Staying home through the Coronavirus pandemic has meant missing out on many things. With car shows, automotive events, group drives, and other gatherings canceled, as a car lover, you may be feeling a bit of an automotive void in your life. Even trips to the local car dealership has been on hold for many of us. So where can you get your car fix, when you finally tire of looking at the old standbys in your garage? We’d recommend taking a dive into the world of virtual car museums.
Virtual Car Museums: Highlighting History & Showcasing Cars In All-New Ways
Unfortunately, with the pandemic, many car museums around the world are closed, but, luckily, enthusiasts have the next best option. Virtual car museums offer the luxury of all the museum’s top-of-the-line displays and can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.
We looked for museums you could go through virtually, rather than simply scrolling through pictures. We also picked museums with a wide array of displays with many interesting and one-of-a-kind makes and models. So sit back, relax, and start exploring!
Mercedes-Benz Museum
Located in Stuttgart, Germany, the Mercedes-Benz Museum is nine levels of impressive architecture and Mercedes-Benz history. And now you can experience all the luxury of this impressive museum from the comfort of your own home. Start your virtual tour at the historic cars exhibit — be sure to visit both the Legendary Car section and the Collectors Car section. Here, you’ll find the very first model designed by Daimler and Benz in the 19th century.
As you go through the virtual tour, you will learn about all the innovations made by Mercedes-Benz from its beginnings in 1926 to the present day. On your tour, you’ll discover how Mercedes-Benz has excelled in creating emission-free cars such as its C-350 model. And check out all the incredible race cars it has built over the years from their iconic 1930s grand prix cars to their sleek endurance racers built for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. See if you can spot some of the more unique Mercedez-Benz models like the 1893 Benz Vis-a-Vis, the Mercedes-Benz O 10000 bus, and the hydrogen-fuel-cell powered 2010 Mercedes-Benz B-class F-CELL.
This is one of the more jaw-dropping virtual car museums out there. The museum boasts 160 historically significant vehicles, and any car lover will enjoy this immersive experience. The virtual tour is available to you on both your desktop computer and your mobile device. Mercedes-Benz also offers a guided tour if you are not sure where to start.
Honda Collection Hall
Though Motegi, Japan might be a bit far to travel, don’t pass up the wonders of the Honda Collection Hall. Thanks to the museum’s 360-degree virtual tour, you can enjoy the museum from the comfort of your own home. The museum has the largest collection of all of Honda’s best makes and models, with over 300 vehicles on display in this three-story museum
Through the tour, you’ll learn about Honda’s history as you virtually walk through the extensive collection of cars, motorcycles, race cars, and much more. On the second floor, you’ll see a collection of Honda’s best car, motorcycle, and power vehicles including Honda’s rare S500 (Honda’s first sports model from 1963) and their more well-known models like the Prelude, NSX, and Civic. The second floor also focuses on the history of the companies success in the Japanese market.
When you move up to the third floor, you’ll get to explore Honda’s racing side. The two exhibits on this floor showcase Honda’s devotion to high-speed race machines—both two and four-wheel varieties. On the one side, you can explore Honda’s storied history in motorcycle racing. And on the other, peruse the many makes and models of race cars Honda has manufactured over the years including one of their more iconic pieces — one of the McLaren-Hondas driven by Ayrton Senna.
Porsche Museum
The Porsche Museum is physically located just up the road from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. But you don’t have to make the trip to Stuttgart to enjoy some classic Porsche builds as you can access this virtual museum right on Porsche’s website.
The virtual tour covers 5,600 square meters with 80 iconic Porsche models that have helped define the brand’s history. Some of the models on display that you will likely recognize include the original Beetle, 911s, and 917s. And be sure to look for the equally iconic although more rare Porsche Type 64, 356, and 550. For racing fans, the museum also features some of Porsche’s 24 Hours of Le Mans vehicles, part of their racing legacy.
And what better way to end your virtual tour than by popping into the Porsche AR Visualizer. This augmented reality app allows Porsche fans to customize the Porsche of their dreams. Because in virtual reality, there are very few limits.
Henry Ford Museum
The Henry Ford Museum is located next to Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, but you can see it all from your computer. This unique tour does more than simply showcase Ford’s best cars. It also shows the history of the automobile through Henry Ford’s eyes. Learn about the trials and tribulations faced by Ford and the successes of other car manufacturers at the time.
From the website, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a plethora of displays. As you scroll down the page, click any displays that catch your eye to view the virtual display. Using Google indoor mapping, the museum brings each display to life in 360-degrees giving you an up-close and personal view. Check out some of Ford’s most iconic models such as the Ford Lincoln Continental, Tucker 48, Concord Coach, Kaiser Traveler, and so much more.
With its mix of classic cars and history, this museum has nearly everything a car lover and car historian desires. Until you can make the trip out to Michigan, you’ll have to settle for the next best thing and view it virtually — which is still a pretty good alternative.
Land Cruiser Heritage Museum
Land Cruiser Heritage Virtual Museum
The world’s largest Land Cruiser museum, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, can be explored on your computer. This virtual tour features one of the biggest collections of Toyota Land Cruisers. The Land Cruiser is one of the best selling models Toyota has ever had.
Once on the virtual tour, you’ll see more than 70 varieties of the Land Cruiser in a large warehouse space. Some of the models on display are the BJ, which was developed for the Japanese armed forces, and a late-model and limited-edition 70-series. One of the main goals of the museum is to acquire and display all of the models of the Land Cruiser ever produced — which would be over 100 models. Some other models you can find are the 1953 Toyota Jeep BJT and a 2020 Heritage Edition 200 Series.
If you are a fan of the Land Cruiser, this virtual museum is perfect for you. You can even explore the first Land Cruiser sold in the United States and the first (and only) Land Cruiser to be on all seven continents!
Explore these Awesome Virtual Car Museums
As more states begin to soften guidelines around social distancing and COVID-19 closures, many car museums are beginning to reopen. While many may soon be open, others will remain closed for the near future. We know you want to visit these museums in person one day to see these magnificent cars. But for right now, you’ll have to enjoy these marvels virtually, from the comfort and safety of your own home.
