Germany is the land of advanced automotive engineering and a visit to Stuttgart to see Porsche and Mercedes, Munich to learn about BMW’s history, and Dresden to visit Volkswagen’s glass factory should prove the point. I would not have suspected that the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, known for its shipping, would also have a notable automobile museum.
Lots of Porsches 
Lots of Porsches 
Lots of Porsches 
You can even sit in one
The PROTOTYP Museum focuses on displaying post-war race and sports cars that helped revitalise interest in automatic technology and design. There is a model wind tunnel where visitors can see how aerodynamic shapes can help reduce drag. A similar installation can be found in the underground vintage car collection of the Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny, Switzerland.
Military and amphibious vehicles 
Formula cars
A large portion of the exhibits are dedicated to vintage “upside down bathtub” Porsches and the development of formula racing over the past hundred years. Other interesting exhibits include military vehicles and amphibious vehicles from the past century. The underground section of the museum has an impressive collection of classic BMW Art Cars which include original works from 1975 by Harvé Poulain.
Hervé Poulain’s artwork 
BMW Art Cars
I was thoroughly impressed by the small yet varied collection of this museum and would recommend it to anyone interested in automotive design and history. Hamburg’s famous Miniatur Wunderland with the world’s largest miniature railway system is just a couple of blocks walk away.
