When I collected the latest rental car from Herr Sixt in Munich Airport, I asked for a map, and was told that the car had satellite navigation, which was true, and therefore I should not need one. True in theory, but planning is still more readily done using a traditional map! Installed in the hotel, I spotted a rack of leaflets on local attractions, and noted a picture of a Horch on one of them. Intrigued, I picked it up and discovered the EFA Museum fuer deutsche Automobulgeschicht, in Amerang was the attraction it was highlighting. A little more research revealed that it is less than an hour away from Munich, and the perfect attraction for a very wet and soggy day, which is what greeted me on Sunday morning.The collection is housed in a purpose- built facility in a little village in the middle of nowhere. Pay your 8 Euros, and you find a museum with approximately 220 cars from the beginnings of motoring to more or less the present day, all of them from German manufacturers. There is limited text about the cars, beyond basic stats, so the fact that it is only presented in German should not present too many problems to those who do not speak the language.  Here is what I found:

THE EARLIEST CARS

Two vehicles from 1886, a Benz and a Daimler

EARLY BEGINNINGS1894 Benz Patent Motorwagen Velo

1898 Wartburg1903 Adler1908 NAG DoppelPhaeton1909 Opel 4/8DoktorWagen1912 Apollo C1910 KAN Phaeton1913 Mercedes 26/65 Phaeton 1918 Protos 10/30 Tourenwagen1924 AGA 6/20 Tourenwagen1925 Adler 10/50 Tourenwagen1926 Presto 9/40 Tourenwagen1931 Brennabor Typ C1934 Adler Trumpf Junior Cabrio1928 Adler Standard 6 Limousine1938 Hanomag 1.3 1934 Hanomag Rekord Limousine1934 Hanomag 4/23 Limousine1929 Hanomag 3/16 Cabriolet1925 Hanomag Komissbrot1935 Audi Typ 225 Cabrio1937 Wanderer W24 Cabrio1933 Wanderer W22 Limousine1926 Wanderer W10/11 Limousine1938 DKW Meisterklasse F8 Cabrio1937 DKW Meisterklasse F7 2 Seater1938 DKW Meisterklasse F21928 DKW P15 Cabrio1904 Adler 8/161918 Benz 27/70 Sport Tourer1919 Elite E12 StadtCoupe1922 NAG TypC4 Monza1925 Wanderer W8 4/20OPEL1926 4/16

1929 4/201931 1.8 Cabrio1934 1.2 converted to be a woodburner during WW21935 P4 Limousine1935 Olympia 1.31937 Kadett1938 Kapitan1938 Admiral Cabrio1938 Horch 830BLFORD1939 Taunus

1935 V8 Cabrio1935 Eifel 1934 Rheinland1933 Model Y “Koln”1930 Tudor1927 Model “T” Phaeton1937 Stoewer Septin Cabrio1940 VW Kubelwagen Typ 82BMWA complete row of BMWs from the 1930s showed the evolution of the marque from licensed Austin Seven “Dixi” models to a range of sporting vehicles with in a very short period of time.

1927 Dixi 3/15 DA1

1928 Dixi 3/15 DA21930 Dixi 3/15 DA3 1932 3/20 AM41934 309 1935 319 Sport Cabrio1936 326 Limousine 1939 321 Cabrio1937 327 Coupe1939 335 Limousine MERCEDESFacing the BMWs were a number of Mercedes models from the same period, showing how the two were not really the close competitors then that they are now.

1929 370 Limousine and 370 S

1931 Mannheim 370S1936 170H1936 230 Cabrio B1936 290 Roadster1937 260D – the world’s first diesel powered car1937 320A and 320B Cabrio1939 230 Cabrio AThere were several displays showing the components from which cars are assembled. EXCLUSIVE CARS from the 1930sThese splendid cars would have been extremely expensive and correspondingly very rare when new in the 1930s. A couple of more recent vehicles with the same philosophy completed this part of the display.

