If you’re a car lover then you will rub your hands in anticipation when you see a vintage car or get in a conversation about automobiles. Another enjoyable activity is going to a car museum, and there are many all over the world. Here are seven car museums you don’t want to miss.
The Petersen Museum, LA
The Petersen Museum is located in Los Angeles and is well worth your time to stop by and visit. It’s packed full of legendary cars that will get your attention and make you truly excited. It’s a very one-of-a-kind car museum full of some newer models and old vintage cars like the Ford GT40, for example. It’s also very popular because of its great collection of land rovers and top-notch race cars like the McLaren M8 race car which competed in the Can-Am Races. Put the Petersen Museum on your list, you’ll be glad you did.¹
Haynes Museum, Somerset UK
The Haynes Museum is in Somerset, United Kingdom, and is named after John Haynes who was a major car lover who started an epic car collection. He started opening his massive display to the public in 1985 and it’s only grown since then and continues to be very popular even since his death last year, with more than 400 cars on display. The Haynes Museum is divided into sections and specializes in classic road cars: Americans Dreams, Minis and Micros, Great British Marques, the Red Room and the Morris Story. It also has an excellent display on motorsport and some particularly eye-catching models including the Jaguar XJ220 and the Lamborghini Countach.²
America’s Car Museum, Tacoma, WA
America’s Car Museum is located in Tacoma, Washington and is especially well-suited to racing fans. The museum is centered completely around NASCAR and has enough racing souvenirs and vintage cars to bring a tear to the eye of a true NASCAR fan. America’s Car Museum is highly recommended and worth your time to check out if you’re in the Tacoma area or want to make it a road trip.³
Alfa Museum, Arese, Italy
The Alfa Romeo Museum is in Arese, about a 25-minute drive north of Milan. It should be on every car lover’s list and was reopened in 2015 after closing in 2015 – even bigger and better. The museum has a show room for new models, a track to test cars and a collection of 69 iconic Alfa Romeo’s including the 6C 1750 Gran Sport and the Gran Premio 159 Formula one. The museum takes you through the history of the company including cars that didn’t end up getting made and stayed in the concept phase. It’s amazing to visit and well worth your time.²
Cité de L’automobile, Mulhouse, France
Cité de L’automobile (Automobile City) is situated in Mulhouse, France about half an hour northwest of Basel, Switzerland. It has over 500 cars and has the biggest collection of Bugattis on the planet, including three of the only seven Bugatti Royales that were ever manufactured – so if Bugatti is a brand you’re passionate about you should come peruse this place. In addition the racing section is very cool especially the Schlumpf Collection. Enjoy.⁴
Beijing Auto Museum, Beijing, China
Next up is the Beijing Auto Museum in Beijing, China. The Chinese car industry isn’t usually well-known to Westerners, so this place will be an eye-opener and is full of Chinese and Russian built cars that launched the age of the automobile in China. It’s a fairly new and massive museum that opened in 2009 that shows the evolution of China’s auto market and a lot of famous cars used by famous Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.²
BMW Welt and Museum, Munich, Germany
No list of auto museums is complete without the BMW Welt (World) and Museum in Munich, Germany. It’s full of fascinating BMW history and models and you can also tour a production facility, showroom and upcoming models. This place is a dream come true for BMW fans, there’s no doubt about it.¹
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/the-6-most-amazing-car-museums-in-the-world-2016-2
[2] https://www.autocar.co.uk/slideshow/world%E2%80%99s-greatest-car-museums
[3] https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g6532/ten-automotive-museums/
[4] https://simplypetrol.com/15-best-car-museums-worth-visiting/