National Automobile Museum
history and evolution of the automobile
The unique collection of the National Automobile Museum of Turin contains treasures of the past two centuries of history of over 80 different brands from 8 countries.
The collection of the Museum of Turin is made up of about 200 cars of 85 brands from 8 countries of the world: Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, Holland, Spain, Poland and the United States.
The history of the automobile is not only the story of a means of transport but, through it, passing events, and the chronicles of nations, passing the great events of Europe and go above 900 changes in society and culture of the peoples.
What would be the Futurism without its symbol of progress and modernity? Roaring car that seems to ride on grapeshot is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace reads the manifesto of the movement. And how not to consider the great acceleration to the spread of the internal combustion engine occurred with the first world war? And how can we ignore the Volkswagen bus became a symbol of universal freedom and impartiality of the "flower children" of the '60s and '70s?
The indissoluble bond between the car's history to that of our society and our culture is represented in the National Automobile Museum of Turin through the 30 sections in which they articulated the 9,000 square meters of exhibition space, a subdivision in salt that can pinpoint issues and specific historical periods, giving the visitor a clear narrative, delivered with evocative titles and locations, from the beginning to the present day.
This is a true national and international museum boasts one of the rarest and most prestigious collections in this area. Among the most valuable pieces may include:
the "steam car" designed by Virginio Bordino in 1854;
the first model of 1893 Benz with the speed change belt;
the first Peugeot model to circulate in Italy in 1892;
Bernardi, the 3.5 HP, 1896, the first three-wheeled car built in Italy;
Fiat 4 HP, 1899, the pattern of onset of the Turin;
Fiat 12/16 HP, the first of the Turin car to be exported;
Florentia, 1903, the only one still exists of this brand;
the Oldsmobile Curved Dash 1904, the first vehicle with functional characteristics;
Itala of 1909 belonged to Queen Margaret and her christened "Palombella";
Renault Fiacre 1910, the taxi that brought the French soldiers at the front on the Marne saved Paris from German invasion;
Isotta Fraschini 8A, luxury car purchased and used by Rudolph Valentino in 1950 for the filming of "The Sunset Boulevard";
The Cisitalia 202, 1948, the "self-moving sculpture" that marked an era, insomuch that a sample exposed to the Museum of Modern Art in New York as "one of the six most beautiful cars in the world";
Ferrari 500 F2 with which Alberto Ascari won the world title in 1952;
the Trabant 601, 1987, auto symbol of East Berlin
The importance of this huge collection is not contained only in the value of these vintage pieces but goes beyond the object itself to intrude in the history of societies, nations and cultures that have passed through these two important centuries.
The cars on display in the 30 new sections designed by production designer François Confino are in fact perfectly fell within the social context in which they originated, meaning that the objects of our everyday life, and the car in particular, are real mirrors our tastes, habits and ideas.
The cars are placed before the spectator as emblems of a world that has never stopped changing and evolving and the changes which result in changes and experiments in all sectors, from industry to science, from art to literature. They also represent a historical record of what we were and what we are becoming: the Fiat 500 of 1957 to the 1952 Volkswagen Type 1, which is the famous Beetle, up Autobianchi Bianchina of 1959, of great utility class.