1930 Horch 8 Typ 400 Sport Cabrio

1935 Horch 835 BL Sedan Cabrio 

1935 Horch 850 Pullmann Cabrio1930 Merecedes Nurburg 500 Tourer1939 Maybach SW421937 Mercedes Typ 320 Cabrio F1926 Mercedes 630 Kompressor 1927 Mercedes S Tourer1936 Mercedes 540K Cabrio A and Cabrio B1951 Mercedes 300 Cabrio1964 Mercedes 6001938 Horch 855 1935 Mercedes 500K1930s ROADSTERS1937 BMW 327

1937 Mercedes 170V Cabrio 1937 Opel Super 6 Cabrio 1936 Wanderer W25K 1937 BMW3281937 Ford Eifel Roadster 1935 BMW 315/1 1936 DKW Luxus F5 1949 BMW 340 1954 Horch Sachsenring P2401949 IFA F8 Cabrio 1990 Trabant 1963 DKW F12 RoadsterMICRO and “BUBBLE” CARS1961 BMW 700 Cabrio 1959 NSU Sport Prinz 1965 NSU Typ 1101960 NSU Prinz IV1950 Gutbrod Superior1954 Fuldamobil1956 Maico 5001960 NSU Prinz III1957 Goggomobil TS2501957 Viktoria Spatz1950 Kleinschnittiger F1251950 Lloyd LP300 1955 BMW Isetta 2501957 BMW 6001955 Messerschmitt KR2501957 Zundapp Janus 1956 Heinkel 150 POST WAR CARS
Among the VWs in here was an early example of the 1200 “Beetle”, the popular 1500 and a Golf Mark 1 Opels included the 1947 Opel Olympia, 1951 Kapitan and a 1952  Rekord Fords were the 1951 Ford Taunus de Luxe, 1957 Ford Taunus 17M and 1952 Ford Taunus M12 Among the Mercedes in this area were this 1946 Mercedes 170V  a 1958 220S “Ponton” and a 1979 450 SEL 6.9, surely the ultimate “Q” car.Audis included this 100 Coupe, a 72 and the Coupe quattro BMWs represented in this hall were the “Neue Klasse” 1800 and the E3 model 2500 luxury sports saloon, as well as “Baroque Angel” 502 Cabrio. 1949 Borgward Hansa 1500 1964 Glas 1700 and 1967 Glas 3000 V8 Coupe 1957 DKW F94
NSU Ro80

Auto Union 1000SP, a car styled very much in the mould of the American Ford Thunderbird This 1969 Thurner RS was based on NSU TT mechanicals MERCEDESThese cars were produced immediately after the second world war and were very similar to the pre-war cars: 1949 170 Cabrio A and 1950 170 V Coupe

Stalwart of the range in the 1950s was the 220, and a number of the more interesting models were showcased here, including the 1951 220 Cabrio A, the 1954 220 Coupe, the 1956 220 S Cabrio, and the 1958 220SE Coupe Top of the range were the 300 models, and there were a couple of these, too:  1955 300S Cabrio A and 1952 300S Coupe Models from the 1960s included two absolutely splendid cars, a 1962 300SE Cabrio and the later 1969 280SE 3.5 Coupe The evolution of the SL brand was shown by these cars, including a couple of 1954 300SL coupe and a 1957 cabrio version, as well as, a 1959 190 SL, a W113 Pagoda model, an R107 “Panzerwagen” and the 1990s model R129, in 500SL format. RECENT CARSThe central display of one of the halls featured a number of recent iconic sports cars, some more famous than others:

Audi Quattro Sport

BMWs included a  Z1, an M1 and a 3.0 CSL Batmobile as well as a 507 This NSU Spider was powered by the Wankel rotary engine, in which car it was tested before the better known Ro80 model was launched with the same engine technology.VWs included a 1303 Cabriolet, the first water-cooled front wheel drive VW, the unsuccessful K70, a 411 and a Karmann Ghia There were 2 examples of the very rare BMW 503, as well as a 1600 Cabriolet. Ford Capri, in German 1500 model formatOpels included the GT, and this Commodore GS, a car which was quite popular in the UK in the mid 1970s. Borgwards included an Isabella saloon and a TS Coupe model, and in the period recreation of a garage was a convertible model A forgotten name, now, this is a Lloyd Arabella. A further forgotten marque, this is a Hansa,
VW Porsche 914PORSCHE356

1990 928 GT Several 911s, including the rare Speedster 924 Turbo959 962 935A number of racing and rally vehicles were represented, including these: AND FINALLY…….The last few exhibits are just as splendid, and include a  Porsche 356 Speedster, a VW Kubelwagen, this stunning 1936 Horch 855 and a Maybach from the same period..

As if all this was not enough, if you go downstairs there is a huge model railway, with lots of trains circulating.This is an incredible collection, and one which I had not even heard about until my visit. It is only an hour or so from Munich, and is well worth a side-trip for anyone in the area.

2010-10-30 18:37:29