Tampa Bay Automobile Museum

05/30/2026

Colonel Edward H. R. “Ned” Green, his wife Mabel and their dog are pictured on Green’s Star Island estate in Biscayne Bay, off Miami Beach, with his custom 1929 Stearns-Knight M 6-80 cabriolet. The car was specially converted into a gearless gasoline-electric hybrid, allowing Green to drive without shifting gears.

Green, the son of financier Hetty Green, commissioned a small series of custom Stearns-Knight based hybrid cars so he could drive without shifting gears. Long before hybrid vehicles became common, these unusual machines paired a gasoline engine with an electric drive system, creating a fascinating early chapter in alternative automotive engineering.

05/28/2026

This restored 1916 image shows an Owen Magnetic on Pleasant Street, an early luxury automobile known for its unusual gasoline-electric drive system. Instead of using a conventional mechanical transmission, the Owen Magnetic used a gasoline engine to generate electricity, which then helped power the car through an electromagnetic drive.

At a time when horses still shared the road with automobiles, this car represented a bold new idea in motoring. It was quiet, smooth and remarkably advanced for its day.

Seated in the car is Pike, a local benefactor who donated Monument Lot to the town. His daughter Evelyn is behind the wheel, with Lubec businessman Calvin H. Clark standing alongside. Monument Lot can be seen in the background.

05/26/2026

This is the very first New York Auto Show at Madison Square Garden in 1900! It featured 69 exhibitors and drew in a massive crowd of over 48,000 visitors.

05/25/2026

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum will be closed on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day as we honor the service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives for our country.

05/25/2026

We’re excited to welcome Alan Glenn as our Master Mechanic and Service Director.

Alan is a third-generation automotive professional with a lifelong passion for engineering, performance vehicles and historic automobiles. His experience spans everything from modern luxury vehicles to some of the world’s most remarkable classics, including antique Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles, Jaguar, Porsche, Ferrari, Franklin Automobile Company and many more.

Over his career, Alan has worked on vehicles ranging from a 1915 Rolls-Royce to a 2026 Mercedes-Maybach. He is factory trained and certified with Honda / Acura, Harley-Davidson and Mercedes-Benz, and he has earned his ASE Master Technician Certification.

When asked what made him want to join the museum, Alan said:

“The museum’s collection is especially meaningful to me because it showcases true engineering marvels. That passion for innovation, craftsmanship and automotive history is what excites me every day, and it is truly an honor to work on and maintain these incredible machines.”

We’re thrilled to have Alan helping preserve, maintain and care for the incredible vehicles in the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum collection.

05/23/2026

Lower Broadway in 1903, filmed by American Mutoscope & Biograph. A rare moving glimpse of New York City before skyscrapers, taxis and traffic lights took over the streets. Just crowds, carriages, early automobiles and the pulse of a city already rushing into the future.

05/22/2026

Our 1937 Mercedes-Benz 170H is currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum as part of World-Class: Celebrating 100 Years of Mercedes-Benz.

We were thrilled to visit the exhibition and see one of Tampa Bay Automobile Museum’s own vehicles included in this celebration of Mercedes-Benz engineering, innovation and design.

Produced from 1935 to 1939, the 170H represents a fascinating chapter in the search for an accessible, high-quality “people’s car” during the 1930s. The “H” stands for Heck, meaning rear, a reference to its rear-mounted engine. With leather seats, overdrive, a radio and a cabriolet limousine body style, the 170H offered a more refined and comfortable take on the rear-engine concept.

Only 1,507 examples were produced, making this rare Mercedes-Benz an important piece of pre-war automotive history.

We are proud to have our 1937 Mercedes-Benz 170H included in this remarkable exhibition honoring a century of Mercedes-Benz excellence.

On display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles through April 30, 2027.

05/21/2026

The 1905 Franklin Model F Touring was known as one of the most advanced American cars of its era. Built in Syracuse, New York, it featured an innovative air-cooled engine, lightweight construction, full-elliptic leaf spring suspension and a 2-speed planetary transmission that made driving simpler at a time when automobiles were still new to many families.

This photograph features Margaret Griffith of Lisbon, Ohio.

See the 1905 Franklin Model F Touring at Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.

05/19/2026

Have you ever seen a car that could fold itself to park?

Our latest blog tells the story of Robert Hannoyer and the Reyonnah, a tiny French microcar designed in postwar Paris to solve a problem drivers still know today: limited parking space.

With front wheels that folded inward beneath the body, the Reyonnah could narrow enough to fit through gates, courtyards and tight city spaces. Only 16 were built, and you can see the first one at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.

Read the story here:

In postwar France, Robert Hannoyer wanted to solve a problem that still frustrates drivers today: how do you park a car when city space is limited?Hannoyer was a garage mechanic in Paris, the kind of inventor who understood machines through grease, repair work and real-world problems. In the late 19...

05/16/2026

Before gasoline ruled the road, America couldn't make up its mind. 🚗

Steam. Electricity. Gasoline. At the turn of the 20th century, all three were competing to become the future of transportation and nobody knew which one would win.

The Brass Era (1896–1915) was one of the most fascinating periods in automotive history: a time of brilliant inventors, strange experiments and machines that almost changed everything.

👉 Read the full story here:

At the end of the nineteenth century, American cities were loud, crowded and alive with competing kinds of motion. Horses pulled delivery wagons and hansom cabs. Electric trolleys ran on fixed rails. Elevated trains rumbled overhead. Bicycles darted through whatever gaps remained.1902 Street Scene o...