{"id":1311,"date":"2025-03-14T15:27:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/?p=1311"},"modified":"2026-03-13T18:22:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:22:36","slug":"my-love-of-car-museums-pt2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/14\/my-love-of-car-museums-pt2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing Automotive Icons – Part 2 – A Motorsport Photographer\u2019s love of Car Museums"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

f you\u2019ve been reading my recent posts, you\u2019ll already know that I have a bit of a weakness for a good car museum. So it probably won\u2019t come as a surprise that earlier this year I planned a short road trip to Germany with a couple of friends to visit several of them before the motorsport season gets too busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We set off on a Thursday evening as soon as my friends finished work, crossing into France just before midnight. From there it was an overnight drive towards Stuttgart, making good use of the unrestricted sections of the German Autobahn to cut down the travel time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few hours later, as the sun came up, we rolled into Stuttgart and arrived at the Porsche Museum right as the doors opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porsche Museum – Stuttgart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Porsche<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This was actually my second visit to the Porsche Museum, but the rotating exhibitions mean that many of the displays had changed since my last trip. It\u2019s a place that feels less like a traditional museum and more like an automotive art gallery, with each car presented as a design icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Porsche<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s always a good start to the day when you\u2019re greeted by three Porsche 911 GT1s sitting together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On display were both the 1997 and 1998 Le Mans race cars, alongside the incredibly rare 911 GT1 Stra\u00dfenversion, Porsche\u2019s road-going homologation special. Seeing these three cars together is a rare treat and easily one of the highlights of the museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Porsche<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even on a return visit, the Porsche Museum remains one of the best automotive museums in Europe, and I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll find time to visit again in the future. If you\u2019re anywhere near Stuttgart, it\u2019s absolutely worth adding to your itinerary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Motorworld Stuttgart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Later that afternoon we headed to Motorworld Stuttgart, located on the outskirts of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motorworld sites are something of an automotive playground. Alongside showrooms and dealerships you\u2019ll find glass storage pods where collectors keep their cars, motorsport memorabilia shops, and specialist workshops. For car enthusiasts and photographers alike, there\u2019s always something interesting to discover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lamborghini<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Lamborghini Service Centre immediately caught our attention, with several colourful machines lined up outside. One highlight was a paint-to-sample Lamborghini Revuelto, parked next to what appeared to be the owner\u2019s Diablo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Paint\u2011to\u2011sample<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paint\u2011to\u2011sample<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inside the dealership itself was another eye-catching machine: a Lamborghini Hurac\u00e1n STO, sitting proudly on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lamborghini<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The storage pods are always worth exploring, as you never quite know what you\u2019ll find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the standout cars were two Mercedes-AMG ONE hypercars, both tucked away under covers side-by-side – a rare sight given how few of these Formula 1-derived machines exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, most of the other cars were fully visible. One particularly special machine was a Flying Lizard Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3-RSR, the same car that competed at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 12th in class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For motorsport fans, stumbling across genuine race cars like this makes wandering through these collections especially rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flying<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Flying<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few other photos from around the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Collector<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Collector<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Collector<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mazda Classic Automobile Museum Frey – Augsburg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The next morning we made a quick stop at a museum I had only discovered while browsing Google Maps before the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located in Augsburg, the Mazda Classic Automobile Museum Frey wasn\u2019t originally part of the plan, but after visiting their website I knew we had to check it out while we were nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turned out, we arrived just before opening and the incredibly kind receptionist let us in a little early which meant we had the entire museum to ourselves for about 15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The museum is the first Mazda museum outside Japan and houses cars from one of the largest private Mazda collections in the world. The collection ranges from obscure models most people have never heard of to some of the brand\u2019s more famous rotary-powered machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I particularly liked is that the cars don\u2019t feel overly restored or sterilised. Many look like they\u2019ve actually been driven and enjoyed at some point, which gives the collection a lot of character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among the highlights were a Group B Mazda RX-7 rally car displayed alongside a 1979 IMSA raced RX-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Group\u202fB<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For something truly unusual, it\u2019s hard to beat the Mazda Parkway 26, a rotary-powered minibus of which only 44 examples were ever built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rare<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Rare<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another personal favourite was the Autozam AZ-1, a tiny kei sports car built by Mazda featuring gullwing doors and a 657cc turbocharged engine sourced from Suzuki. It\u2019s one of those cars that perfectly captures the creativity of Japanese automotive engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mazda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy a few more images from this collection before we move onto the next stop on the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Various<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Various<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Various<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BMW Museum – Munich<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our next destination was Munich and the BMW Museum, which provides a comprehensive look through the history of the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"BMW<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"BMW<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"BMW<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While I would have liked to see more of BMW\u2019s most iconic models on display, there was still plenty to explore, particularly in the motorsport section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlights included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2016 BMW M4 DTM car driven by Marco Wittmann<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BMW 3.0 CSL \u201cBatmobile\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BMW E30 Group A touring car<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BMW 320 Turbo Group 5 DRM car<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2015 BMW Z4 GTE from Marc VDS that competed in the European Le Mans Series<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2016<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"BMW<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"BMW<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"BMW<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"2015<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the motorsport displays there were also several interesting road cars and concept vehicles spread throughout the museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Historic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Historic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Historic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Motorworld Munich<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our visit to Motorworld Munich came later that evening. Compared to the Stuttgart location it felt slightly quieter, likely because we arrived on a Saturday evening just before many of the stores were closing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, there were still a few interesting cars to spot among the storage pods and showrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Motorworld<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Motorworld<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Motorworld<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Audi Museum – Ingolstadt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The final stop of the trip took us to Ingolstadt and the Audi Museum, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the museum\u2019s most distinctive features is the paternoster lift, a continuously rotating vertical display that holds 14 cars in constant motion. Visible from every floor of the building, it provides endless opportunities for photography from different angles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Paternoster<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paternoster<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paternoster<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Further into the museum, the motorsport displays feature several legendary race cars, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2011 Audi R18 e-tron quattro Le Mans prototype<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSU streamliners that set speed records in the 1950s and 1960s<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an impressive showcase of Audi\u2019s engineering and racing heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Historic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And just like that, the trip came to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just a few days we had visited some of Germany\u2019s best automotive museums, seen everything from rare Group B rally cars to Le Mans prototypes, and captured plenty of photos along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something tells me it won\u2019t be long before another road trip like this appears on the calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Audi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to see more of my work, please follow me on my social channels \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

f you\u2019ve been reading my recent posts, you\u2019ll already know that I have a bit of a weakness for a good car museum. So it probably won\u2019t come as a surprise that earlier this year I planned a short road trip to Germany with a couple of friends to visit several of them before the … <\/p>\n

Read more “Chasing Automotive Icons – Part 2 – A Motorsport Photographer\u2019s love of Car Museums”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1311"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1647,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions\/1647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertborowikmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}