The National Automobile Museum (MAUTO) opened in 1960 and is one of the oldest car museums in the world. The semi-circular building overlooking the River Po acts as a backdrop to the three floors of the collection featuring a spectacular layout designed by François Confinio, who also designed the exhibition space of the Museum of Cinema.

The idea of building an automobile museum was conceived by Italian motoring pioneers and FIAT founding members, Cesare Goria Gatti and Roberto Biscaretti di Ruffia. The oldest section of the museum is dedicated to Roberto Biscaretti’s son Carlo who conceived and put together the initial collection of cars, chassis and engines.

Visitors are taken on an entertaining and educational journey through the world of vintage and dream cars, with a focus on the development of Italian car design. Inside the museum, accompanied by the sounds of 1970s songs and the roar of Formula 1 cars, visitors can admire a collection of more than 200 original automobiles from 80 different automotive companies. Several multimedia experiences, themed displays, dedicated Apps and screenings are designed to cater to a younger audience.

Other highlights include an events space, a congress centre, a bookshop, a café/restaurant, a documentation center and an area dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Particular attention is paid to the theme of races, the focal point of a thematic area of the permanent display where racing cars and F1 single-seaters from the turn of the 20th century to the present are hosted. These include Michael Schumacher’s 1996 Ferrari F310, the Alfa Romeo 179B single-seater and the 155 V6, renowned for having dominated in the world of DTM.