Unforgettable visit- my 991RS at the Museum Prototyp.(pics)
Discussion
The Museum Prototyp in Hamburg is a must see for anyone interested in early Porsches and VWs. The co-founders are a pair of brothers-in-law with a lifelong interest in air cooled cars going back to their teens, and over the years have amassed an amazing collection of rarities. They started with no money and at the time collected very early VWs and Porsches that were going for scrap prices. Over the years they traded up and strengthened their collection. They have deep contacts and an ability to find the most amazing barn finds.
The museum is situated in the historic warehouse district and frequently hosts special exhibits of unusual cars, and enjoys a strong relationship with the much larger and comprehensive Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen. Unlike the official museum, the emphasis here is on the specials, the coachbuilt rarities from the early days just before and after the war. As such, there is very little overlap with the official museum, which for me is too clinical, cold and perfect, and conveys little about the history of the cars.
The Museum Prototyp is warm, has excellent bilingual documentation and a knowledgeable staff, and has a crown jewel....the Porsche type 64 from 1939
There are lots of coach built VW and Porsche cars from the early days;
A four door VW commissioned for Police work:
Dr Ferdinand Porsche's original VW prototype from 1937,soon to eb reunited with its original body:
Porsche Jagdwagen with its wartime ancestor. It could float but had no power on water, unlike the Schwimmwagen.
Oldest known Porsche branded engine from 1938:
An interesting Cisitalia from 1947... Porsche -dseigned engine. Driven by Hans Stuck Snr, who was persona non grata after the war due to Hitler association. Otto Matthé, and Austrian friend had him register to race as an Austrian. this is his car:
There are some fascinating rarities:
This prototype later led to the RS 60..notice Mercedes tail lights...
This Borgward was launched to compete with Porsche...failed...
Lovely coachbuilt stuff:
But..the best was yet to happen....
The museum is situated in the historic warehouse district and frequently hosts special exhibits of unusual cars, and enjoys a strong relationship with the much larger and comprehensive Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen. Unlike the official museum, the emphasis here is on the specials, the coachbuilt rarities from the early days just before and after the war. As such, there is very little overlap with the official museum, which for me is too clinical, cold and perfect, and conveys little about the history of the cars.
The Museum Prototyp is warm, has excellent bilingual documentation and a knowledgeable staff, and has a crown jewel....the Porsche type 64 from 1939
There are lots of coach built VW and Porsche cars from the early days;
A four door VW commissioned for Police work:
Dr Ferdinand Porsche's original VW prototype from 1937,soon to eb reunited with its original body:
Porsche Jagdwagen with its wartime ancestor. It could float but had no power on water, unlike the Schwimmwagen.
Oldest known Porsche branded engine from 1938:
An interesting Cisitalia from 1947... Porsche -dseigned engine. Driven by Hans Stuck Snr, who was persona non grata after the war due to Hitler association. Otto Matthé, and Austrian friend had him register to race as an Austrian. this is his car:
There are some fascinating rarities:
This prototype later led to the RS 60..notice Mercedes tail lights...
This Borgward was launched to compete with Porsche...failed...
Lovely coachbuilt stuff:
But..the best was yet to happen....
Edited by RDMcG on Wednesday 27th April 21:11
The partners Thomas and Oliver, bought the remains of the estate of Otto Mathé who had pursched the remaining Type 64 tom the Porsche family in 1946-7. The family had re register the car as a Porsche in 1946, which predates the Porsche no.1.
On receviing the various racing specials built by Otto and a cache of spares, they noticed some off serial numbers of parts. Originally there had been three type 64s built. One was destroyed in a bombing in Berlin, one survived with its body intact and was later sold by Mathe ( survives but not with original engine) and one was driven to destruction by the US army, its roof cut off to make it a droptop.
This wreck had disappeared.
However, Mathé had recovered the wreckage and it was now distributed among the various specials. A detective hunt began and it turned out they had the original engine, transmission,instruments and chassis. The body was gone. a ten year restoration began with a painstaking effort to make it perfect. They had the surviving 64 on loan but could see from pics that the second car had been a little different on the roofline. Digital recreation built the body shape. They had scraps of carpet and upholstery.
It is a beautiful thing:
and it was time to meet its great grandchild
:
Thomas put the "experimental" sticker from the 64 on my car:
and to say goodbye
On receviing the various racing specials built by Otto and a cache of spares, they noticed some off serial numbers of parts. Originally there had been three type 64s built. One was destroyed in a bombing in Berlin, one survived with its body intact and was later sold by Mathe ( survives but not with original engine) and one was driven to destruction by the US army, its roof cut off to make it a droptop.
This wreck had disappeared.
However, Mathé had recovered the wreckage and it was now distributed among the various specials. A detective hunt began and it turned out they had the original engine, transmission,instruments and chassis. The body was gone. a ten year restoration began with a painstaking effort to make it perfect. They had the surviving 64 on loan but could see from pics that the second car had been a little different on the roofline. Digital recreation built the body shape. They had scraps of carpet and upholstery.
It is a beautiful thing:
and it was time to meet its great grandchild
:
Thomas put the "experimental" sticker from the 64 on my car:
and to say goodbye
There are numerous other interesting cars and automobilia:
;
the oldest known Porsche meeting tag:
More well=known cars:
Overall, a wonderful place to visit. I will be back.
LInky:
http://www.prototyp-hamburg.de/en/
;
the oldest known Porsche meeting tag:
More well=known cars:
Overall, a wonderful place to visit. I will be back.
LInky:
http://www.prototyp-hamburg.de/en/
There are no known photographs of the three type 64 prototypes together. The Porsche Archiv gave me a few. They are incredibly helpful people.
The museum has a bunch of unpublished pics for a forthcoming book and kindly sent me one, but asked me not to put it on the web, so if course I will not.
Here are the public domain pics...first one from 1941...it must have looked like a space ship:
The museum has a bunch of unpublished pics for a forthcoming book and kindly sent me one, but asked me not to put it on the web, so if course I will not.
Here are the public domain pics...first one from 1941...it must have looked like a space ship:
Edited by RDMcG on Wednesday 27th April 20:12
It is a great museum well worth a visit if you are in or near Hamburg.
Just 2 minutes walk from the museum is www.miniatur-wunderland.com also very much worth a visit whilst you are nearby.
Just 2 minutes walk from the museum is www.miniatur-wunderland.com also very much worth a visit whilst you are nearby.
dugsud said:
It is a great museum well worth a visit if you are in or near Hamburg.
Just 2 minutes walk from the museum is www.miniatur-wunderland.com also very much worth a visit whilst you are nearby.
Agree. An amazing place Just 2 minutes walk from the museum is www.miniatur-wunderland.com also very much worth a visit whilst you are nearby.
There are two more oddball places on my list next... a small museum on the work of Ferdinand Porsche from his youth to the thirties opening by one the of Piëch family in Salzburg and a new museum opened by Hans-Peter Porsche near Salzburg which contains his extensive toy collection including some model Porsches.....will post when I get a chance to visit....
If you mean this place http://www.hanspeterporsche.com/ it's completely amazing. The upstairs has the most incredible collection of Marklin toys you can imagine and then the downstairs has the best model railway I've ever seen.
Well worth a visit.
Well worth a visit.
pottman said:
If you mean this place http://www.hanspeterporsche.com/ it's completely amazing. The upstairs has the most incredible collection of Marklin toys you can imagine and then the downstairs has the best model railway I've ever seen.
Well worth a visit.
yes...thats the place!Well worth a visit.
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