For over a century, Grand Prix racing has embodied the limits of speed, innovation and bravery in motor sport. From April 12, 2025, Germany’s Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection will bring this extraordinary legacy to life with a new exhibition: Grand Prix – Icons of the Premier Class of Motorsport.
Spanning 120 years of GP history, including 75 years of Formula 1, the exhibition showcases everything from pioneering pre-war machines to today’s advanced 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids. Visitors can expect to see cars driven by some of the sport’s most iconic figures, including Louis Chiron, Tazio Nuvolari, Juan Manuel Fangio, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
The exhibition opens with a tribute to early 20th-century GP racing, featuring some of the era’s most significant machines. Highlights include the unrestored Bugatti Type 35B that won the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix in 1929, alongside Tazio Nuvolari’s Alfa Romeo P3, which famously defeated the dominant Auto Union Type D and Mercedes-Benz W154 at the 1935 German Grand Prix.
Also on display are the revolutionary pre-war Silver Arrows and the unique Alfa Romeo 16C Bimotore, powered by two inline-eight engines. The exhibition then moves into the Formula 1 World Championship era – which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025 – featuring the Maserati 250F that secured the Italian marque’s fifth and final constructors’ title with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957.
“Top-level motor sport has always represented the pinnacle of technology, which is what makes it so fascinating,” said museum founder Friedhelm Loh. “For us at the Nationales Automuseum, it’s all about sharing history, stories and the tales of the people and engineering behind it all.”
The exhibition explores the engineering milestones of Grand Prix racing, from the colossal 16.3-litre four-cylinder engine that powered the FIAT 130 HP in 1905 to cutting-edge modern powertrains. Visitors can trace the technological evolution through early 12-cylinder and supercharged powerplants, the iconic 3.0-litre Cosworth DFV V8 and today’s 1.6-litre turbo-hybrid units.
A special tribute to Niki Lauda includes two cars driven by the Austrian World Champion. These are the Ferrari 312 B3-74, which laid the foundation for his title-winning seasons with Scuderia Ferrari, and the BMW M1 Procar he raced against other F1 drivers in the innovative one-make M1 Procar Championship series. Another highlight is a dedicated display celebrating the iconic Marlboro livery, which adorned myriad Championship-winning Ferraris and McLarens.
Accompanying the exhibition, the museum has released a new book titled Grand Prix – Icons of the Premier Class of Motorsport, written by renowned motor sport historian Jörg Walz. The publication offers detailed insights into the cars on display and the broader history of Grand Prix racing.
This new Grand Prix exhibition replaces the museum’s 100 Years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Ferrari – Masterpieces for the Racetrack and Road displays.
For tickets and more information, click here.
