One of the world's greatest private car collections has turned into the world's newest automotive ... [+]
One of the world’s greatest private car collections has just become the world’s newest automotive museum, with the weekend opening of the National Automuseum in Germany.
Formerly the Loh Collection, the extraordinary collection of more than 150 cars is brimming with some of the most significant machines in the history of the automotive world.
The National Automuseum boasts cars like the only privately-owned Le Mans-winning Audi, Fangio’s 1957 German Grand Prix-winning Maserati 250F and a horde of prototypes.
The most successful Michael Schumacher-era Ferrari Formula 1 car sits, as it should, alongside Mika ... [+]
It even has enough historic Le Mans racers to run its own special exhibition for the French classic’s 100th anniversary year. The cars on display range from 1886 to the present day, and include concept cars, one-off machines and successful racing cars, as well as cars with ground-breaking engineering and/or cultural significance.
Sited in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, between Cologne and Frankfurt in central Germany, the National Automuseum is also an educational facility, and doubles as a campus for economics and law for the University of Economics and the Environment Nurtingen-Geislingen HfWU.
Professor Doctor Friedhelm Loh has opened his astonishing private car collection to the world with ... [+]
Graduates of the program will have masters degrees in engineering, specializing in the the identification, restoration and cultural significance of historic cars, something the museum’s founder, Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Loh, insisted on.
“It is my goal to use the fascination of automotive technology to excite young people for technology as a profession and to make them choose an exciting education,” says the museum’s founder, Prof. Dr. Loh said.
Pf Dr Loh made his fortune as the sole owner of the Haiger, Germany-based Friedholm Loh Group, whose companies include Rittal, Stahlo, and LKH plastics, employing 12,000 people globally and turning over more than €3 billion a year.
The 7500 square-meter museum boasts a full restaurant, an American-style diner, an outdoor cafe and an art-deco movie theatre as well.
The Porsche 959 Sport, adapted from a pre-production and media car to a road car for double World ... [+]
Some of the automotive highlights include the last Lincoln Continental exited by John F Kennedy before his assassination in 1963, Michael Schumacher’s first World Championship-winning Formula 1 Ferrari and the one-off Maybach Exelero concept car.
“These unique cars reflect courage, innovation power, pioneering design, craftsmanship and love for detail,” Pf Dr Loh said.
“I invite everyone who is interested in and excited by the fascination on wheels and the technology in the cars to visit us at the Nationales Automuseum.”
Some of its highlights include Niki Lauda’s personal BMW M1 Procar racer, the rare Porsche 959 Sport built for double World Rally Champion Walter Rohrl and the famous, giant-killing Jagermeister BMW 320 Group 5 racers.
America is also heavily represented, with a Ford GT40 Le Mans racer, the most successful Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR outside North America and the Dodge Avenger used by Dale Earnhardt to win his last IROC title.
