The almost 130-year history of the automobile is also a history of relationships. It is not only successive generations of cars that have an obvious connection - such as the Volkswagen Beetle and its legitimate successor, the Golf. But even very different car models from different manufacturers, eras or countries of origin often show similarities on closer inspection. They may have the same body designer or the same outstanding innovative status, a common progressive concept or a similar type of engine. Even the Chevrolet Corvette and the IFA Trabant 601 S have one thing in common: they are the first mass-produced vehicles with plastic bodies.
The new ZeitHaus exhibition "Relationship Boxes" focuses on such relationships. It is about obvious, but above all surprising connections. Examples are shown from the end of the 19th century, when the automobile was invented, to the 21st century, when the automobile is being completely rethought.
Exceptional connections
The connection between the Bentley 8 Litre, the Bugatti Type 41 Royale and the Rolls Royce "Silver Ghost" is their status: all three vehicles are the ultimate luxury automobiles of their era. The Benz Patent Motor Car, the Laurin & Klement Type A and the Ford T-Model - summarized in the exhibition under the title "First Love" - tell the story of the beginnings of automobility. The "small family" of the Austin Mini and Autobianchi A 112 revolutionized the small car concept. They still have an impact today, as does the technology of the turbocharged trendsetters Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder, Saab 99 Turbo and Porsche 911 Turbo - a "supercharged relationship". "The BMW 1500, also known as the "New Class", and its role model: the Isabella from Borgward. And what connects a motorcycle and an automobile? In the case of the DKW Super Sport 600 and the DKW F 1, it is the engine. The two-cylinder two-stroke engine of the heavy DKW machine also powered the small two-seater, which also caused a sensation as the first German automobile with front-wheel drive - a real "community of goods".
Milestones in the history of the automobile
In a total of 21 relationships, the new exhibition shows parts of Volkswagen's history, different automobile concepts, the use of various technologies and provides insights into design language and sports car history. The "Relationship Boxes" exhibition spans all four floors of the glass "rack" in the ZeitHaus - the part of the world's most visited automobile museum that is open to the Autostadt park via a glass front. The exhibition complements the presentation of the "Design IKONEN" in the second part of the building, the so-called "Corpus". All the vehicles in the ZeitHaus collection have one thing in common: they are milestones in automotive history because they have had a decisive influence on the development of the automobile - historically, conceptually or technologically.
The Autostadt is open 363 days a year from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Further information and tickets are available on the website.
