House of the Open Garage - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

Name: Porsche 959 S 1988
Brand: Porsche

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Created on October 19, 2023

Text:

Andreas Keuck

Photos:

Ludwig Folie

Traffic jam of superlatives: the slightly elevated exhibition curve offers an impressive picture - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Opel is written on it, Chevrolet is inside: rally service car in front of the entrance - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Voisin radiator figure as an industrial sculpture - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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White noses without coke: German high-performance icons of the fifties - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Composition in light alloy and wing nut - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Muscular hips in front of a petite stature - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Complementary: Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512 BB - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Three design classics: Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari 250 GT and Citroën DS - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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How motorsport became more and more colorful over the decades - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Stacked Porsche treasures: 2000 GS Carrera 2, Carrera RS, Turbo and 911 Turbo 3.6 - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Old and new: Modern Ford GT in front of its historic ancestor GT 40 - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Sporty luxury or luxurious sportiness? - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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From the race track to the road - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Sculpture in Brutalism: The W16 of the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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It takes Kleinschnittger and Gutbrod to make a Citroën 2CV look big - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Appropriate welcome: Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro above the entrance - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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A long journey: Well-maintained Mercedes-Benz 190 E from Bolzano with monstrous side indicators in the visitor parking lot - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Chevrolet Chevy Van G20 (1984) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Talbot-Lago T 26 Grand Sport Coupé Saoutchik (1948) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 170 V Cabriolet B (1939) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Maybach Zeppelin DS 8 (1939) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 10/50 PS Type Stuttgart 260 (1929) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Bucciali TAV 8-32 (1932) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 500 K Special Roadster (1936) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Duesenberg SJ Murphy Sport Berline (1930) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 770 K Cabriolet F (1939) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Lincoln Continental Convertible "Limo One" (1963) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Porsche 356 Speedster (1955) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Bugatti Type 57 Atalante (1936) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Citroën 2CV 4x4 Sahara (1966) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Shelby Cobra 289 (1963) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Lamborghini Miura P 400 SV (1972) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Lamborghini Countach LP 400 (1975) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ferrari 512 BB (1979) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Porsche 959 S (1988) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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VW Kombi (1958) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (1970) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Maybach Exelero (2005) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (2011) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-AMG One (2023) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss (2009) - National Motor Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR (1998) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR (1998) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster (2002) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Opel Manta 400 (1984) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution 2 (1990) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1955) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Autobianchi Bianchina (1963) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Peugeot 404 Break (1963) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Facel Vega Facel II (1962) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron (2006) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ford Capri RS 2600 DRM (1973) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth DTM (1988) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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BMW M3 DTM (1986) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution 2 DTM (1992) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM (1994) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Aston Martin Vantage DTM (2019) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Fiat OM 150 racing transporter (1967) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution 2 DTM (1990) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Porsche 550 A Spyder (1957) - in the special exhibition "100 Years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Bugatti Type 50 (1931) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Porsche Carrera GTS (1964) - in the special exhibition "100 Years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Porsche 956 (1983) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ferrari 330 P4 (1967) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Aston Martin DB 4 GT Zagato (1961) - in the special exhibition "100 Years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (1968) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Mercedes-Benz CLR (1999) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Sauber C9 (1989) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 (1994) - in the special exhibition "100 Years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ferrari 250 S Vignale (1952) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Ford Capri RS 2600 (1972) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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Chrysler Viper GTS (2001) - in the special exhibition "100 Years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

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At the end of July 2023, the large private collection of Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Loh, entrepreneur and one of the richest people in Germany, was opened to the public in the form of a museum in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Hesse. The foretaste offered by the first glimpses on the Internet should have delighted many enthusiasts of motorized individual transport, as there is something for almost everyone here.

Rare or curious classic cars, racing cars and super sports cars are mainly on display, some of which were only produced in single or double-digit numbers. It is therefore highly likely that the car enthusiast will find at least one car there that they dreamed of as a child or still dream of today and where they never thought it possible to stand next to an original in the flesh. This was the case, for example, with the Maybach Exelero, which fascinated the reporter as soon as he saw it and was reason enough to visit the National Automobile Museum.

Maybach Exelero (2005) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

From the outside, visitors are greeted by a complex of large, dark gray halls that would know how to cleverly hide their wonderful "secret" inside if it weren't for the clear lettering, the large logo and an Audi R18 e-tron quattro in a glass display case above the entrance. Otherwise, you could easily mistake it for the factory halls of an industrial company.

