From February 15, 2014 to May 4, 2014, the Louwman Museum in The Hague is exhibiting a retrospective of German and Italian cars from the legendary Martini Racing team. The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Museo Nazionale dell' Automobile Torino, the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo Arese, the Collezione Lancia Torino and the Porsche Museum Stuttgart. A number of private collectors also cooperated. Special: the German and Italian cars from the Martini Racing collection have never been seen together.
Lancia importer gives the museum an idea
In the National Car Show of BNR, director Ronald Kooijman of the Louwman Museum said that he was pointed out by the Dutch Lancia importer about a unique exhibition in Turin. There he made contacts with, among others, a few private collectors. “It was a short day, but I immediately went to Turin. I met two private collectors and they were immediately over when they saw the pictures of our museum. They immediately wanted to contribute to our temporary collection. ”Kooijman decided to travel on to Stuttgart to also add some Porsches to the exhibition. “We succeeded. As a result, a collection of German and Italian is brought together for the first time in history. I certainly expect a lot from this exhibition. "
Sponsor pioneer
The name Martini Racing is a household name within motorsport. Martini was one of the first major sponsors in motorsport history and gained fame for its technical progressiveness. In addition, Martini Racing has always played a dominant role in many important racing events. The list of successes is extensive and includes victories from Le Mans to Formula 1 and from rallies to the German Touring Car Championships (DTM).
Face Determining
On December 27, 1970, the history of Martini Racing started. The Porsche 1971 made its public debut at the 917 World Sportscar Championship at the German Hockenheim circuit. This car was equipped with the official Martini Racing colors. That palette consisted of a combination of dark blue, light blue and red stripes on a silver background. This color combination has been a defining feature at all major international motorsport events for many years. Since its introduction, the Martini Racing graphics have been applied to the cars of the most important manufacturers in motorsport: Porsche, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lotus, Brabham, Lancia and Ford. The Martini Racing team was always ahead of its time and played a leading role in all motorsport events,
Victory series
The history of the racing stable has many highlights. Martini Racing dominated the so-called 'endurance races' for years in the period 1970 – 1986 and achieved many victories, including the first Le Mans victory in 1971 by Gijs van Lennep. In the period 1982-1992 the Lancias of Martini Racing won the World Rally Championship no fewer than seven times and the Alfa Romeo 155 DTM the Queen of the Touring Car Championships. In Formula 1, however, the team could not compete with the competition.
Nice collection
The retrospective exhibition consists of historical specimens from multiple disciplines. Endurance racers are on display such as the Porsche RSR (1974), Porsche 935 (1977) and the Lancia Beta Montecarlo (1981). There are also Formula 1 cars present. The exceptionally rare Tecno PA 123/6 (1973) in particular is a showpiece of which director Ronald Kooijman of the beautiful museum in The Hague is very proud. Martini's rally corner also contributes. No less than six 6 rally cars are part of the exhibited collection. The visitor can marvel at the Porsche 911 SC Safari (1978), the Lancia 037 (1983) and the Lancia Delta S4 (1985/86). Two participants in the Touring Car Championships also fill the museum floor in The Hague. Alfa Romeo 155 V6 (1995) and the youngest of the exhibited cars: the Porsche GT3 R (2013). In total, 16 masterpieces from the Martini Racing collection will be exhibited.
Wonderful addition
The Martini Racing collection is a wonderful addition to the already impressive private collection of 250 historic cars. The collection is considered the oldest in the world. That is why a visit to the Louwman Museum is an absolute must in all respects. Certainly now that the beautiful Louwman collection is temporarily supplemented by sixteen historic racing cars from a team with the historic Martini Racing name.
You can find more information about opening times and entrance fees of the Louwman Museum in The Hague here.