One year of the Nationales Automuseum

• New exhibition marks 125 years of vehicle production at Opel

• World-exclusive special exhibitions: “100 Years of 24 Hours of Le Mans” and “Ferrari – Road and Race Masterpieces”

• Museum awarded the FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup

Ewersbach, 23 July 2024. One year of the Nationales Automuseum, The Loh Collection: On 23 July 2023, the collection opened its doors to the public at its home in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach in the German state of Hesse. Since then, the museum has had the honour of welcoming more than 85,000 visitors from across the globe – proof of the never-ending fascination for the automobile that unites people of all ages. The museum has also established itself as a popular mainstay for classic car rallies and club meets, acting as a starting point, stop-over or finishing point.

New: Opel anniversary exhibition with 15 vehicles
The museum is ringing in its second year with an exhibition to celebrate 125 years of vehicle production at Opel. Incorporated into its permanent exhibition, the special exhibit – which runs from 1 August until 17 November – features a total of 15 vehicle highlights from the Rüsselsheim-based brand’s eventful history. Among them is the “Patentmotorwagen” from 1899, Opel’s first-ever vehicle. Other gems from the Classic Car division include the 4/12 PS “Laubfrosch” (greenback) from 1924, with which Opel brought production-line manufacturing to the German auto industry, the luxurious Opel Admiral from 1939 and the 1970 Commodore GS/E, which took Opel close to the then magic figure of 200 km/h. The brand’s motorsport history is represented by the likes of the 12-PS racing car from 1903, the Safari Rally Ascona from 1983 and the legendary “Cliff” Calibra, which won the 1996 International Tour Car Championships (ITC). Things get ‘spaced-out’ with the 1997 Corsa Moon, while the brand’s modern era is reflected in the GT Concept from 2016 and 2019’s Corsa e-Rally Concept.

The large special exhibition “Ferrari – Road and Race Masterpieces” is running in parallel and will remain open until spring 2025.

Museum receives the classic car scene’s highest accolade
It is not just visitor numbers that reflect the museum’s popularity; visitor feedback has also shown that the full package of museum, eateries, entertainment and shop is going down very well. The Nationales Automuseum is also receiving a great deal of attention from the world of classic cars. The international significance of the collection’s 150 carefully selected vehicles dating from 1885 to present day is reflected by the FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup, which was awarded to the museum in December 2023. On the international classic car scene, this is the highest accolade that a museum can receive. The press response has also been overwhelming: The German magazine “Stern” called it “Europe’s most spectacular car museum”, while “Der Spiegel” described it as an “Ode to the joy of driving”.

Two spectacular special exhibitions
It is not only the museum’s permanent exhibition that has generated a great deal of public interest; two special exhibitions, the quality of which are unmatched anywhere else in the world, have also played an important role since the museum’s opening. “100 Years of 24 Hours of Le Mans – the Myth, the Heroes, the Cars” kicked things off with 21 original Le Mans racing cars from 1928 to the present day.

This was followed in March 2024 by “Ferrari – Road and Race Masterpieces”. It presents exceptional vehicles from the Italian dream-car brand spanning eight decades, including two of Michael Schumacher’s World-Championship-winning Formula 1 cars plus the hypercar quintet of the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo Ferrari and LaFerrari, which are now known as the “Ferrari Big Five”. Also on show are the unique winners of historic road races like the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia and the Carrera Panamericana.

As an exclusive accompaniment to the special exhibitions, the museum published the books “Le Mans – Highlights from the First 100 Years” and “Ferrari – Road and Race Masterpieces”, written by experienced motoring journalist and author Jörg Walz, both available in German only. The latter was published in cooperation with renowned publishers Motorbuch.

The museum as a university campus
Unique in Germany: Since the 2023 winter semester, the Nationales Automuseum has acted as a university campus for the Economics and Legal Faculty at Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HfWU). Professor Jochen Buck, professor of forensic science at the university, had the honour of welcoming the first students to Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach over the winter break. During a certification course spanning one semester, students can train to become a “Certified Expert for Historic Cars” (CEHC).

A course for training students to become “Certified Experts for Car Design” (CECD) also launched in November 2023 led by Professor Wolfgang Henseler from the Design Faculty at Pforzheim University. This course is aimed at anyone keen on taking an even more in-depth look at the topic of vehicle design. Over the course of the year, a series of lectures on automotive history will take place as part of Nürtingen-Geislingen University’s Automotive Industry course.

And another project is helping to promote new talent in the automotive and classic car sector: the auction of a painting by the artist Hendrik Schmeer. Featuring a high degree of realism and objectivity, this impressive piece shows a red Ferrari F40 in front of a terrace of houses in Italy and currently forms part of the Ferrari special exhibit. The picture was created as part of the F40/U30 project, which aims to empower young people in the automotive and classic car sectors, provide opportunities to up-and-coming talent, and give them support to make sure the scene continues to thrive and enable future generations to experience their automotive heritage – an aspect that is particularly close to museum founder Professor Friedhelm Loh’s heart. The auction, which will be held in cooperation with the Nationales Automuseum, will take place at the end of the year with proceeds donated to a charitable cause.

Nationales Automuseum, The Loh Collection – Facts and Figures

• More than 85,000 visitors in the first year

• Open from Wednesday to Sunday

• Around 150 vehicles in permanent exhibition

• Vehicles from over 50 different brands from over 10 countries

• “New York New York” Restaurant and Diner, museum shop, racing simulators, Carrera racetrack, 50-seat cinema

• Personal guided tours by appointment

• History workshop on “Over 2,500 years of iron smelting at Dietzhölze and Dill” (free entry)

• Several venues for up to 500 guests

• Parking spaces for cars, buses and campervans (including power points)

About the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection
As one of the world’s most exciting car collections, the Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection, located in the Central German town of Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Hesse, displays around 150 spectacular vehicles from 1886 to the present day. The exhibition, which has been open to the general public since July 2023, extends over some 7,500 square metres with a mix of eleven sheds and exhibition spaces on a former industrial site. The exhibition houses unique pieces, prototypes and highlights of automotive history from the collection of the founder of the museum Prof. Friedhelm Loh. His aim is to document the historic, technical and economic development of the automobile, and generate enthusiasm for its history. Its outstanding portfolio and professional curation also make the Nationales Automuseum attractive for research and teaching. The “Nationales Automuseum University Campus” is affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Law of the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Science (HfWU) and also offers a wide range of educational opportunities for schools and universities. There is also a museum shop, cinema, restaurant and designated areas for events for up to 500 people.

For further information, please feel free to contact our press department at any time:

Contact
About the National Automuseum The Loh Collection Foundation
Museumsstrasse 1
35716 Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Germany
Phone: +49 2774 923 650
Email: presse@nationalesautomuseum.de
www.nationalesautomuseum.de