Outrageous Florida Mansion Has a Titanic Room Complete With Lost 1912 Renault Coupe

Another is the late trial attorney Fred Levin, worldwide famous for taking on Big Tobacco in the '90s and winning.

Timeless Tanglewood is Levin's former family home in Pensacola, Florida, which he donated to the University of West Florida upon his death in 2021 and was recently sold to a private new owner after being briefly listed in March 2024 with an asking of $2.9 million. From the outside, it looks more or less like a standard Florida mansion built for a more eccentric owner, but it's even more so once you step through the main doors.

Timeless Tanglewood is a mix of some of the strangest and most opulent décor elements from various periods, whether we're talking classic Renaissance or late 18th-century style. It is decadent in a way that would make a Russian oligarch smile kindly and think, "aw, that's cute!," so decidedly not the type of home to suit everyone.

But once you look past the bigger picture and into the details, you will find Levin's sense of humor and desire to shock, as well as the passion of a diehard collector.

Levin bought the home from his son in 2007 and then spent the next few years and an unaccounted number of millions turning it into the wonder that it is today. It offers only 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms but comes with thematic communal rooms packed with treasures, a large waterfront area accessible by means of cascading staircases, a gorgeous driveway, and incredible treasures whichever way you look. The repetition of the word "treasures" is not an accident.

One of the highlights of the mansion is the Titanic Room, which is actually comprised of two different rooms joined by a replica of the lower-class elevator door on the Titanic. One of the rooms houses the Titanic bar, which was entirely crafted by hand out of wood with gold inlays, antique cameos, and shell motifs. A large clock above the bar is set to show the exact time when the vessel went down, while a miniature replica of the ship helps the clueless put all these details together.

The other room is styled to resemble the ship's hull, with steel on the walls and ceiling to recreate the vibe of the cargo hold where the Titanic's most precious asset was held. That was a 1912 Renault Type CB Coupe De Ville owned by William Carter, who had bought it in Europe and was bringing it back to his home country, the U.S.

The Renault 4-door sedan was also featured in the 1997 film Titanic, both in the opening scene and in the famous scene in which Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's characters steam up the interior by making love on the leather rear seat.

Levin had the only other Type CB Coupe De Ville ever built, the sister of the one lost with the Titanic, on display in this second room. Next to it was his personal collection of White Star Line glass and dinnerware, ranged by class.

When Levin died in 2021, his home was donated to the University, though not its contents. Those were separately appraised at some $8 million, but whether the 1912 Renault was included was never mentioned. At some point, it was removed from the Titanic Room and seems to now have found a place in the prestigious Volo Museum in Illinois. Volo claims it's the only one in the world like the 1912 Renault lost with the Titanic and, as such, an invaluable asset.

The lost 1912 Renault Type CB Coupe

While Levin's Estate has said before that his 1912 Renault is the same one shown in the Titanic movie, that's likely inaccurate. For the film, director and producers contacted Everett Adams of Reno to build a replica based on a detailed description from the Carter family and extended documentation. According to the Volo Museum, while painstakingly accurate, the replica was based on a Ford Model T with all the necessary modifications. Its whereabouts aren't known.

While featured heavily in the film and despite being the most valuable asset onboard the ship, the 1912 Renault was protected from prying eyes by being shipped inside a wooden crate, either in one piece or disassembled. It was stored in one of the cargo hauls towards the bow, which was among the first to be flooded after the iceberg collision.

Williams survived the tragedy by jumping into a lifeboat with the director of White Star Line and was reimbursed for the car by insurance to the tune of $5,000, which would be approximately $161,000 in today's money.

Released at a time when Ford was taking the Model T into mass production, the Renault Type CB featured a 35 hp 2.6-liter L-head inline four-cylinder engine good for a cruising speed of up to 35 mph (60 kph) and a sleeker, sportier look than most cars of that era thanks to positioning the radiator behind the engine. Also unlike many cars of that era, it had a drive shaft instead of a chain drive, and was ultra-luxurious in finishes, with hand-stitched leather throughout and gold plating.

Despite many attempts to relocate the lost Renault, it has never been found.