Story

Miles Collier is an artist, philanthropist and son of one of the richest families in America, who is so shy of publicity that he refuses to be photographed. Miles sacredly believes in his mission: to show the role of the car in the history of mankind, to make the car a subject of serious academic study.

“The car is the most important technical artifact of the 20th century. He formed the world in which we are today. Anything with such value deserves respect and study, ”says Collier.

Since the founding of The Revs Institute in 2009, Collier and his staff have been trying to turn the hobby of car collecting into a vocation. The institute is friends with Stanford University and is studying the automotive industry, as well as its impact on society. To understand why Collier is so interested in cars, you need to go back two generations. Barron Collier, Miles's grandfather, was selling advertising on the subway and trams across the country. He invested a fortune in South Florida, becoming the largest landowner in the state.

Father and uncle Miles Collier played a big role in the emergence of sports racing in the United States. In the prewar years, they founded the Automobile Racing Club of America, which turned into a sports Automobile Club of America.

After the Second World War, my father and uncle helped organize the first public race on the Watkins-Glen track. In honor of the latter, the Sam Collier Memorial Grand Prix of Endurance was even organized at the airport in Florida.

So the collector was born surrounded by famous relatives. It was such a significant event that even the New York Times wrote about the birth of Miles Koller. Before he was old enough to walk, Collier was already fond of cars.

What to look at

Collier began to form his collection in the 1980s. He carefully organized and grouped it in different sections of the building, protected from the most powerful Florida hurricanes. The ground floor accommodates sports cars. A separate wing is dedicated to Porsche. The collection also includes a car park that once belonged to Briggs Cunningham, a friend of Collier’s father.

Most of the collection cars are on the second floor. Among them stand out:

• 1965 Ford GT40s - 4-time Le Mans winner;
• Ferrari Tipo 166 1948 - the first Ferrari model to win a major race and the first imported to the USA;
• Mercedes-Benz W154 Silver Arrow of 1939, which participated in the race on September 3, 1939 - on the day when Great Britain and France went to war with Germany;
• 1967 Dan Gurney's Eagle - the first American-made car to win the Formula One Grand Prix, is considered the most beautiful car with open wheels;
• 1974 Jorgensen Eagle, in which Bobby Anser won the Indy 500 race in 1975.

The newspaper The New York Times once called this collection of sports cars "the best in all of America." These cars embody the ideas and ambitions inherent in all mankind. It is for this reason that Collier opened The Revs Institute to the public in 2014. In accordance with its mission to be "the main place for automotive research", it is open as a museum and scientific library. three days a week.

Collier believes that this step is the best way to spread the importance of his mission.

The Revs Institute has the largest specialized automotive library in the world. There are more than 7,000 automotive books, 300,000 photos and hundreds of studies.

What now

In separate cells of the archive are stored photographs, marketing materials, guides and catalogs. Among the impressive and eclectic catalog you can find Enzo Ferrari's diary, a pair of bear gloves used by drivers in the 1920s, vintage racing glasses and trophies, original drawings of racing cars and extensive collections of auto magazines.

There is also a workshop with an area of 12,000 square feet, working on the restoration of cars and the care of antique equipment. Many of the cars are restored to their original condition. The dents and scratches of paint can tell about the life of the car and its former owners - for example, the Porsche 917K is still covered in mud from the last race in 1971.

Preserving history is an important part of the institute’s efforts. Collier holds regular symposia for collectors. Revs Institute specialists regularly “train” cars - they keep them in working order. Most collection cars drive on public roads, on private racetracks and during festivals.

A study of the history of how people used a car, how they were built and maintained shows that it is important to learn and take care of cars. The Revs Institute - the embodiment of the call to protect, admire and appreciate things as they are.