In Memoriam – Alain Cerf — 1934 – August 7, 2024

Alain A. Cerf, founder of the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum and noted Citroën collector and enthusiast, peacefully passed away in his sleep in the early hours of August 7th, 2024, at the age of 90. Alain is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elisabeth Cerf, their two children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Born in Paris in 1934, Alain’s inquisitive mind and thirst for knowledge earned him a place at the prestigious Lycée Henri IV in the heart of the city. There, he excelled among his French peers in literature, mathematics, engineering, philosophy, and more. Many of his classmates went on to become well-known figures in French society. During his time at school, Alain received a travel grant to study hydraulic dams, which led him to hitchhike from France to Brazil and back.

Alain met Elisabeth on a cruise ship to Greece, a gift from his parents. Despite her initial impression of him as an inquisitive young man who asked too many questions, it turned out to be a rewarding encounter as they would go on to spend 65 years together. Elisabeth, who was born to a Sicilian father and a French mother, moved with Alain to the French countryside, away from Paris, where they had twin boys and founded an innovative company that manufactured equipment for bundling consumer products.

Alain proved to be an extraordinary engineer, receiving many patents and always challenging the status quo, constantly questioning why, and never accepting no for an answer.

While building his remarkable company, Polypack Inc., Alain remained an adventurer. He drove from France to India and back not once, but twice, and traveled the world while opening plants in various European countries. His ultimate dream was to bring his family to the United States of America. Driving the same car that had taken them to India, the family traveled to Genoa, Italy, and boarded the ship Michelangelo bound for New York. Passing the Statue of Liberty, Alain drove on to Tampa, Florida. Within a few days of arriving in Florida, Alain declared, “Next year, we will open a manufacturing facility here.” True to his word, he purchased the home they lived in for 51 years and established operations in the United States.

A true Renaissance man, Alain had a passion for music, art, architecture, cars, and astronomy at the highest levels. He undertook many remarkable projects, from reconstructing the first self-propelled vehicle ever, the Fardier by Cugnot, writing books, to founding the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. Vehicles include pioneering front wheel drive and rear engine cars from the 1920’s and 1930’s, and each one was chosen based on the engineering achievements that made it an important part of the evolution of the automobile. Featured are nine Citroëns, including a 1931 Kegresse Half Track — survivor of the Citroën-Haardt Expedition ‘La Croisiere Jaune’ that commenced on April 4th, 1931 in Beirut, Lebanon, and followed Marco Polo’s Silk Road route to Beijing, China, a 1961 twin engine, 4-wheel drive 2CV Sahara and a 1975 GS Birotor.

https://www.tbauto.org/car-collection

Alain was extremely proud of the rare documentation he collected about the attempted development of automatic transmissions for the Citroën Traction Avant. Although never put into production, about 20 prototypes were made based on the Sensaud de Lavaud automatic transmission — a “gearless” automatic, using the torque-converter alone to match engine revolutions to the drivetrain revolutions, much like the Dynaflow Transmission introduced later in the USA.

When referred to as a patron of the arts, Alain humbly replied, “I am not a patron; I simply enjoy the arts.” Alain’s legacy will endure for a long time in Tampa Bay, where his entire family resides and remains actively involved in their beloved community.