The Artomobilia Team Proudly Presents Its Newest Event Revolanté

from Zionsville Monthly-July 2021

by Collective Publishing

Little League International Opens Its New Central Region Complex in Boone County

Writer // Janelle Morrison Photography // Courtesy of Artomobilia, Laura Arick and submitted

Wrapping up Artomobilia Weekend, John Leonard and his team will debut their newest event: Revolanté. This event will take place at the beautiful Bridgewater Club in Westfield on Sunday, Aug. 29, from noon until 5 p.m.

Introducing Revolanté

Revolanté will celebrate revolutionary automotive machinery, their visionary designers and courageous drivers, that have forever influenced the direction of road and race cars, and the many lines directly intersect with the heritage of the Racing Capital of the World. In its first year, Revolanté is an invitation-only event for entrants and a ticketed event for guests.

Entrants will delight in a variety of automotive events throughout the Artomobilia Weekend, and guests will enjoy nearly 100 of the most storied automotive legends of the road and track… all presented on the lavish grounds of The Bridgewater Club.

“We are going to start with a comparatively small number of significant cars—80 to 100—that will come from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMSM) and from collectors in the Indianapolis and surrounding markets,” Artomobilia Event Director John Leonard explained. “We will have the Jim Clark [Lotus Type 34] car that ran in the Indianapolis 500. And in keeping with this year’s theme, there will be Lotus cars on display—including the Lotus Evija. This will be our first event on grass [on a 23-acre driving range]. The tickets will be $33 per person—12 and under are free. And 100% of the ticket sales will go to support the programming of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.”

Leonard explained the importance of the Artomobilia team collaborating with IMSM to garner financial support and to create further awareness about the museum’s purpose and exceptional programming.

“There are very few automotive museums that have 100 years of stories,” Leonard stated. “It’s a huge opportunity for the museum and for Artomobilia as a participant supporting one of the most compelling museums in terms of content and history—and it’s right here in our own backyard [central Indiana].”

Supporting One of Indiana’s Greatest Automotive and Auto Racing Treasures

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMSM), uniquely situated inside the historical 2.5-mile oval track, is recognized as one of the most highly visible museums in the world dedicated to automobiles and auto racing. Through world-class storytelling, ingenuity, the arts and design, IMSM brings alive emotional experiences capturing the essence and cultural impact of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

We spoke with IMSM Curator of Vehicles Jason Vansickle about teaming up with the Artomobilia team and the importance of fundraising for this remarkable institution.

“It’s an interesting dynamic with the museum and the overall cultural fabric of what the Indianapolis 500 is to the state of Indiana,” Vansickle stated. “We are a separate entity from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from the Penske Corporation and from the Hulman Family when they owned the track. We are a 501(c)3, on par with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the Indiana State Museum and the Eiteljorg Museum. Philanthropic support is vital for an organization like ours, and by collaborating with folks like John [Leonard] and his team at Artomobilia, it’s a win-win for everybody. What they’re bringing out is really going help us establish this inaugural event and help set the foundation for Revolanté. I think it’s really an exciting time, and we are looking at raising the bar and really put an exclamation point on the [Artomobilia] weekend. There will obviously be an IMS vehicle on display. We are looking at our collection and will be bringing some showstoppers out!”

On March 1, IMSM opened its “Rocket Rick Mears” exhibit, presented by Racemaker Press. In addition to its extraordinary exhibits, track tours and guided museum tours, IMSM provides exclusive opportunities to its members. IMSM is currently doing a membership drive that will go until Sept. 1, 2021. One lucky IMSM member will be selected for an exclusive meet-and-greet with Hélio Castroneves—a four-time Indy 500 champ.

For more information about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, visit imsmuseum.org.

Attracting Renowned Collectors

Artomobilia Weekend has built a solid reputation among automotive enthusiasts and collectors alike over the last decade plus. Renowned collectors include such notables as Gary Bartlett, who lives in Indiana but spends a great deal of time exhibiting and competitive driving in Europe and has participated in America’s premier automotive concours: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Bartlett has also exhibited at Artomobilia several times and has been awarded “Best in Show” and “Best in Class.” The very first car that he exhibited at Artomobilia was a 1974 BMW 2002.

A collector of Jaguars, Bartlett’s exquisite automotive collection also includes

a 1967 Shelby GT500 and a 1968 Ford GT Mk III—one of three Ford GTs in his possession.

Carmel Monthly featured one of Bartlett’s Ford GTs on our cover in 2018 as part of a special focus on a rare and special collection of Ford GTs representing all the historical and modern-day Ford GTs.

When asked what attracts Bartlett most to Artomobilia and why he is compelled to bring not one but THREE of his Ford GTs to Revolanté its inaugural year, Bartlett replied, “After talking with John [Leonard] about Revolanté, it sounds like a really fun event, and that it’s going to be more in the tradition of events like Amelia and possibly Pebble Beach. By doing it at that level, it just moves Revolanté up another level and into another category from the other Artomobilia events. And it’s a charity event—I always enjoy doing things like that.”

Bartlett is bringing three amazing Ford GTs from his collection that will be exhibited at The Bridgewater Club during Revolanté.

“I’ve got a Mk III Ford GT40—the original—and there’s a second version that was done for Bill Ford and Ford’s 100th anniversary in 2003 that was designed by Camilo Pardo. When Bill Ford saw what Pardo had designed, he decided to produce them, and I got one of the first ones. I was doing stuff with Jaguar at that time, and Ford owned Jaguar, which is how I got one of the first ones. I’m bringing all three [Ford GTs], a red one, a blue one and a white one—very ‘All American.’”