PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WFLA) — Take a trip back in time at this museum that features vintage cars, some dating back to the late 1800s.
The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum is located in Pinellas Park half a mile north of Gandy Boulevard. and half a mile east of US-19.
The museum opened up to the public in 2005 and currently has more than 70 cars on display that visitors can check out.
It started out as a private collection owned by Olivier Cerf’s family.
“My father had four cars that he brought from France over to the US,” Cerf said.
The family has an engineering company right next to the museum named Polypack, Inc.
“So, we started collecting one car, which was a sleeve engine car, and then started adding another one and then another one,” Cerf said.
Every car in the museum has been restored and is in working condition, even the ones dating back to the 1800s.
“The main thing about the museum is that everything needs to be running. Of course, they break down and we fix it but that’s the goal,” Cerf said.
Cerf also said he has a team that works on the vehicles to repair them.
“It is a challenge to maintain everything running, it’s also the fun part because we always discover new engineering when a car breaks down and we’ve never repaired that particular car. As an engineer myself I’m learning something new,” he said.
The mission of the museum is to educate all generations of visitors about how engineering can transform an industry, like the automotive industry.
The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum is open Monday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., closed Tuesday, open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sunday noon – 4:30 p.m.
General admission is $14, Seniors (65+) $12, Active Military and Youth (9-17 years old) $10,
and admission for 8 years old and under is free with a paying adult. Click here to buy tickets.