STEERING THROUGH HISTORY

Motor enthusiasts ought not to miss a tour of one of Turin’s best-loved collections. Italy’s National Automobile Museum could be nowhere else but here, the birthplace of the leading car manufacturer FIAT. Inaugurated in 1960, the museum is one of the oldest of its kind and boasts a precious collection of almost two hundred cars spanning the decades from the late 19th century to 2010. Over eighty different brands produced in countries such as France, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and, of course, Italy are on display celebrating one hundred years of motor madness.

The museum is divided between three floors and visits start on the museum’s second floor where twenty-one rooms chronologically illustrate the development of automobiles. Here unique and rare models, ranging from an 1892 Peugeot to a flaming red Jaguar E from the 1960s, are showcased. Visitors will retrace the major historical events and currents of the twentieth century, including World War I and II, the discovery of aerodynamics, women’s emancipation, the advent of mass production, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and find out how the motor industry affected the economic growth, cultural revolutions and artistic movements of the 1900s.

The first floor consists of eight rooms dedicated to the relationship between man and cars. This section addresses different topics and controversial issues, such as technical aspects of automotive production, publicity, mass mobility and speed. Guests are invited to examine car components, see how automobiles are constructed and subsequently marketed to consumers, often through persuasive and sophisticated advertising techniques. An assembly of racing cars from 1907 to 1987 can also be admired here, for the delight of those who love all things fast and furious.

Finally, the ground floor features temporary exhibitions focusing on industrial design.

An official guide from the museum will lead you through the halls and explain the history of car making, beginning with the first pioneering experiments of the 1800s right up to the ground-breaking innovations of the 21st century. You will hear about the world’s most iconic car manufacturers, see how models have adapted to different needs, historical contexts and fashions and understand how the car evolved from a mere means of transport to a symbol of style and an object of worship.