MAUTO

The Museum

A fascinating journey through history, which tells how the car has influenced trends, culture, scientific research and technological achievements in a constant innovative momentum.

The National Automobile Museum is among the oldest of its kind: it was founded in 1933, with a first exhibition of vintage cars designed by two pioneers of national motoring, Cesare Goria Gatti and Roberto Biscaretti di Ruffia. It was Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia (son of Roberto), a Turin aristocrat born in 1879, who conceived it, planned it, gathered its initial collection, fought to bring it to life and worked all his life to give it a dignified home.

Opened to the public in the autumn of 1960 in the building designed by architect Amedeo Albertini, it was completely renovated and expanded on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy by architect Cino Zucchi. In 2011, MAUTO reopened, after four years of closure, with the set up designed by the Franco-Swiss set designer François Confino: two years later the Times listed it among the 50 most beautiful museums in the world.

The Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile was established in 1933 with the first exhibition of historic cars curated by Carlo Biscaretti

Over 200 original cars from 80 different brands.
Discover the MAUTO collection.

From the steam carriages of the late Nineteenth century to the design masterpieces of the Fifties, from the protagonists of epic races and memorable journeys to the prototypes that have guided the future directions of research. Over 200 original cars from 80 different brands tell the historical evolution of the invention that changed the world.

The oldest nucleus of the collection is linked to the history of the Museum’s founder, Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia who, with enthusiasm and determination, began collecting cars, chassis and engines in 1933. The collection has been enriched over the years to become unique in its kind for the value and variety of the specimens preserved.

The exhibition is divided on three floors:

THE MUSEUM

The car and the twentieth century
21 rooms recount the historical evolution of the automobile and its development in relation to the main political, economic, artistic, and social events of the twentieth century.

The car: ingenuity and passion
8 rooms tell the story of the car in relation to the people who conceived it, built it, drove it, or simply loved it.

Temporary exhibitions and design

Open Garage
A real vault – which can be visited by reservation – in which about seventy wonderful cars are kept undergoing conservation and restoration.

Research

The Documentation Centre preserves the cultural heritage of MAUTO, including monographs, publications and vintage photos: it carries out archiving and research activities together with the Conservation and Restoration Centre, which carries out daily conservation and restoration activities of historic vehicles.

Documentation Centre

Consisting of a Library, Newspaper Library, and Archive, it preserves one of the most important collections of books and documents on the history of motor locomotion in the twentieth century in Europe. The Documentation Centre is a tool for the emergence of content at the service of the Museum’s cultural production and works to support the development of specialist training courses and national and international collaborations.

Conservation and Restoration Center

The Conservation and Restoration 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 the prevention and conservation operations on the cars in the collection, adhering to the criteria of conservative restoration, to preserve the authenticity of the vehicles.