A Visit to the Torino Auto Museum

The Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile di Torino (The National Automobile Museum of Torino) showcases cars as works of automotive art. Style sits alongside speed in the breathtaking building, the home of man and machine in the heart of the Italian automotive industry.

First opened in 1960, the museum underwent a top to bottom four-year facelift before a grand reopening in 2011. The building is as bold as it is big, showcasing a permanent collection of 150 incredible vintage cars plus 60 additional autos housed in the underground garage.

The Torino Auto Museum in Photos

The three-story atrium sits just inside the main entrance. An escalator takes visitors to the top, where the exhibitions wind from the upper floors to the bottom.

 

Italian autos dominate the displays, and red is the primary color of row after row of memorable machines.

 

Volkswagen produced nearly 21 million Beetles “(Maggiolini” in Italian) between 1945 and 1987. The volume of cars made and sold makes this 1952 split-window model worthy of inclusion in any auto museum.

Bitte nicht berühren = “Do Not Touch”.

Part automobile, part motorcycle, this 1955 Nibbio 2 is powered by a one-cylinder Guzzi motor, encased in a body by Ghia. Between 1956 and ’58, this vehicle set numerous class speed records on the track at Monza.

A 1952 Alfa Romeo “Disco Volante” lived up to its name: Flying Saucer.

The 1965 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider is distinctly Italian. From the unmistakable Alfa front grill to the bodywork by Touring of Milano, this car originally sold for around $5,000 US. You’d be hard-pressed to find one for less than $100,000 today.

The 1937 Lancia Aprilia, Lancia’s “large family car” was the last auto designed by company founder Vincenzo Lancia. He died the same month production began on the Aprilia.

The view from inside the cockpit of a 1953 Lancia D24 Sport. This car won the 1953 Carrera Panamericana, the 1954 Targa Florio and the ’54 Mille Miglia.

Alfa Romeo built six P2 cars between 1924 and 1930. Only two have survived. This P2 won the 1930 Targa Florio.

The “Formula” display at the museum is the dream track of champions. Moving images cast on the wall behind the cars make these bygone beauties look fast, even when they’re standing still.

The instantly-recognizable front end of the Ferrari 156, Phil Hill’s “Snarknose”—winner of five poles, two races, and one World Championship in 1961.

In 1958, Fiat shipped some of their basic 600 models to the Ghia design house, where the top and doors were eliminated, wicker seats and a fringed top were added, and the car was transformed into the “Jolly”—a car originally meant to be carried on large yachts and driven on seaside roads and beaches.

Fewer than 100 Jollys have survived. This pink one sits next to a baby blue 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina 500 Transformable.

Fiat introduced the Multipa (“All Service”) in 1963. It’s considered to be the forerunner of today’s modern minivan. With a top speed of around 60 mph, downhill with a tailwind, the Multipa was built more for style than speed.

Our visit to the Torino museum ends with a German car, designed in Italy. The distinctive front-opening BMW Isetta microcar is powered by a one-cylinder, 300cc engine, capable of nearly 80 mpg (US) on the road.

Learn More about the Torino Auto Museum

That’s it for our visit, but there’s more on the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile di Torino here, in English: https://www.museoauto.com/en/