The first official competitive motorsport races date all the way back to the late nineteenth century. By being present for over 120 years, motorsports grew to have their driver legends, famous vehicles, tracks, and much more stuff recorded in history and put into museums all across the globe. So if you’re a diehard motorsports fan, here are some of the more famous museums of this kind that you can feel free to visit.
Automotive Hall of Fame (USA)
Founded in 1939, this American museum is one of the oldest of its kind in the world. It is located in Detroit, Michigan, and apart from being a museum, it has a list of over 800 Hall-of-Famers inducted from 1967 to today. It started as a group called the “Automotive Old Timers”, giving honors to the pioneers of the industry from all over the world. It had two name changes before finally becoming the “Automotive Hall of Fame” in the 1970s. The museum is filled with cars, driver statues, murals, and other artwork representing the history of the sport and automotive industry in general.
Grand Prix Museum (China)
Grand Prix is considered the first organized automotive racing event that was held in 1894 in France. This is by far the event which has the richest history when it comes to competitive racing. The Grand Prix Museum is located in the autonomous region of Macau, China, and it’s been opened since 1993. Inside the museum, you can see many racing vehicles being on display from the earliest models of cars, to the modern Formula 1 vehicles. There are also bikes, racing suits, car engines, photos from the events, and much more.
Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most unique racing events in the world. It’s an endurance competition lasting for a full day, being driven around the “Circuit de la Sarthe”. Naturally, since the first race was held in 1924, this event has its own museum located in the city of Le Man. The rich history of the competition is displayed through works of some of the most famous manufacturers whose cars were a part of the event. This is a great way for visitors to see the evolution and the development of classic racing car models like Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley, Cadillac, and more.
NASCAR Hall of Fame (USA)
NASCAR is currently the most popular racing event in the United States. Located in Charlotte, NASCAR Hall of Fame is a building constructed of several floors where visitors can enjoy seeing many car models, racing tracks, and other racing artifacts displayed through some great exhibits representing a six-decade history of the sport. Apart from the museum itself, the Hall of Fame honours legends of the sport and has over 50 inductees so far.
National Motor Racing Museum (Australia)
Located in Bathurst, New South Wales, this museum represents the history of the Australian motorsports culture. On display, you can take a look at many of the famous Australian cars, motorbikes, and other racing artifacts. In front of the building, you can also see a statue of Peter Brock, a legendary Australian driver who died tragically in the Targa West rally in 2006.