While lockdown has relegated most to the confines of their homes, allowing for only brief trips outside to buy essential goods, the internet offers some escapism, enabling us to virtually travel around the globe from the comfort of our couch. For motoring enthusiasts, this means the chance to take a tour of some of the best automotive museums in the world. Here’s a list of five carmakers’ museums we recommend you visit, be it under lockdown or not.
Museo Ferrari Maranello
Thanks to Google Street View, Formula One fans (especially those supporting the red cars) can pay a virtual visit to Ferrari’s Maranello museum, where the Prancing Horse’s historic and contemporary F1 racecars are on display.
Museo Lamborghini
While you’re (digitally) in Italy, why not make a quick click to Lamborghini’s museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese? By using Google Street View, virtual visitors are given the opportunity to get up close to some of the most iconic Raging Bulls, new and old, and even “climb” into driver’s seat of cars such as the Miura and Sesto Elemento.
Mazda Museum
Mazda is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2020. Explore the Japanese carmaker’s rich history by visiting its museum in Hiroshima, Japan via Google Street View. The exhibition includes, amongst others, the Mazda Cosmo, RX-7 and the Le Mans-winning 787B racecar, plus an array of the firm’s rotary engines and new Skyactiv tech.
Mercedes-Benz Museum
Accessed via the Stuttgart-based automaker’s website, Mercedes’ museum offers 360° views of seven exhibitions, spanning the birth of Benz, its pioneering endeavours and post-World War Two cars up to its quest for emissions-free mobility. And motorsport enthusiasts? Click on the seventh and final link to take a look at the Three-pointed Star’s racecars and read about their achievements.
Porsche Museum
Staying in Stuttgart, take an, ahem, scroll to Porscheplatz down the road and visit the Porsche Museum. Also accessed via the firm’s website (first make sure your computer is Adobe flash player enabled), visitors are treated to an almost realistic 360° experience, from viewing the museum from the outside upon arrival and entering the foyer to the start of the tour. You can even visit the coffee shop … just make sure you’ve brewed your own.
What motoring museums would you like to visit in the future? Let us know in the comments below…
