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Mazda Opens Classic Car Museum In Germany

Toyota, Honda, Nissan. All of the three major Japanese automakers have a fairly long and quirk-laden history to them. Although small in terms of volume compared to its peers, Mazda also has a knack for celebrating its past. And for what it’s worth, there’s a lot to celebrate.
Mazda Classic Automobil Museum Frey 11 photos
Photo: Mazda
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Founded in 1920, the Hiroshima-based automaker’s first proper car saw the light of day in 1960. Its name is the R360, and within a few years since its introduction, Mazda had captured the biggest part of Japan’s kei car market. Spurred by the R360’s commercial success, more vehicles followed, including the rotary-engined Cosmo Series I.

Off the top of my head, classics that put Mazda on the map include the RX-2 (or Capella), RX-3 (or Savanna), RX-7, RX-8, the Eunos Cosmo, and of course, the MX-5 Miata. On the motorsport scene, the 787B racecar is the only Japanese sports prototype racecar to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There’s plenty to like about the manufacturer’s history, and for that reason, Mazda opened its first museum outside Japan in the country that gave us the motor car in the first place.

Located in the town of Augsburg, Germany, the Mazda Classic Automobil Museum Frey started as a simple project from local dealer Auto Frey. The project turned to fruition with the help of the German importer, with the showplace now consisting of a 45-vehicle exhibit. Speaking of which, the vintage-looking facility is a refurbished tram depot that dates from 1897. For reference, that’s the year William McKinley was sworn POTUS and German composer Johannes Brahms died.

“Uniquely impressive, the first Mazda museum outside Japan represents a dream come true for the Frey family to share with the public its one-of-a-kind collection of vintage Mazdas from around the world,”
commented Mr. Akira Marumoto, the company’s executive vice president.

Now open to the public, admission for adults is priced at €5. The Mazda Classic Automobil Museum Frey can be visited from 10 AM to 6 PM from Tuesday to Sunday, and group visiting packages are also available.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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