On Sunday I fired up my SL 55 AMG and drove from Palm Beach to Naples for the 9th biennial Revs Institute Symposium on Connoisseurship and the Collectible Car. Revs is an acronym that stands for Researching Evolution of Vehicles in Society. The event is graciously hosted by Miles and Parker Collier and is held at their spectacular car museum in Naples, Florida. I was invited to attend by Sports Car Market publisher Keith Martin. Since I was already in Palm Beach, the drive across Alligator Alley was a cinch—and a pleasure! My SL 55 AMG was the perfect car for this 141-mile journey. This convertible German land missile has a five-hundred horsepower supercharged AMG engine. Along the way I had several good opportunities to really let the SL 55 “stretch its legs” while driving across Alligator Alley. What a thrill to drive this German AMG beast across a flat and straight South Florida version of the Autobahn!
I arrived at the Inn on 5th just in time to catch the bus for the welcome dinner. We dined at the museum amidst dozens of stunning cars that belong to Collier Collection. I am here for the next four days to absorb as much as I can about the collector car industry. The conference will cover collecting, restoration, legacy, and the future of automobiles. The sessions are conversational and will be moderated by noted industry experts. There are several elective sessions and you can design your own tour with the assistance of expert faculty. There are about fifty attendees and they are all a who’s who of the collector car world—the guests are predominantly connoisseur insiders with substantial experience, expertise, and knowledge. I will be reporting back to Turtle Garage on the many key takeaways of the symposium. Check back soon for more updates from Collier County Florida.
The SL 55 AMG is the ultimate Florida car! This photo was taken at a rest area off Alligator Alley
My route from Wellington to Naples
Welcome to Collier County!
The welcome committee at the Collier museum
Dinner among the stars….
Great Revs schwag!
Cool, Phil!
What fun!!! That’s what collecting is all about enjoying our cars.