas Industrial Area but forget your Dalis your St Pete Mus of Modern Art, your Henry Plant museum, your Bill Clinton visits, THIS is Tampa's premier attraction. Where else in the world can you get upfront and personal with so many pre war Tatras, so many examples of the development of front wheel drive? The lady and gentleman curators give you a great warm welcome, lots of information, tell you to take photos & the admission fee of $8 for seniors is great value. Who needs Disneyworld?

ClaudiaP862

Hubby is a car buff. I go along "for the ride". From the moment we walked into this place we knew we were going to have a different experience. The woman who greeted us was friendly and informative. Great person to have at the front line. The cars are one of a kind. We saw cars that we never would have dreamed to have been in this place. The history of the evolution of the automobile's technology was what interested me. How far back electric cars were being tested is amazing. The various countries that developed different improvements in the manufacture of the automobile and the people that influenced this evolution was more than interesting. Price was excellent- under ten dollars for seniors.

deeleib

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum is a private family collection open to the public. The interesting thing about these cars is that they each have some new creative development for their era. These cars were the "car of the future" at the time of their production. Probably the most interesting thing to me was just how many of these cars were designed and built in Czechoslovakia in the 20's to the early 40's. The Czechs were put out of business by Hitler who did not want any competition for his Volkswagen. This is your chance to see some cars that you might never have the opportunity to see. If you are any kind of gear head or are interested in the history of the automobile, this is the place for you to spend an hour or so in the Tampa area.

Z7547RJjohnm

We had a friend in town who was a car buff. We found this museum by searching on the internet. We went on a rainy day and had a wonderful time. There are one of a kind cars on display in the collection as well as some models with tremendous history and engineering. The price made it a wonderful value and the people working there were very gracious. The head mechanic was walking through and stopped and shared so much interesting information. Go and enjoy; you will not be disappointed!

StephanieT535

We decided on a whim to stop by here during our vacation in July and were blown away with the quality and history here. There are tons of old, foreign sports cars here and they're all privately owned by a French immigrant family. The man at the front desk was very informative about the history of the museum and it was great being able to see all of the cars (all of which are street legal, even the repro of the "first" car from the 17th century). I would go back anytime I'm in Tampa.

DragonfruitLady

Beautiful cars but beyond that they are some of the rarest cars we have ever seen. The museum is spotless. I was concerned that I might be shedding DNA! The sweet lady at the reception desk was informative and delightful to talk to. We were told we could take pictures but please don't touch. Nobody said we couldn't drool, though!! It actually motivated my husband to continue the restoration of his antique car that he had kind of gotten tired of doing. (Yay!) Doesn't take long to see everything but we could have spent hours there!Senior and AARP get discount. Very reasonable fees.

withoutscreenname

This is a private collection and even if you care nothing about cars it is worth the trip! This collection has some one of a kind prototypes and the first ever self powered vehicle...by steam. They have cars that illustrate how long we have had alternate fuel technologies but have not adequately developed them. They have a hydrogen powered car from 1929, a Ford A. The owner, his son were there that day.There is also another fellow there who told us great additional history of the cars and the people...very passionate about these cars. This was a great museum. It is a MUST for any car enthusiast, engineer, or anyone who loves antiques and early 1900's up to the DeLorian type of history. It is great fun and pristinely clean. Onsite restrooms and water fountains. There is also a souvenir shop. Truly great fun!

DEBORAHH329

We were met by a very informative man and told about the highlights of the cars. There were no ropes to keep you away from them...the only request was Do Not Touch. He answered all our questions and even lifted a few hoods so we could see the motors. A very interesting museum...one of a kind!

mcttpabay

A wonderful collection of unusual cars from the 20's & 30's from Eng. Germany, etc. There are 60 cars. Take your camera.

JackS609

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum contains a quality collection of vintage automobiles. What is unique about this museum is that the collection is made up primarily of an interesting variety of classic cars from France, Britain and eastern Europe. The also collection includes some American classics and some unusual items such as an all wheel drive 1965 Ford Mustang. The collection is tastefully displayed in a manner that allows for a close examination of each car.

njmm_12

I have not been there in some time. I enjoy this type of venue. Friends of mine have said they also liked the Auto Museum.There is an admission fee but I do not recall the fee.

rebecketh55

If you love and appreciate antique and classic cars, or just like looking, this is a must see. All the automobiles share a first in auto manufacturing or are one of a kind. Most of european design, surprising to me was learnng what great engineers the Czechs were.Thank you so much Mr. Cerf for collecting, sharing and educating about these wonderful automobiles.

TuxedoAcworth_Ga

If you don't include this Auto Museum in your visit to the Tampa/St. Pete area then you are missing out on period in time when cars were truly special! My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the kind gentleman that answered all of my questions made the visit even more memorable. All I can say is the pictures on the site come no where near what you will see Upclose. This place is a gem!

Seminole_Co_Traveler

The museum houses something like 60 vehicles, all foreign except for 3. It includes unique models, such as one that was powered only by what seemed to be regular automobile batteries, and one vehicle with wheels up front and tracks in the rear. It is off the beaten path, but worth a visit.