Recently the first European Mazda museum opened the gates. In Augsburg, Germany, lovers of the brand can immerse themselves in the history of the special brand from the land of the Rising Sun. 45 classic Mazdas will be exhibited in the Automobil Museum Frey and there will be an ever-changing collection.
The Mazda museum is a project of the local Mazda dealer Auto Frey. With the support of Mazda Motor Germany, the nearly 100-year history of the Hiroshima brand is shown. The epic center within the Mazda museum is an exhibition of more than 45 classic Mazdas as they were once officially offered for sale in Europe. Furthermore, models are shown that were only available elsewhere.
Oddities from private collection
Within the extensive and varied collection is a number of oddities from the extensive private collection of the Frey family. The Mazda museum, suitably located in a former and renovated tram depot from 1897, is also equipped with an extensive event location, restaurant facilities and a shop.
Shaky history
Various models on display cannot be viewed separately from the Mazda Wankel history. The presence of the Mazda Cosmo Sport from 1967 is self-evident. A Mazda Luce RX87 from 1968 and a Mazda RX-7 from 1992 are also on display. Furthermore, the company's first series-produced car, the Mazda R360, is visible to the public. Special items in the collection are also the Mazda K360 three-wheeled pick-up truck (1960) and the Mazda Familia 1000 Coupé from 1966. A Mazda 616 from 1976 is of course not missing, because that is the first model from Mazda that was officially sold in Germany.
Continuous changing of the guard
The selection on display will be constantly updated with other properties from the Frey's collection. The collection of the German Mazda dealer namely comprises more than 120 copies. The organization hopes that the Mazda Museum will also become a draw for club meetings of Mazda clubs from Europe and for car events with classics in general. Auto Frey has been a Mazda dealer since 1978 and now has three locations in Augsburg and the surrounding region.
More information
You can read more about the new Mazda museum, the first in Europe here.