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- Conservation and Restoration Center
Conservation
and Restoration
Center
Inaugurated in 2016, the Conservation and Restoration Center is the section aimed at the conservation and enhancement of MAUTO’s precious heritage. The Center combines traditional techniques for the restoration of vintage cars with the most advanced methodologies applied to works of art; it carries out and supervises preventive and conservation operations on cars from MAUTO’s collection and those of external entities, adhering to the criteria of conservative restoration in order to preserve the authenticity of the vehicles.
THE CENTER
- Operating modes
Created with the task of analyzing the state of preservation of cars, combining historical research with the use of cutting-edge diagnostic analysis to carry out aesthetic and functional restoration work, the Conservation and Restoration Center-along with the Open Garage-is now an undisputed international excellence.
Alongside the preservation and enhancement of the heritage kept in various capacities by the Museum (through ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, exhibitions and participation in motoring events in Italy and abroad), the increase in the
collection and activities to popularize the culture of preservation-those already in place such as the Classic Car Restoration Technician Course with Inforcoop and PCTO paths with schools, but also the activation in 2024 of a scholarship in collaboration with Fondazione Centro di Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (The Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center).
Created with the task of analyzing the state of preservation of cars, combining historical research with the use of cutting-edge diagnostic analysis to carry out aesthetic and functional restoration work, the Conservation and Restoration Center-along with the Open Garage-is now an undisputed international excellence.
Alongside the preservation and enhancement of the heritage kept in various capacities by the Museum (through ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, exhibitions and participation in motoring events in Italy and abroad), the increase in the collection and activities to popularize the culture of preservation-those already in place such as the Classic Car Restoration Technician Course with Inforcoop and PCTO paths with schools, but also the activation in 2024 of a scholarship in collaboration with Fondazione Centro di Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (The Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center).
- ON-SITE RESTORATION
Bordino steam carriage
The on-site restoration of the Bordino Carriage allows you to witness the work of restorers, engineers and specialized craftsmen of the MAUTO Conservation and Restoration Centre. The work will begin with the dismantling of the mechanical components from the supporting structure, a challenging task due to the complexity and number of elements involved. This will allow us to intervene appropriately, removing the most recent restoration layers that have altered the aesthetic and historical appearance of the carriage, in order to restore the original finish in coherence with the modifications made by Bordino.”
The restoration of the carriage is part of the Museum’s conservation and protection mission, with a view to preserving a unique cultural heritage of our country, to pass it on to future generations by stimulating scientific research, generating qualified work and returning a part of history of the territory to the community.
The vehicle was created by transforming a horse-drawn "landau" type carriage, suitably reinforced. In the rear part Bordino placed a steam boiler which used "coke" coal as fuel; under the passenger compartment, between the wooden spars of the carriage frame, the engine was positioned, consisting of two horizontal cylinders with drawer distribution. It circulated on the streets of Turin between 1854 and 1860, consuming 30 kg of coke per hour, and reaching a speed of 8 km per hour. The total weight of the vehicle is approximately 3,000 kg. In its external appearance, the resemblance to English steam coaches is evident, which is logical given that Great Britain was the most advanced country from this point of view. It is said that the vehicle gave a good account of itself on the streets of the Piedmontese capital. Once his career was over, it would be sent to the Polytechnic and then donated to the RACI in 1936 to be exhibited at the Museum, which would only have to deal with recovering the "burdin car", as it was defined by the transporter.
- DISSEMINATION
Dissemination
In order to disseminate the conservative method, educational and training activities are carried out, which make professional skills in the field of restoration, research and scientific analysis more accessible. In this way, schools, private individuals and professionals can learn more about the evaluation tools necessary for a critical approach to car conservation.
For information
For events, activities, courses and donations write to centrorestauro@museoauto.it
- ONGOING RESTORATIONS
Ongoing restorations at MAUTO
- OUR RESTORATIONS
MAUTO's restorations
1891Pecori Steam Tricycle
After careful study and analysis of historical documents, an aesthetic and functional conservative restoration of the vehicle was carried out. The intervention involved the total disassembly of the vehicle in order to analyze its state of preservation and proceed with cleaning, restoration of mechanical parts and painting of the aesthetic parts.
A complete reconstruction of the boiler was necessary since the original steam generator was no longer suitable to withstand the operating pressure indicated in the original booklet; the original boiler is now maintained at the museum’s storage facilities.
1899De Dion & Bouton 1 ¼ HP
The purpose of the conservative restoration work was to re-establish the appropriate conservative condition of the vehicle and facilitate the aesthetic reading of the most compromised materials: tires and metals.
Cleaning, consolidation and final protection operations were carried out on the entire vehicle, seeking to achieve an aesthetically appropriate result while respecting the vehicle’s history and authenticity.
1901De Dion & Bouton Type G
The frame was in a very advanced state of deterioration, showing consistent paint detachments, corrosion and biological attacks. The choice of intervention procedure was critically evaluated in order to carry out an ethically correct restoration according to the preliminary analyses that allowed the rediscovery of the original color.
The intervention involved carrying out cleaning, painting and final protection operations.
1907Itala 35/45 HP ‘Peking-Paris’
The car underwent a functional restoration after several years of inactivity; it was necessary to work on the gasoline fuel system by cleaning the pipes and tank. Work was, in addition, carried out to adjust and phase the hammer ignition system.
Soon the front leaf springs will be restored following a hitch that occurred during the last re-enactment of the Peking-to-Paris raid in 2007.
1908Fiat 18/24 HP
After a long period of inactivity, the car underwent a functional restoration. The work involved total disassembly of the engine into its individual parts to assess integrity and possible previous damage.
Subsequently, the timing gears were rebuilt since the originals could not fulfill their function. The rest of the mechanicals were cleaned, checked, and then reassembled for proper operation.