The style of an industrial hall is also continued in the exhibition with unclad steel girders, cranes and the like, even though a Maybach Exelero or a high-caliber parked steep curve is unlikely to be found in most companies.

Facel Vega Facel II (1962) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

Independently of the main exhibition, a special exhibition can be visited, which will be regularly changed thematically. The current special exhibition, which will remain in place until the end of the year, focuses on the theme of "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" and offers a varied selection of participating vehicles from the legendary racing event. Here you will also find the few cars that do not belong to Mr. Loh, but are merely on loan. However, this does not detract from their legitimacy in the halls.

Exotics among the exotics

In the main exhibition, visitors are first greeted by a corridor of selected, mostly heavily chromed vehicles from the 1930s or earlier. On offer is an illustrious selection of different manufacturers, price categories and vehicle sizes. On the one hand, of course, there is the "standard stuff" that is expected of a museum of this caliber, such as a Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, a Bugatti 57 or a Mercedes-Benz 500 K special roadster. Rarer sights, on the other hand, are the Austro-Daimler ADR 635 or a Duesenberg SJ. But even their glory pales into insignificance next to the fascinating front-wheel drive monster Bucciali 8-32

Duesenberg SJ Murphy Sport Berline (1930) - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

The core of the collection welcomes you with a selection of smaller, but no less exciting vehicles such as a Messerschmitt Kabinenroller and a Citroën 2CV Sahara as well as various racing and sports engines, which are exhibited separately and without a vehicle blocking the view around them and can therefore be inspected in detail.

It takes Kleinschnittger and Gutbrod to make a Citroën 2CV look big - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

Not far from here, the aforementioned steep curve, which is mainly filled with many well-known and popular sports and luxury cars from the history of motoring, is clearly visible. Among others, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing" with an aluminum body, a Lamborhini Miura SV, a Facel Vega Facel II and a Porsche 959 S can be found here, lined with more modern rarities such as one of only five Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadsters built or the airy Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss. The Ferrari 288 GTO from the private collection of Albert Uderzo, the creator of the "Asterix" comics, can also be found in the steep curve.

1:1 scale set box

Behind it on the wall is an impressive display case, which many collectors will be familiar with from their model cars. However, it is of course filled with 1:1 scale vehicles. Screens are installed at eye level and close to the floor to prevent visitors from having to climb and fall. They show explanatory texts and detailed images for viewing, which means that the cars at the top of the shelf can also be viewed from all sides. Although only digital, the presence of the original is clearly and unmistakably recognizable at a height of several meters. As always, a refreshingly varied mix is presented here too. A Porsche Carrera RS, a Lamborghini Countach and one of two Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC touring cars in König Pilsener livery await you here, neatly lined up and stacked.

Stacked Porsche treasures: 2000 GS Carrera 2, Carrera RS, Turbo and 911 Turbo 3.6 - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

There are also exhibits on the floor - almost unspectacular in comparison to the rest of the presentation - which, however, are in no way inferior to the rest in terms of vehicle selection. From an old Ferrari racing transporter with racing car, the matching Peugeot 404 Break as a service car, to various DTM cars and the aforementioned Maybach Exelero, a fine potpourri is once again on offer.

Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution 2 DTM (1990) - National Car Museum "The Loh Collection"

Attracted by this unique collection, visitors also arrive in no less attractive vehicles, which is why a walk through the parking lot is also a good idea before or after the museum visit. In short, anyone who doesn't find anything here is either not interested in cars or has very discerning tastes.

Visitor information

The National Automobile Museum is easy to find and offers ample parking, a restaurant to help you digest more than just what you have seen, as well as plenty of staff who are on hand to answer any questions and are always careful to prevent the exhibited treasures from being damaged by less attentive visitors.

Ferrari 250 S Vignale (1952) - in the special exhibition "100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans" - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

With a detailed appraisal of the vehicles and lots of photos, the museum can be completed in a relaxed manner within two hours, which also makes a visit in the early afternoon a good idea without being thrown out impetuously when it closes at 18:00.

The main exhibition can currently be visited for 19 euros. The separate special exhibition costs 9.50 euros individually, but a combined ticket for both exhibitions is also available for 25 euros.

Variance in the front profile: swept, rounded and inclined - National Automobile Museum "The Loh Collection"

If you want to visit the museum this year, however, you need to hurry, because according to the museum's website , the main exhibition will go on winter break from October 29, 2023 and will be closed to the general public during the cold season. However, guided tours will still be possible on request.