Featured: This Is What's Inside The World's Oldest Private Car Collection

This Is What’s Inside The World’s Oldest Private Car Collection

By Laura Kukuk
November 14, 2017

The Hague is a city that’s absent from my normal radar, but when I received the invitation to visit the oldest private collection of automotive history in the world, I dropped everything and found myself pulling up to the huge brick building a few days later.

“LOUWMAN MUSEUM” is written in prominent capital lettering along the tops of the U-shaped structure designed by American architect Michael Graves, and it’s a grand first impression. I would find out soon enough that it was a fitting one for what I was to find within.

The Museum is not only home to cars like the Jaguar D-Type that the Scottish Ecurie Escosse racing team won Le Mans with in 1957—the collection houses quite a lot of champions and front-runners from that race’s history—but its wide range captures things like the quaint Fiat 850 Shellette Spider (pictured below the blue XKSS). They had NASCAR to the nascency of the 19th century represented in its halls, and there were endless examples of beautiful sculpture, like the blue and red-accented Lancia D23 Spyder Pininfarina below.

Besides its status as a collection of great age, the Louwman Museum is also one of very few automotive assemblages in the world that tells the complete history of motoring, from its earliest steam-and-such-powered eras to the modern racing creations and the meanest machines along that evolutionary path.

“Goede dag,” I am welcomed by Mr. Evert Louwman and James Wood, who have kindly offered to give me a private tour of the museum. I drop my bags in the library (a place I would have loved to spend my days studying while in university), and off we go towards the big main hall, which is built up like you’d expect a town to be rather than an indoor space.

After coffee and some brief primers for the different segments of the collection, we make our way to the top floor to start alone the designated tour route. I am lucky enough to listen to the stories of my guides as they demonstrate their clear and contagious enthusiasm for these vehicles. It would be book-length to do justice to everything that I saw, but I’ve included a few dozen favorites, like the orange Porsche 718/2 Formula 2 car above, the Maserati 300S below, and the captivating construction of the special Ferrari 625 “New Zealand Tasman” under that (the white car that follows the 625 is another early open-wheel Ferrari, the 375 Indianapolis).

There are cars like the from all eras here as demonstrated by the two photos of Alfa Romeo engineering efforts shown below. The earliest vehicle dates back to 1886, and is one of the oldest remaining in the world, if you couldn’t have guessed that! The range hits every corner of the world and every discipline of vehicle from fire engine to aqua-capable to Formula to sports, to dune buggy. I took a ton of photos on my trip, and if any of the cars below particularly catch your attention like they did mine, let me know and I’ll dig up some information on them. Enjoy!

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Youri Mulder
Youri Mulder
5 years ago

I visited this museum a couple years back for the first time. It is amazing to see the vast array of vehicles. The lobby alone is an amazing place to be in. If you have a special/classic car you are allowed to park at the front entrance. In the garage they have some extra space for cars which are parked behind a glass wall. Even the ones the place their are spectacular like the Mazda Cosmo.

Pablo Rodríguez
Pablo Rodríguez
6 years ago

Thank You Laura, You make me be there for a while. I hope to visit the collection in my next ride !

Dennis Cavallino
Dennis Cavallino
6 years ago

The Pegaso is the most beautiful car there, but my personal favourite is the ex-Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 718. I’m glad to read that it’s in your top 3 as well. I’ve provided the photos you see behind the car just before the museum opened her doors. Only recently I got time to sit back and just stare at it. The first time I visited this magical place I was interrupted by two old guys who were talking about Carel all the time and one of them used to be Carel’s neighbour!! I told them that I’m one of the guys behind http://www.carelgodindebeaufort.com but they didn’t understand a thing or two about the interwebs. Funny guys. It was a blessing to hear their stories about Carel, they got plenty! Before they went to the museum they didn’t even know that his Porsche 718 was part of the collection. I had to convince them it wasn’t a replica. Hilareous.

Tim Verheij
Tim Verheij
6 years ago

It’s a beautiful museum. I happen to live in The Hague (which should be on your radar by the way ;)), two minutes from the museum. I go almost every month… It really explains the history of ‘the car’, where you walk through a timeline starting at a horse carriage and ending with a Prius. In between is just a magnificant collection, displayed in chronologial order and within themes. My favourite is the Bugatti ‘Teardrop’.

mViper
mViper
6 years ago

Hello,
something from Citroën there?
Best Regards,

Jim Graham
Jim Graham
6 years ago

What is the yellow one with the red sidewalls because I need five of them.

rick bradner
rick bradner
6 years ago

spectacular!

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V5np4PYeqnHZF2iEqN@xz
6 years ago

Their website has a lot of detail surrounding the collection.
Here’s the buggy aforementioned: https://www.louwmanmuseum.nl/Ontdekken/Ontdek-de-collectie/baja-buggy-formerly-owned-by-steve-mcqueen

hindle
hindle
6 years ago

WOULD LIKE EACH PHOTO TO HAVE AN EXPLANATION AND DESCRIPTION BUT GREAT ARTICLE.

Martin Philippo
Martin Philippo
6 years ago

One day isn’t enough.

Tractorboy
Tractorboy
6 years ago

What a stunning display of automotive history in a equally stunning building. My “bucket list” grows ever longer. Great photos!

alfattitude
alfattitude
6 years ago

I’ve long wished to visit this museum, I think it’s a bucket list destination for any petrolhead. Thanks for the insight and wonderful photos!

Maurice
Maurice
6 years ago

It’s a great place to visit! Too bad the journalist missed the McLaren exhibition this summer…..
BTW, the dune buggy on show was driven by Steve McQueen in the Baja rally.

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