The Abarth Works Museum is one of our favourite automotive pilgrimage sites. The Museum hosts a fabulous collection, with its fleet of over 300 cars (the ones in pieces and parts not counted : ) ).
The Museum had a rather particular layout, as its immense collection was showcased in a warehouse with three massive halls. Size does matter, and the site’s untamed environment radiated a feeling of authenticity. With its old-school garage-warehouse, it was no match for the finest car museums in Europe, but it provided enough impulses for a several-hour walk, and we loved to revisit the site. You could tell that the owner, Guy Moerenhout used his resources very efficiently.
He probably also felt the need for an overhaul, so he decided to move the collection into a brand-new museum. Until the Museum building was ready, the collection was temporarily relocated into a popup museum with several temporary warehouses. Thus, we encountered many novelties since our last visit, not just among the cars, but also around the facilities.
To some extent, the popup museum already surpasses the previous site with its newer infrastructure, though, in certain areas, you can feel the temporary nature of the current site.
The centrepiece of the compound is the popup building, a temporary facility that probably served as a shop. The main building features a main hall with a large window hosting a few selected cars, offices, catering facilities, and the owner’s prize trophies. There is a selection of the owner’s favourite vehicles, like the golden 1969 Fiat Abarth OT 1300 Scorpione coupé, a prototype that belonged to Carlo Abarth and the blue 1959 Allemano 750 Spider.
There is a massive warehouse with cars kept in storage for the new Museum. In here, cars are so closely parked that you need a dukes of Hazzard move to enter. In fact, since our visit, some of the cars were auctioned off, and there is a new auction coming (more on that a bit later).
By now Mr Moerenhout’s love for eastern irons is paying back, as some of his Ladas becoming quite expensive collectors’ items, like the original VFTS.
Also, you don’t get to see a Seat Bocanegra, Fiat off-road vehicles or other rarities. In fact, it was at the Works Museum, where we got to see our first OSI coupé, a red one. This time, we saw a silver OSI in the workshop corner of the warehouse.
Despite the ongoing construction of a flashy brand-new site, Mr Moerenhout is working on several side projects. During our visit, the Museum held a Simca exhibition (more on that soon), and an auction is scheduled for the end of June (though many of the cars are already sold).
This year also marks the anniversary of the Abarth brand, and the Museum is actively involved in the celebrations.
The Museum contributed to this year’s Flanders Collection Cars, and they will spearhead Autoworld’s upcoming Abarth exhibition.
