Not only for fans of classic cars – The Automobile Museum

Although Lima is best known for museums that show ancient cultures or the colonial era, there are many other museums that exhibit different things. This includes the Automobile Museum. It is located in the district of La Molina, east of the city center. And although La Molina is the sunniest district in Lima and would like to sit in a park by the lake, it is worth visiting this little gem.

Behind the creation of the museum there is a beautiful story. It begins in 1962 when a young man, Jorge Nicolini, saw a Lincoln from 1925 in Lima. I was so fascinated with the design that I wanted to buy the car. It was used as a taxi, so he had no trouble finding it.

However, he did not have the money to buy a car, his mother gave it to him. His second car was a Ford T, and again he was lucky: the newly opened Fordwerk was competing for a contest, which would find the oldest and best preserved Ford and won a Ford Taunus. Nicolini was the winner, he sold the Taunus and he was able to buy ten more classic cars. In the following years he traveled throughout Peru to find and repair old cars. In 2002, the collection had grown so much that Nicolini decided to found a museum, the Automobile Museum.

Even if you are not interested primarily in automobiles, the museum is a great place. More than 130 classic car models adorn the exhibition hall, which at the same time has a rustic and modern style with brick walls and intelligent lighting. It’s exactly the right environment for these cars. The exhibition extends to the outside area.

Among the vehicles there are all kinds of brands from different countries that have arrived in Peru in the 20th century, that is, several classic and sports cars, such as: a Cadillac used by several Peruvian presidents, a Boyer of 1901 (the most old of the collection) and a Jeep of the Second World War.