Brussels, Belgium, 13 December, 2011
The Cinquantenaire Park in the centre of Brussels was built as
part of the vision of King Leopold II, in the late part of the 19th
Century, although it was not completed until early in the 20th
Century. Central to the park is the majestic triumphal arch from
either side of which spread the colonnades to the exhibition
centres, which were used for the first time in 1880 to exhibit
products of Belgian art and industry, and later for the 1897 World
Exposition. Today the architecturally impressive complex is
devoted to museums, the north wing housing the Aviation & Army
Museum, and the south wing the Autoworld Automobile Museum,
which was inaugurated in 1985.
The museum came into being through the vision of Ghislain Mahy
who was an inveterate Belgian car collector, a passion carried on
by his son Ivan today with the Mahy Collection. It started when he
bought his first car, a 1921 Model T Ford in 1944, and now
encompasses some 950 vehicles, including cars, motorcycles
and trucks, along with a vast array of automobilia, like garage
signs, petrol pumps, badges, mascots, literature and almost
anything car related that one may care to think of. Thanks to his
generosity the museum normally has over 200 vehicles on display
at any one time, and sometimes more if there is a special themed
exhibition on the agenda. Apart from the main motorised element
of the museum, there is also the separate Pierre D’ieteren Room,
which houses a collection of horse drawn carriages, including the
state coach used by Napoleon III at the time of his marriage to
Eugenie de Montigeot. This section of the museum display is part
of The Royal Museum of Art and History’s collection.
The range of vehicles on display spans from the pioneering days
of motoring at the start of the 20th century, to the present day.
Within this wide palette there is a broad spectrum of types,
including cars, commercial vehicles, public service vehicles and
motorcycles. At present there is very little in the way of
competition cars in the museum, but during 2012 a sport and
competition display area will be incorporated, broadening the
scope of the museum still further.
However, even without any major competition element, there is
still a diverse and interesting array of vehicles on display, ranging
from well known prestigious marques like Bentley, Bugatti,
Cadillac, Delage, Delahaye, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls Royce, to
obscure and long lost brands like Alva, Belga Rise, Darmont, FN,
Graham, Omega, and Rovin. The cars come from many parts of
the globe, like a 1951 Moskvitch 400, which bears a strong
resemblance to the 1939 Opel Kadett, not surprising as the
tooling went to Russia in the aftermath of WW II. Then there is
the Trabant that became ubiquitous in Western Europe after the
fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Tatra from Czechoslovakia. Whilst
from closer to home, there are Citroens, Peugeots and Renaults,
from Italy there is Alfa Romeo and Ferrari,from across “La
Manche” Lotus, Jaguar and Sunbeam, and from the USA, Cord,
La Salle, Packard and Studebaker to name but a few. As
mentioned, there are many obscure vehicles in the museum, but
the prize must go to the unique (some might say fortunately) pre-
war Bugatti T57, that was re-bodied in 1954 by the sculptor
Jacques Brown in a more aerodynamic form using polyester for
the body panels, thus saving weight and increasing performance.
His vision was highly praised at the time, but probably not so by
marque purists more than half a century later.
The museum also features a well stocked boutique, Babouin,
located outside the ticket gate, which specialises in a wide range
of scale models and books. If you are hungry or thirsty there is
the Autoworld Brasserie located adjacent to the boutique.
Museum Location
Autoworld Automobile Museum
Esplanade Parc du Cinquantenaire 11
Jubelpark
1000 Brussels
Museum Opening Times
Monday – Friday from 10.00 to 17.00
Saturday & Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00
Closed 25 December 2011, but open 01 January 2012.
Note: there is an exceptional closure on 16.01.2012.
Museum Admission Fees
Adults ........................................ 9 Euros
Groups of 15+ Adults ................... 7 Euros (per person)
Students/Seniors (60+)/Disabled .. 6 Euros
Children 6 – 12 Years .................. 4.50 Euros
School Groups ............................ 3 Euros (per child)
Children under 6 ......................... Free
Further Information can be obtained from
www.autoworld.be
Keith Bluemel
12/2011
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