Guide to Malaga Car Museum

Malaga’s car museum isn’t really just a car museum.

Yes, there are nearly 100 vehicles on display — from an 1898 pioneer to a 2011 compressed-air prototype — all in showroom condition inside a vast converted tobacco factory. But alongside every car stands a mannequin dressed in period fashion by the likes of Dior, Chanel and Gucci. And somewhere in the middle of it all sits a WWI-era car, dug out of the rubble exactly as found, bullet holes in the back seat still intact.

It’s one of the more surprising two hours you can spend in Malaga. Car fan or not.

Need to know

From 1898 to 2011

The Malaga Car Museum is huge – over 6,000 square metres – and divided into 7 themed automobile areas. You start in the Belle Epoque – the oldest car dates from 1898 – and move through the car ages to the present day via the Roaring 20s, Art Déco vehicles in vogue in the 30s and designer cars. The youngest car, a prototype with a compressed air engine – was designed in 2011.

The 100-odd vehicles on display are all in perfect condition – you can see your reflection in their shiny exteriors – except for one discovered buried in rubble after the First World War and preserved as found complete with bullet holes in the back seat.

There’s also a space for car tuning (the museum holds car tuning events throughout the year) and stylised engines. Keep an eye out for unusual detail on the bonnets, hubcaps and car bodies.

Flash cars inevitably go hand-in-hand with movie stars, premier politicians, rock musicians and the jet set, and many of the cars on display are associated with a famous face. Roosevelt, Mussolini, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and Schwartznegger all have their place in the museum.

Start the engines!

Every Sunday, visitors to the museum can listen to some of the cars in action. Among them are: 

• A 1939 Lancia with a tailor-made chassis. 
• A 1949 Cadillac with one of the quietest engines you’ll hear anywhere.
• A 1961 Aston Martin that inspired James Bond’s own vehicle in Goldfinger (you can hear this one in our video above).

Haute couture

But this museum in Malaga isn’t just about cars. Next to each model is accompanied a mannequin dressed in fashion appropriate to the year of the car.

And we’re not talking any old fashion – the world’s greatest designers (think Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Galliano et al) all have their place beside the shining automobiles.

The fashion display goes beyond the cars too and there are several rooms dedicated to specific fashion topics. The hat collection is particularly impressive, especially the cabinet displaying the leopard head, ostrich feathers and snake and crocodile skins.

Alongside the fashion and the vehicles themselves are creative displays of car accessories – hubcaps, headlights and steering wheels all have their place in the inventive installations.

Top tips

• Guided tour – if you’re a real car fan it’s worth going on a guided tour. Contact the museum in advance and see when there’s one available in your language.
• Make a museum day of it – combine your visit with a trip to the adjacent Russian Museum, one of the top art museums in Malaga.
• Museum and beach it – the Tabacalera backs on to one of the best beaches in Malaga, La Misericordia. Have lunch at one of the beach bars (we like Gutiérrez Playa) and then settle down on the sands for a relaxing afternoon.
• Treat yourself– some of the models on display are available for hire, including the pink Cadillac (as shown in our video).
• Rainy day – if you’re unlikely and have to put up with one of the few wet days in Malaga, the Car Museum is a good place to head for a morning or afternoon.

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