Ford Mustang

“Don't ask me who is the owner of the car and how much does it cost”, – that was the first phrase we heard from our guide at the beginning of the excursion in Autoville. Beautiful and strict lady, she told us a lot of exciting things, but the mentioned two facts have remained a bit of mystery. I believe it was reasonable, as those cars were so luxurious and expensive-looking, that talking about the price was just indecent. 
Autoville is not just a museum, it doesn't even look like a museum. It is a big gallery, a spacious exhibiton hall with a unique collection of oldtimers and striking interior.

Opened in September 2008, it occupies about 2000 square meters and presents different periods of history. All retro cars are masterpieces of design and ingeneering thought of the XXth century. Here you can see vehicles from different countries, including legendary «Mercedes-Benz» 540K (1936). The constantly updating exposition consists of more than 50 antique cars from private collections – Cadillac, Rolls-Royce, Buick, Horch, Ford Mustang, Russian “Moskvich” are not the full list of the presented samples. Every car has its own remarkable history. Thus, the unarmoured Citroen DS saved life Charles de Gaulle during the assassination attempt at Petit-Clamart in 1962. And in 1955 the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (Gullwing) has set a new record during the famous rally “Mille Miglia” or “Thousand Miles”. 
The exhibition is designed to demonstrate that a car is not only a means of transportation, but also an art object with its own independent artistic value.
 

The “Autoville” complex works not just as a museum of authentic vintage automobiles, but as a cultural centre with several restaurants, library, poolroom and a shop. It can be an original way of entertainment and a great place for romantic date, family holiday and business meeting. Besides, Autovilles often holds various social and cultural events like lectures, film screenings, exhibitions of contemporary art and others. You can also rent vehicles for the wedding photography (from 5000 to 15000 rubles).
 

The museum is opened every day (10 a.m.-10 p.m.). The ticket price is 300 rubles per person if you want to see the collection on your own. The museum has a special service for foreigners, so it's better to book a guided tour. The price varies from 3000 to 7500 rubles per group (depends on the number of people). All excursions start every two hours (the last one is at 8 p.m.).
 

The address: 2/1, Usacheva street, Moscow. Metro station: “Frunzenskaya”. Phone number:+7 (495) 705-98-81. 
The museum's official website is here. 

Cars presented on the pictures: Ford Mustang, Buick, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar. 

Natalia Semicheva.

Natalia Semicheva 2011.