Earlier we told you about James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin being put up for sale by RM Auctions in London for $5 million-plus. That car will no doubt disappear into some private collection, never to be seen again. It’s twin however has just gone on display at the brand new Louwman Museum in The Hague, Netherlands, showcasing one of the world’s largest and most famous collections of historic automobiles.
Louwman Museum - World’s Largest Collection of Automotive Art
The new Louwman Museum has been opened by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix. On display are historic cars and a large collection of automotive art, including paintings, sculptures and posters. The collection includes more than two hundred and thirty antique and classic cars. Connoisseurs consider the collection, assembled by two generations of the family Louwman as one of the finest in the world.
Alongside Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 there’s the second-oldest automobile in the world – a De Dion Bouton & Trepardoux from 1887 – complete with original signs of wear, as well as the eccentric Swan Car from 1910, a hybrid Woods from 1917, the Jaguar D-type 1957 Le Mans winner, bubble cars, steam cars, electric cars and historic racing cars driven by such legends as Tazio Nuvolari. Dutch motoring heritage is, of course, exceptionally well-represented with the world’s largest collection of Spykers, as well as the last surviving Eysink from Amersfoort.
Louwman Museum - World’s Largest Collection of Automotive Art
The museum is designed by American architect Michael Graves strove to give the structure an identity of its own. The museum’s design incorporates Dutch elements alongside modern elements. The bricks in the facades have been laid in a special woven pattern while the roof is slate-tiled. Landscape architect Lodewijk Baljon can be credited for designing the lush park that surrounds this automobile museum. Looking more like a majestic estate than a museum, this monumental structure is as much a showstopper as its occupants.
Louwman Museum is not just a car collection. The collection exudes passion, love and knowledge of the automobile in all its forms. Each car tells his own story and delivering his own contribution to history.
