Our journey to “The Sunshine State” for coverage of Mecum’s 2026 Kissimmee event, (featuring the Bachman Collection and Bianco Speciale), began with an unforgettable first visit to the world‑renowned Revs Institute in beautiful Naples, Florida.
Even before stepping through any one of the many exhibit rooms in the facility, there’s a sense that you’re entering hallowed ground, where preservation, scholarship, and passion intersect. Revs is a place that feels less like a museum and more like a sanctuary for automotive history.
Our guided tour with Lauren Goodman, Associate Curator of Exhibitions – one of the many personalities on the Motoring Podcast Network – set the tone immediately.
She brought the galleries to life with the kind of insight that only comes from living and breathing these machines every day. Every car had a story, and every story had a heartbeat.
Just a short drive away in Ft. Myers, Florida, Revs Institute’s Archive and Research Center offered a completely different kind of awe. Director of Archives and Research Center Operations Arthur Carlson and his team welcomed us into a purpose‑built research facility that feels like a cathedral for historians.
Floor‑to‑ceiling collections, meticulously organized materials, and a quiet hum of scholarship make it clear why researchers from around the world treat this place as a magnet for serious study.
This visit wasn’t just a tour – it was an immersion. A reminder that automotive history isn’t just preserved; it’s actively cared for, interpreted, and shared by people who genuinely love it.
And if you’re as passionate about cars as we are, and find yourself near southwest Florida, we highly recommend that you take an afternoon and detour to the Revs Institute and check out this absolute gem of a museum.
**Be sure to stay tuned to the MPN for future episode with Lauren Goodman, as she hosts our “Women of the Autosphere” series on Break/Fix.
