PROTOTYP MUSEUM
Hamburg’s stylish Automuseum Prototyp seeks to improve the car museum experience
Rare racing cars in Hamburg
‘There’s a Porsche 356 driving simulator that even kids are encouraged to play in’
LOCATED IN A SMARTLY converted factory building in the trendy HafenCity district of Hamburg, Automuseum Prototyp’s name might suggest that its remit is to display rare prototypes: in fact, the word
prototyp refers just as much to the museum itself, which experiments with a more vibrant, hands-on experience than you’ll find in some other car museums.
There’s a small cinema in which to enjoy historic motoring and racing footage, an audio booth where you can listen to a variety of inspiring engine sounds, a miniature wind-tunnel that allows you to examine the aerodynamic efficiency of different car body styles, and also a Porsche 356 driving simulator that even children, especially children, are encouraged to play in.
Making best use of the old factory’s internal architecture to display its exhibits, Automuseum Prototyp’s collection has a strong motor racing flavour, and its timeline stretches from a 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre through to a mock-up of a 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1. Porsche is well represented in both the racing and road car collections and, while many of the other exhibits are also of German origin, there’s sufficient diversity that you won’t mind too much. For instance, there is the Petermax Müller world record car that broke 30 speed and endurance records in 1959.
As well as some fine sports and racing cars, there are curios such as delivery vans and race trucks, a bobsled, and a Porsche 924 upholstered externally in buttoned corduroy. Additionally there are two major exhibits celebrating the lives of German racer and engineer Otto Mathé, and the legendary motor sport champion, Wolfgang von Trips. prototyp-hamburg.de