A Visit to the Muzeum Motoryzacji i Techniki (Museum of Automotive and Technology) in Poland

You take the train southwest out of Warsaw, Poland. 45 minutes later, you get off at the Otrębusy station and walk the final kilometre in the snow. You’re not quite sure what to expect—and this place exceeds all expectations.

The Muzeum Motoryzacji i Techniki (Museum of Automotive and Technology) sits at the intersection of roads 719 and 720. It’s a motoring museum like no other. Behind the barbed-wire fences are countless classic cars, and a few vehicles you’re not likely to see in any museum outside of Poland.

You step through a front gate covered in car parts and dusted with snow, and into a museum like no other.

The first vehicle to greet you inside the front gate is this Horch 830 Cabrio, a favoured staff car of dictators and diplomats in the 1930s and ’40s.

Inside the first building of the museum, there are airplanes hanging from the rafters, classic motorcycles hanging on the wall, and a room full of antiques and classics.

Beyond the hood ornament of this Packard Laudalet, tucked into a passageway next to the main museum exhibit room, is a line of mostly European classics that would be the envy of any car collection.

This is a 1957 Syrena 105 L, built by FSM (Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych), a Polish partnership to build these cars and licensed Fiats in Poland. The car has clearly seen better days.

Stuffed in between the Syrena and a Fiat 600 is this 1956 Multipla—Fiat’s first early entry into the mini-van market.

On the other side of the Fiat 600 sits this 1957 Mirkus MR-300 microcar. Under the hood there’s a 296 cc engine, producing 14.5 hp, with a top speed of 56 mph. The Mirkus factory in Poland was converted from making Soviet MIG-15 military aircraft.

There are some treasured classics among all the quirks, like this nearly-perfect 1936 BMW 328 roadster.

This is a 1936 Fiat 508 Sport Convertible, manufactured in Poland by Polski Fiat. Outside of Poland, this car was better known as the Fiat Balilla.

It’s a shame that we can’t get a better view of this white 1939 Fiat-NSU 500. Built in Germany and based on the iconic Fiat Topolino chassis, the top-down, “swoopy” body style can barely be seen between the red BMW 328 and the red Polski Fiat.

Flakes fall in the open courtyard between the two primary buildings of the museum, as a snow-covered Daimler DS420 limousine sits next to a 1996 Tarpan Honcker (kind of like a Polish Hummer, without the price tag).

Inside the museum’s second building, a proud Polish father captures his kids on camera, seated in the sleigh beside Santa. Some say this vehicle can actually fly!

A visitor admires this vintage Rolls Royce limo—minus the classic “flying lady” hood ornament.

One of Santa’s helpers sits solo inside this 1957 BMW Isetta.

A wide-eyed Polish boy has the look of Christmas morning on his face as he leads Santa Claus through the museum.

The small fan gets an up-close look at a 1938 Opel Kadett, with a horse-drawn buggy to the left, and a wartime Jeep “Willis” to the right.

Back in the museum courtyard, there’s a surprise under the snow. This boy brushed the flakes aside to reveal the distinctive BMW badge on this rusted 1934 tractor.

The visit to the museum this day is capped by another one of Santa’s helpers leading the visitors to a vintage school bus, for a ride around Otrębusy to look at the holiday lights and displays.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodbye, from the Muzeum Motoryzacji i Techniki (Museum of Automotive and Technology) in suburban Warsaw, Poland.

There’s more on the museum here: www.muzeum-motoryzacji.com.pl/gb/