We always loved the Abarth Works Museum, so we had to see the new site, Squadra Abarth & Rally Collection. The Museum opened its doors in February, and the 5,000 m² of exhibition space in this state-of-the-art museum building provides a worthy setting for its 175 cars.
The heart and soul of the Museum is Guy Moerenhout, Belgian race driver and petrolhead. Born on 11 December 1949, he opened his Ford Motorsport garage in Mortsel in 1971. His passion for rally cars led him to become a prominent name in the rally community. In the following years, he expanded into importing LADA NIVA 4x4s, creating LADA SPORT, and even participating in the Paris-Dakar rally. His involvement with various car brands resulted in an extensive and diverse collection of vehicles.
In 2007, Guy moved his growing collection to Lier and in 2015, the Abarth Works Museum officially opened. With over 250 unique vehicles under its roof, each with its own story, the collection included Abarth, Fiat, Lada, Seat, and Simca.
The old Museum was a simple warehouse and workshop, but the truly impressive collection, the simple but effective neon lighting and the fiery spirit of its owner, Guy Moerenhout, made it an unforgettable experience. Since then, the old garage gave way to this new site, but we also loved the temporary pop-up museum, and, of course, we attended Autoworld’s Fiat and Abarth exhibition, which heavily relied on the Moerenhout collection.
Upon arrival, we quickly realised the new site was worth the wait. Located in a brand-new, state-of-the-art museum building (at the old address of the Works Museum, Industriestraat 1, Lier (2500)), the Museum offers a full programme, from a stylish cafeteria to a functioning 420-square-metre workshop separated by a full-size glass window.
The developers did a brilliant job indeed: the 8320-square-metre building hosts over 170 cars across 9 exhibition levels on 3 floors.
The collection pays tribute to the work of Italian car designer Carlo Abarth, but the Museum offers much more. The organisers aimed for a comprehensive experience and made it a hotspot for car fans in Belgium and all over the world. This we could already realise in the parking lot from the dozen British roadsters and classics parked by the entrance.
The new Museum is a vibrant hub for enthusiasts of vintage and rally cars. Alongside an extensive library and workshop, where old-timers are passionately repaired and restored, and visitors can even tinker with their own classic cars, you’ll find a cosy bar for snacks.
Inside the building, visitors are immersed in the universe of classic cars and motorsport with a cinema experience, exhibits like prepped engines and, of course, the cars themselves.
The Squadra Abarth & Rally Collection is spread across eight themed exhibition zones, each spotlighting a unique part of a rich car history.
The first segment is called Abarth & Co, and pays homage to Carlo Abarth’s pure, no-compromise race cars before Fiat stepped in. The selection is always very diverse, so this segment starts with a golden 1969 Scorpion SS on the podium, and ends with a luxurious beige 2200 Alemano in the corner.
Upstairs, the segment continues with a movie theatre and features a long lineup of cars with a few exotics like the two Zagato coupés, one with a long US racing pedigree and Team Rosevelt, which stands for the presidential family.
The next segment is called Fiat Abarth, and showcases how Abarth evolved under Fiat, with iconic models that changed both racetracks and public roads.
Again, this segment holds a very diverse selection, with a Fiat Abarth 2000SE 010 Quattro Fare, Lada race cars, a selection of Fiat 124 spyders in racing configuration (some of which are available for racing with team assistance), two Fiat X1/9 race cars and one of the most spectacular cars in the Museum, the Abarth 030 Prototype (an authentic replica).
The third segment is called Il Mondo Fiat, and provides a global road trip through Fiat’s legacy and impact.
Even without the Abarth badge, some of the cars make a pretty decent exhibit, like the 1950 Fiat 750 Rubbiani Sport on the podium, but even the road cars make a decent show, like the X1/9.
The Rally segment at the end of the floor offers a deep dive into the diverse world of rally racing and the different cars, with legendary models and unique stories.
The fifth segment is titled La Dolce Vita and honours the Italian lifestyle on wheels with classics like Vespa scooters, classic convertibles and pure nostalgia.
The corner hosts the La Storia di Guy, lining up the personal car story of Guy Moerenhout, told through the vehicles that shaped his journey.
This is where the selection gets really diverse, with several Simca coupés, a large selection of Russian cars (including a UK coachbuilt Lada-roadster), a classic Honda Civic and a 911 Carrera.
The show continues with a Simca-themed exhibition with a broad collection of Simca race and street cars, a brand with an important role in motorsports history.
The last segment is dedicated to the Abarth Squadra Storica, the in-house rally team. This is where past and present meet with cars used for historic rallies (fetching several trophies).
So, this was a quick summary of the vast collection of the Squadra Abarth Museum. Next time, we will revisit in more details some of our favourite cars from the Museum.
