This museum, located in the Black Forest (Schwartzwald) in Germany, has over 220 vehicles on display. It provides an excellent overview of cars produced in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1945 to 1960. There is an impressive collection of microcars (or bubblecars) and motorcycles. At various locations throughout the 3 floors of exhibition space there are period-correct scenes of domestic life: a 1950s kitchen, living room etc., all decorated with consumer goods typical of the period.
Lineup of Messerschmitt microcarsA trio of NSU Prinz models, including the rare Wankel-engined Sport Prinz (r)1950s German kitchenEarly VW BeetlesBrutsch Mopeta
Address:
Auto- und Uhrenwelt Schramberg Gewerbepark H.A.U. 3/5 78713 Schramberg
This is a very interesting museum. Not just because of the varied and historically interesting cars on display, of which there are over 300, but also because of the hundreds of other old cars that are not officially on display. However, you can view them from an elevated walkway. Condition varies between near-perfect and requiring ground-up restoration. For me, this part of the collection was the most fascinating. It was like discovering a barn-find.
Main exibition hall, Yvan Mahy musuemPart of the reserve collection at Mahymobiles
During the 1950s and 1960s the late Ghislain Mahy amassed a collection of old vehicles, bought for their scrap value and stored them away. In 1986, the Autoworld museum was opened in the grounds of the Cinqauntanire Park in central Brussels. The huge hall, which at one time housed the 1880 Great Exhibition, is now home to more than two hundred and fifty cars and motorcycles, jewels of the Mahy Collection. Unfortunately, it cannot hold more than a quarter of the Mahy collection.
Some require more attention than others..
In 1997 Ghislain’s son Ivan Mahy found a redundant textile factory in the town of Leuze-en-Hainaut, to house the rest of the collection.
Cars from all eras
Address:
Musée de l’Auto MAHYMOBILES Rue Erna 3, 7900 Leuze-en-Hainaut, Belgium
The Lin Fox collection is housed in an old customs warehouse in the docklands area of Melbourne, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings. Lindsay Fox established the Linfox haulage company in 1956 and has been collecting interesting cars for many years. The museum is not very large, but the interesting cars, mainly British and European, make it well worth a visit. Check the museum’s own website for opening times.
Lin Fox Museum buildingA trio of Jaguars at Lin Fox museumItalian exoticaMercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet at Lin Fox museumPorsche 718 SK on display at Lin Fox museum
Address: 749-755 Collins Street, Docklands 3008, Melbourne, Australia
The National Museum – Schlumpf Bugatti Collection is chronicled all over the web and in hundreds if not thousands of books.
And yet in real life it is such a breathtaking display and so well worth a visit! The sheer size of the collection is overwhelming and even the most seasoned of motoring history enthusiasts can tire of the seemingly endless rows of exquisite marques. The Schlumpf brothers were famous for amassing an incredible collection of Bugattis, and when you realise how exclusive Bugattis are – many museums have just one or two – the collection really is huge.
Bugatti Type 35Bugatti EB110
Hoewever, the museum does have other makes besides Bugattis. Not just French makes such as Delahaye, Delage, Hotchkiss, Citroen and Peugeot, but also Jaguars, Mercedes-Benz etc.
There is also an impressive display of veteran cars1913 Le Gui B2 Torpedo
.
Address:
Cité de l’Automobile Musée National Collection Schlumpf 192, Avenue de Colmar 68051 Mulhouse France
When I wrote this in the year 2000, all buses on Malta and neighbouring island Gozo were a sight to behold – and to experience! However, all has now changed, and the buses are modern and have air conditioning. You no longer have to stoop to get to your seat – they are tall enough to allow you to walk inside the bus.
The buses in Malta are really something else. The newest models date from the 1970s and all are traditional British makes, such as Leyland, AEC, Ford, Bedford.
Malta buses in Valetta, Malta
Nowadays (2000) all are painted yellow with an orange stripe down the side. There is no destination film, just a route number shown behind the windscreen. All buses are privately owned and the cab interiors are usually decorated in some way or another – most have a religious picture or two, mostly a madonna, a cross or a sticker proclaiming “I Love Jesus”. However, some have pictures of more down to earth subjects and boast: “I love sexy girls”. Some have framed photographs showing off the bus and its proud owner.
Postcards of Malta buses
Postcards, posters and books about the buses of Malta are on sale everywhere on the island. Originally each route had its own livery. Later the island was divided into public transport zones and the buses of each zone were painted in a different colour scheme. At some point all buses were painted green. The reason they are now all yellow and orange is – at least according to a Scotsman (who had been visiting the island for the past fifteen years) we met while waiting for the bus in the blazing sun at Ta’ Qali – that with a view to improving road safety the government decreed that green buses should be no older than five years. The proud Maltese bus owners’ solution to that was simply to paint the buses yellow! After that the government gave up.
Although you will still find old cars on the streets of India, most just look old (and I don’t mean due to lack of care and maintenance). The Hindustan Ambassador, for instance, is based on the 1950s Morris Oxford and was still being produced in 2004. The 1958 Fiat 1100-based Padmini is also an evergreen. Other models include the Hindustan Contessa, which is in fact the 1972 Vauxhall Victor.
Premier – Hindustan Ambassador
“THE AMBASSADOR – THE FIRST AMONG INDIAN CARS
Ambassador – the first car to be manufactured in India, has been ruling the Indian roads ever since its inception in 1948. Originally based on Morris Oxford (United Kingdom, 1948), the Ambassador has been undergoing a series of changes, adapting to customer expectations.
With upgraded manufacturing facilities in Uttarpara, West Bengal, Hindustan Motors Limited is geared for production of a more contemporary version of the Ambassador, with features catering to the needs of the present generation.
Ambassador, the only automobile to ply Indian roads for more than five decades now, has carved a special niche for itself in the passenger car segment. Its dependability, spaciousness and comfort factor have made it the most preferred car for generations of Indians. The Ambassador’s time-tested, tough, accommodating and practical characteristics make it a truly Indianised car.”
The above is a quote from the 2004 official Hindustan Ambassador website.
I found India truly wonderful – all the sights and sounds you have read about, the ancient history, the more recent colonial history and… the animals. Not the just the sacred cow. Monkeys, camels, elephants, you name it. But to stick to the automotive theme, it was the taxis that made a lasting impression. Most seemed to be Hindustan Ambassadors. And of course the Bajaj tricycles. On one trip in an Ambassador through Old Delhi our driver spent most of his time driving whilst looking at us in the back seat, at the same time honking his horn in order to clear a path though the congested streets. We all survived.
On a long drive to Agra, to see the Taj Mahal, we encountered numerous accident spots. Quite a few had involved animals, the remains left lying in the gutter. To mark the wrecked vehicles, stones were laid around them. These proved particularly useful when returning after dark, as there was no street lighting at all.
Taj MahalBajajTaxi rankHindustan AmbassadorPadminiFIAT / Padmini Station Car
