ACAP – Associação Automóvel de Portugal (Portuguese Automobile Association) donated its entire collection of historical documents to the Museu do Caramulo, in a gesture that decisively reinforces the preservation and appreciation of the history of the national automobile sector.
Estimated at more than eight thousand historical documents, the collection now incorporated brings together an extensive body of commercial catalogues, technical specifications and blueprints produced between 1940 and 2000, covering multiple brands, models and key periods in the evolution of the automobile.
With this incorporation, the Museu do Caramulo now holds the largest automotive cataloguing archive in Portugal, consolidating its role as a leading institution in the safeguarding of technical and industrial heritage related to mobility.
This collection will now undergo a rigorous process of cataloguing and digitisation, with the aim of ensuring its long-term preservation and, at a later stage, providing public access for researchers, enthusiasts and the general public.
According to Helder Barata Pedro, Secretary-General of ACAP, “The integration of this collection into the Museu do Caramulo represents the best possible guarantee of preservation, valorisation and historical contextualisation of an absolutely unique archive. It is a widely recognised museum institution, deeply connected to the history of the automobile, ensuring the best conditions for the conservation, study and dissemination of this heritage. For ACAP, it is essential to preserve these historical materials and to ensure they are exhibited and made accessible to the public, researchers and enthusiasts, contributing to a greater understanding of the evolution of the automotive sector in Portugal.”
Salvador Patrício Gouveia, Chairman of the Board of the Museu do Caramulo, adds: “We are deeply grateful to ACAP for this important donation. The collection entrusted to us is a true historical treasure, deserving of preservation, study and public availability, whether for academic purposes, for those who share this passion for the automobile, or even for those dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of historic vehicles.”
For their contribution, ACAP and the Museu do Caramulo also wish to thank Filipe Villas-Boas, whose support was instrumental throughout the entire process of transferring and safeguarding the collection.
