- Exclusive exhibition revealing rare Ferraris for Formula 1, sports car races and prominent customers
- A unique combination of high-class Ferrari cars with a focus on technology, design and sporting performance
- Accompanying book publication for the special exhibition in co-operation with the Motorbuch-Verlag
Ewersbach, 04 March 2024. With the special exhibition “Ferrari – Masterpieces for Road and Track,” the Nationales Automuseum and The Loh Collection follow on seamlessly from the successful “100 Years of Le Mans” opening exhibition. The special Ferrari exhibition opens on 23 March 2024. It presents a worldwide unique collection of high-class Ferrari vehicles. The exhibits at the Nationales Automuseum represent a cross-section of eight decades of Ferrari history, ranging from the early Mille Miglia Barchetta and the Ferrari 212, which dominated the Carrera Panamericana in 1951, to successful sports car prototypes and the Formula 1 car driven by Michael Schumacher. The exhibits include design gems from the 1950s and 1960s and the hypercar quintet of the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and La Ferrari. “Every vehicle is an important piece of automotive and company history,” says the museum’s founder, Professor Friedhelm Loh.
Detailed insights into the brand’s nearly 80 years of history
“For a car museum that wants to show the entire spectrum of automotive history, there is no escaping Ferrari,” explains Friedhelm Loh. “And if you are also involved in racing up to the level of Formula One, you automatically arrive at Ferrari in historical terms.” The Formula 1 cars in the Loh Collection tell stories from the most important chapters of Ferrari’s history at the pinnacle of motorsport: From the cars of Lorenzo Bandini, Jacky Ickx and Niki Lauda, to the single-seater of the outstanding Michael Schumacher era, to the last world champion car from Maranello so far, Kimi Raikkonen’s F1-2007. The museum displays both the red car in which Schumacher won his first world championship title in 2000 and the F2004, with which Schuhmacher and Ferrari won their fifth driver’s title in a row. With no less than eight victories in one season, the vehicle on show here is Ferrari’s most successful racing car ever.
“While planning the exhibition, we were concerned to have a varied mix and include the fascinating stories behind the individual exhibits,” says Professor Loh. “Because only the stories they tell bring the vehicles to life. The exciting constellations of people and technology make this dazzling opus of automotive history tangible – and unique.”
Individual items for prominent customers – nobility and captains of industry
These include the stories of famous personalities and royalty; for example, how the individual items with Pininfarina bodywork shown in the exhibition were explicitly created for these prominent figures. The client for the Ferrari 250 GT Speciale from 1957 was Princess Réthy, wife of Belgian King Leopold III. The 250 MM – a thoroughbred racing car was constructed three years earlier and was painted in an imposing colour in Turin especially for the wife of Hans-Heinrich Àgost Gábor Tasso Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon, “Heini Thyssen” for short. It was fashionably fitted out at Hermès in Paris and it also had a roof rack for winter sports trips. Later, the favourite vehicle of the model Nina Dyer ended up in the hands of Prince Sadruddin, the Aga Khan. Moreover, the actor and amateur racing driver Gunther Philipp, who enjoyed decades of popularity, was able to win races and titles with the black 250 GT SWB Competizione from Wolfgang Seidel, who was the teammate of Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips on several occasions.
This exhibition, rich in highlights, also covers the development of Ferrari racing sports cars from their earliest beginnings to the present day. Masterpieces with which Ferrari achieved great success in major races such as the Mille Miglia, the 1,000 km at the Nürburgring, Daytona and Le Mans are all on show. This success story began in the 1950s and extends to the recent victory in the long-distance classic. The technical advantages gained through racing can be seen in the numerous models of the 1960s, from the 246 SP to the 275-330 P and Dino 206 S to the iconic 412 P. They are all in exceptional condition, which even makes some of them reference vehicles for the company’s own ‘Ferrari Classiche’ department.
As fascinating as the brand itself: Enzo Ferrari, the company’s founder
“In addition, the person Enzo Ferrari is at least as fascinating as the brand, its vehicles and the people behind the brand,” says Friedhelm Loh, describing a further motivation for this internationally important exhibition. “Through continuous development, Enzo Ferrari constantly furthered his company; he understood opportunities and knew how to take risks. His actions became the DNA of Ferrari, which has been one of the world’s leading brands for decades.” In addition to a detailed presentation of the exhibition vehicles, a book published parallel to the special exhibition traces Enzo Ferrari’s background and provides an in-depth overview of the company and its cars. The book has been published in co-operation with the renowned ‘Motorbuch-Verlag’ publishing house and is written by the experienced motor journalist and book author Jörg Walz. Furthermore, the Nationales Automuseum shop offers model vehicles and automobilia specially created for the Ferrari exhibition.
More than 40,000 visitors since opening demonstrate the fascination with the “car as a cultural asset”
The number of visitors to Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach in Hesse demonstrates the continuing fascination of young and old with automobiles: Since opening in July 2023, the Nationales Automuseum has welcomed over 40,000 guests. The FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup award in December 2023 is also proof of the museum’s international status. In the classic automotive scene, this is considered the top international award any museum can receive.
The museum has now also taken up a role as a science location: Jochen Buck, professor of forensic expertise at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HfWU), welcomed the first students to Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach during the winter break. On the Certified Expert for Historic Cars (CEHC) certificate course, students are trained as classic vehicle experts in their postgraduate studies. The Nationales Automuseum is part of the university’s official campus.
Due to the spacious grounds, the “Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection” is also an ideal starting point, stop-over or destination for old-timer rallies, orientation trips and club meetings. The “New York New York” restaurant and diner in the museum’s freely accessible entrance area offers refreshments for participants and museum guests. Just as the exhibition vehicles in the museum come from different countries and eras, the varied cuisine also reflects a variety of cultures and identities.
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.
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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
