The prototype Jaguar XK 120 at the 1948 London Motor Show at Earls Court. In postwar Britain, life was gray and uncertain. Cities were still recovering from bombing raids, fuel was rationed, and few could imagine a future filled with speed and glamour. Then, in 1948, something extraordinary appeared at the London Motor Show. Under the bright lights of Earls Court, Jaguar unveiled the XK120, a car that would redefine performance, beauty and ambition. A Sports Car That Made His

Tatra T26/30 climbing test, likely near Kopřivnice, Czechoslovakia, circa 1929 In the foothills of the Beskydy Mountains, in the small industrial town of Kopřivnice, Czechoslovakia, a quiet revolution in engineering was unfolding. The year was 1929, and Europe stood between wars, balancing fragile optimism with a hunger for progress. Factories were modernizing, borders were redrawn, and automobiles were becoming not just symbols of wealth but of resilience and ingenuity. At t

If you are fascinated by automotive history and the evolution of engine design, the 1929 promotional film Silent Knight: The Triumph of Silence Over Noise  is a remarkable artifact. Produced by Willys-Overland, Inc., it was created to promote the innovative sleeve valve engine system developed by Charles Yale Knight. This design promised quieter, smoother, and more refined performance at a time when noise and vibration were accepted parts of motoring. The Story Behind Silent

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum’ s 1942 Tatra 87  was recognized at the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance with multiple honors, including the Chairman’s Award. Surrounded by some of the most remarkable automobiles in the world, the Tatra drew steady attention for its unusual beauty, its engineering innovation, and its distinct presence on the show field. For the museum, the recognition felt like a celebration of both art and science. The Tatra 87 is not just an elegant

Lancia stand at the Paris Motor Show at the beginning of October 1922 A century ago, one car rewrote the rules. When the Lancia Lambda  debuted at the 1922 Paris Motor Show, it looked elegant, but what lay beneath made it revolutionary. Built in Turin, Italy, the Lambda was the world’s first production unibody car, the first with independent front suspension, and among the earliest touring cars with four-wheel brakes. It handled better, stopped faster, and rode more smoothly

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum has officially added its first motorcycle and it’s no ordinary bike. The 1989 Norton Commander , powered by a 588 cc Wankel rotary engine, represents a daring engineering experiment in motorcycle history. Unlike traditional piston engines, the Wankel rotary uses spinning triangular rotors instead of reciprocating pistons, producing power in a smooth, continuous motion. The result is a compact, lightweight engine with an uncanny turbine-like fee

When Cars Became Instruments of Exploration What if a car could go where only camels, caravans, and explorers once dared? In the 1920s and 30s, French automaker André Citroën set out to prove that the automobile wasn’t just for city streets and countryside drives, it could conquer deserts, jungles, and even the high passes of the Himalayas. His bold vision gave birth to a trilogy of expeditions that pushed the limits of engineering and captured the world’s imagination. The Fi

When Carl Benz rolled out his Patent-Motorwagen in 1886, history took note: the automobile had arrived. But long before Benz made the...

Smoke, Steam, and the Birth of the Automobile The crowd stares. A strange machine rattles forward, belching steam, its wheels grinding...

David Stollery Few careers shift as dramatically as that of David J. Stollery. Famous in the 1950s as a Disney child star, he walked away from Hollywood to pursue a completely different passion: designing automobiles. That bold transition would carry him from the bright lights of television to the studios of General Motors, Toyota’s pioneering California design team, and eventually to building experimental sports cars of his own. A Life in Two Acts Spin and Marty TV poster Bo

Citroën promotional film from the early 1970s The Dream of Felix Wankel When German engineer Felix Wankel first sketched his dream of a piston-less engine, few believed it would ever run. Yet by the 1950s, at NSU Motorenwerke in Neckarsulm, prototypes were alive and humming, compact, smooth, and unlike anything the automotive world had seen. The rotary promised to banish vibration, deliver high revs, and shrink the engine bay. To a generation of postwar engineers, it felt lik

When Ed Cole was appointed Chief Engineer of Chevrolet, he wasted no time in setting up a research and development department. Cole...

We are thrilled to announce that our beloved 1965 Mustang has been featured on Barry T's Garage YouTube channel! Barry's insightful and...

Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting FOX 13’s Mariah Harrison at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. As she stepped into our world,...

In honor of the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans happening this weekend, we wanted to take a moment to highlight our 1929 Tracta A - the 1930 24...

Salvador Dalí, the grandmaster of surrealism, was renowned for his eccentric and thought-provoking art. One of his most playful and...

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum offers much more than a display of historic vehicles; it provides a deep dive into the lives and...

The evolution of car suspension systems is a fascinating saga of innovation, marked by groundbreaking vehicles that introduced new...

Amidst fuel shortages and wartime austerity, the Gazogène system emerged as a groundbreaking technology, allowing vehicles to operate on woo

Let's explore a pivotal moment in automotive history: the birth of hybrid vehicles. While today's hybrids are all about eco-conscious...