Sometimes is hard to choose what to see in Malaga, as you have more than 50 museums around the city! Lately we had the opportunity to visit one of the best museums in town, the Museo Automovilistico de Malaga (the car’s museum). I had already been there, but the exhibition has got expanded, which has taking it to an upper level. In fact, I think it has got one of the best collections in the world about cars, as I had already visited the cars’ museum at the Vatican, and I have to say I wasn’t so impressed as with this one.
Firstly, the building itself is worth a visit. It was the old Malaga tobacco factory, now refurbished into this museum. The latest changes have made it very accessible, easy to walk through, and with plenty of room for exhibitions.
The main body of the exhibition are the cars, from its very beginnings to some futuristic models. They are totally 93 cars distributed in 13 rooms, unique models from Richmond, Paige, Lancia, Ferrari, Mercedes, Packard, Bugatti, Porsche… Each car has its own story and the sum of all of them is just incredible! They are really well preserved, like if they were just taken out from the factory. In fact, only five of them can’t be switched on. This means you can practically take a ride in any of them. They even start some of their cars on Sunday, and you may be lucky to get a ride for free!
To be honest, I have to say I’m not a big car fan, I don’t even recognize different types, etc. So that’s why I really appreciate this museum. It is not only about cars, it shows you how life has changed along the XXth century. And for that, they put you completely in the ambience when they were used. By each car, there is an “haute couture” design. Dresses by great firms fit perfectly in the collection, so you can easily get the whole picture.
To increase the value of the exhibition, the furniture exhibited and the pieces of art and graphic works hanging from the walls are of great value themselves. You can admire, for example, original adverts from Moulin Rouge! But there is more to it. If you are fan of fashion and design, you will find two interesting rooms. One is about designer’s hats and another one about fashion designer’s outfits. Here is a little gem which you may miss among the pieces exhibited, a surrealist hat-shoe designed by Salvador Dali for his wife and muse Gala. The whole experience gets even richer as you have the chance to get really close to all these pieces of art.
The whole exhibition is privately owned. And is his very owner, Joao Magalhaes, who is constantly bringing new ideas to make this museum alive. I can’t imagine anyone who would not be delighted in this museum. Children, women and even not car lovers will definitely fall in love with this place.
At the end of the visit, it was a kind of disappointment when I left the museum and drove back home in my Citroen C4. It must have been very nice to drive one of those cars at the museum through the streets of Malaga, for an everyday use, and not these compact cars owned by the majority. And then I realized the nice thing about visiting this museum, it makes you dream, and for some time, it makes you feel someone special.
If you want to indulge yourself with a special experience with them, contact us. We at Voilà Málaga can make your dreams come true. You can have a private guided tour just for you, see a cabaret show in the museum or get the whole place for your private event. Just dream!
