Museums aren’t only reservoirs, but they also serve as gatekeepers to some of the most important tangible and intangible heritage of any society. Without museums, we won’t have solid and concise insight into the history of humankind....CONTINUE READING
For their role in the preservation of the past, museums serve as the bedrock for modern inventions, promoting understanding and appreciation of the past which now becomes a means of influencing the future. Hence, the importance of museums in a society can never be overemphasized, and the same is true of car museums.
Simply put, car or automotive museums preserve and help to propagate the history of automotive-related artifacts which include cars.
While there are several cars that belong in the museum, there are also several impressive car museums in the world, and they house and exhibit some of the most incredible cars in the history of the automotive world.
In this article, we’ll take you through some of the most significant cars with huge historical importance kept in some of the world’s most iconic museums.
10 1894 Benz Velo – Toyota Automobile Museum / Japan
Unlike most automotive museums run by particular brands, the Toyota automobile museum in Nagakute city, close to Nagoya, often exhibits cars from other brands. One of such cars is the 1894 Benz Velo. A brainchild of Carl Benz, the Benz Velo is one of the world’s first cars; introduced after the Patent Motorwagen.
The 1894 model features a 1.0-liter engine with an output of 1.5 hp. With over 1,200 units of the Benz Velo produced between 1894 and 1902, the car is the world’s first large-scale production car. Notably, the car also participated in the world’s first automobile race in 1894, starting in Paris and ending in Rouen. The Benz Velo came fifth in the race.
9 1899 Locomobile Steam Car – Henry Ford Museum / United States
The 1899 Locomobile Steam Car was quite a significant automobile in its era. Though twin brothers F.E. and F.O. Stanley designed it, however, A L Barber, through The Locomobile Company built the 1899 Locomobile Steam Car, having bought the right to produce it from the Stanley Brothers.
The Locomobile Steam Car’s power comes from a twin-cylinder simple engine with a 14-inch boiler placed underneath the driver’s seat with an output of 3.5 hp in early models, but in subsequent models, this output was steadily increased to 5.5 hp. An example of the 1899 Locomobile Steam Car is on display at the Henry Ford Museum.
8 Mercedes-Benz C111 – Mercedes-Benz Museum / Germany
The Mercedes-Benz C111 is a dream sports car that shouldn’t be dreamt about (because it never entered production). Impressively, when it got unveiled at the Frankfurt IAA exhibition in September 1969, the Mercedes-Benz C111 caused a stare and several people were willing to pay any amount it’ll require to own it, but the spectacular sports car wasn’t for sale.
The manufacturer built the Mercedes-Benz C111 only as test mules. With these cars, Mercedes experimented several new technologies such as diesel and Wankel engines, turbochargers, as well as features like gull-wing doors, air conditioning, and multi-link rear suspension.
In total, 16 units of the Mercedes-Benz C111 got built through four generations. Some Mercedes-Benz C111s are on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany.
7 Porsche 356 “No. 1” Roadster – Porsche Museum / Germany
Porsche is a German brand, but its first production car, the Porsche 356, was built in Austria. A brainchild of Ferry Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche’s son, the first unit of the car is the 356 “No. 1” Roadster, and it received its operating permit in the Austrian town of Gmünd on June 8, 1948.
It’s a one of a kind, as it was the only unit with an engine fitted in front of the rear axle; the series-production versions have rear-mounted engines. Notably, the engine is a performance-enhanced four-cylinder flat adopted from Volkswagen.
The car has a max output of 35 hp and a top speed of 84 mph. Currently, the Porsche 356 “No. 1” Roadster is on display at the Porsche Museum in Germany.
6 1968 McLaren M8A – Petersen Automotive Museum / United States
Developed by Bruce McLaren and his racing team for the 1968 Can-Am season, the 1968 McLaren M8A paved the way for a successful series of specially built race cars that earned McLaren an incredible four consecutive overall Can-Am victories.
The race car gets it power from a 7.0-liter Chevrolet V8 producing 650 hp, which is also the first engine ever to get incorporated as a stressed member of the chassis in a McLaren Can-Am car.
The chassis 2 on display at the Petersen Museum was driven by Denny Hulme to victory at the 1968 Can-Am Championship. The team built a total of three 1968 McLaren M8As.
5 The Electric Egg – Cité de l’Automobile / France
The L’Oeuf, also called “The Electric Egg,” is the prototype of a then futuristic economical light electric car that built in 1942. Notably, the design of The Electric Egg, which consist of a spherical body, with a fastback rear, was inspired by interwar cyclecars or a drop of water, and Parisian industrial designer Paul Arzens created it in 1938.
During the Second World War, Arzens fitted the L’Oeuf with an electric motor to avoid using fuel. The motor received its power from five sets of 660 lbs, 12 volts and 250 Ah batteries, for a range of 62 miles at 40 mph.
However, a Peugeot single-cylinder petrol engine replaced the electric motor after war. Acquired by the French Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Electric Egg is on display at the Cité de l’Automobile in France.
4 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Tulipwood – Blackhawk Museum / United States
Considered by many as the most famous and desirable French car ever, the 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C surely is an automobile that makes heads turn.
The version here, featuring an ultra-lightweight, bespoke tulipwood body that was hand-crafted by Nieuport, is apparently one of most iconic pre-war collectible cars of all-time.
Power comes from an 8-liter, 45-hp, H6C engine. Notably, the 1924 Hispano-Suiza Tulipwood H6C got added to the Blackhawk Collection in ‘80s where renowned classic car restorer Mike Fennel handled its restoration.
Apart from the Blackhawk Museum, the 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Tulipwood has also been on display in other notable museums like the Henry Ford Museum.
3 Porsche 64 (First Ever Porsche) – Petersen Automotive Museum / United States
While the Porsche 356 “No. 1” Roadster remains one of the most iconic Porsche ever, as well as being the first unit of the production model, there’s actually a car that predates the Porsche 356 “No. 1” Roadster. It’s the Porsche 64, also called Type 64. Built in 1939, it’s the first ever car from Porsche.
The company produced three units of the car for racing, but they never raced. Power comes from a flat-four engine that churns out between 32 and 40 hp with a top speed of about 99 mph.
Of the three, only one survived, and several notable people, including Ferry Porsche, have owned it. Currently, the car is on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
2 ALFA 24 HP – Alfa Romeo Museum / Italy
Many people know Alfa Romeo, but not many know ALFA (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), the company that preceded and metamorphosed into Alfa Romeo. During its reign, ALFA produced the 24 HP. Notably, the 24 HP was the first ever model developed by ALFA at the company’s Portello factory near Milan.
Sold as bare chassis, ALFA produced five series of the 24 HP. On the original 24 HP, power output was as much as 40 hp, while the top speed was 62 mph. The 24 HP is on display at the Museo Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo’s official museum situated at Arese, Milan.
1 First Tesla Cybertruck – Peterson Automotive Museum / United States
The world hopes the Tesla Cybertruck will soon be available to the eagerly anticipating masses, but until it does, it’s still a rare automobile. Also, one of the most significant units of the model is the first Tesla truck which is now on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in the United States, even if it’s just as a pit stop.
With the launch of the EV officially promised for 2023, many believe the Tesla Cybertruck is now closer to reality even though it was first revealed over three years ago. Arguably the most appealing electric truck ever, the Cybertruck has three motor configurations of single, dual, and tri-motor.
Of the three configurations, the tri-motor is the most potent with almost 500-mile total range, a cruise from rest to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and a claimed top speed of 130 mph…CONTINUE READING>>