The Museu do Caramulo’s car collection celebrates 70 years

The Museu do Caramulo’s collection of cars, motorcycles and bicycles will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2025. Started by João de Lacerda (1923–2003), it remains one of the world’s most remarkable collections, not only for the rarity and condition of the vehicles, but also for the unique way it tells the story of the automobile and Portugal’s relationship with this symbol of progress and freedom.

The origins

It all began when João de Lacerda came across a 1925 Ford Model T in a state of neglect. His purchase of this vehicle in 1955 marked the beginning of what would become the most important collection of vintage cars in the country. Initially intended as a personal project, growing public interest led to it being made public, giving rise to the Museu Automóvel do Caramulo (Caramulo Automobile Museum), created in 1959 on the ground floor of the Abel de Lacerda Foundation building, following a suggestion by President Américo Thomaz.

For the first time in Portugal, a museum dedicated exclusively to automobiles was born, at a time when only a dozen similar institutions existed worldwide. The success of the initiative justified the construction of a new building, inaugurated in 1970, designed so that all vehicles could be easily removed for necessary mechanical maintenance.

Rigour and authenticity as a distinctive feature

If we consider mechanics to be the soul of a car, we can also consider its design and operation to be an art form. All the vehicles on display at the Museu do Caramulo are, at any given moment, capable of travelling with the same characteristics they had when they were created. Their perfect state of preservation and the rigour with which they have been restored mean that their venerable and magnificent engines function as priceless works of art. It is common to see vehicles over 100 years old driving around Caramulo or participating in prestigious national and international races, such as London-Brighton, the Monte Carlo Rally, and the Louis Vuitton China Run, among many others. The Caramulo Motorfestival, the Founders’ Run by Cartrack, the Rider – Classic Car and Motorcycle Tour, and the Museum on the Road initiative – events organised by the Museu do Caramulo – are other highlights where the continuous display of vehicles proves their impeccable state of preservation, which deserves the highest national and international praise.

João de Lacerda, a perfectionist and discerning man, meticulously rebuilt each vehicle, defending the principle that a car that did not run would be an anachronism. With all the cars on display in perfect working order, a tradition continues today, embodied in a dynamic and constantly expanding collection of nearly 200 vehicles. In addition to his own vehicles, the collection includes a unique set of models in storage, notably the collection of Emerson Fittipaldi, the two-time Formula 1 world champion, who chose the Museu do Caramulo to house his exclusive collection.

The collection, now on display across four museum spaces, brings together seminal brands such as Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, Delahaye, Mercedes-Benz, Packard, Jaguar, Ferrari, Porsche and Hispano-Suiza, ranging from the Cudell De Dion tricycle (1898) to the 2015 LaFerrari, with a focus on vehicles with strong links to the history of Portugal. Among the most emblematic examples are the 1886 Benz Dreirad, considered the world’s first petrol-powered car; the Bugatti Type 35B, a model that brought more than two thousand victories to the Molsheim-based manufacturer; the armoured Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser and the Cadillac Series 75 that were used by António de Oliveira Salazar; the Rolls-Royce Phantom III that transported Queen Elizabeth II, President Eisenhower and Pope John Paul II on their visits to Portugal; the Pegaso Z102 B Touring Berlinetta offered by General Franco to President Craveiro Lopes; and, of course, the PIDE’s Chrysler Imperial that starred in the ‘Escape from Caxias Prison’.

A legacy that inspires generations

With its collections of art, cars, motorcycles, bicycles and toys, the Museu do Caramulo – one of the oldest automobile museums in the world – is now a unique cultural space, whose identity is based on the convergence of exhibition spaces in constant dialogue and evolution.

João de Lacerda’s vision went beyond personal collecting: he was the true driving force behind the preservation of automotive heritage in Portugal, inspiring successive generations and permanently shaping an industry, while creating and fostering a taste for collecting and conserving a unique heritage.

Through international competitions, events, and permanent and temporary exhibitions open to the public, the Caramulo Museum continues, seven decades later, to tell the story of the automobile and inspire new generations of motor enthusiasts, reaffirming itself as an institution at the service of all Portuguese people.