The marketing flyer of the Museum Prototyp in Hamburg is really self-confident. The name of the car history museum is not primarily a reference to the car prototypes they partially own and display in their premises not too far from Hamburg Main Station, but they also seem themselves as a “prototype of a car museum” – “The symbiosis of man and machine delivers the full force of inspiration”. During a trip to the Northern German metropolis, I just had check out if the privately owned museum can keep their promise.
Museum Prototyp – Location & Admission
The museum is located in the Shanghaiallee 7 at the Elbtorquartier borough in Hamburg. The area is one of the key development areas of the city center – and thus, the building had some construction work during my visit. The traffic connection is not ideal and always requires walking: you may either connect by underground line U1 (station Meßberg) or by U4 (HafenCity / Universität or Überseequartier). There are some parking garages around. The most convenient way to reach the museum by public transport is by bus – the lines 111 and 602 stop more or less in front of the museum.
During my time of visit, the museum times were 10:00 to 18:00 hrs. Adult admission was 10 Euro. In case of special exhibitions, there is a (mandatory) 3.50 Euro supplement. Parking in the closeby garage Ebarkaden is 2.50 Euro for the first hour and 2 Euro per hour thereafter, limit 12 Euro.
Museum Prototyp – The Visit
You enter the museum from an intermediate level, before you head uo to the reception desk on first floor. There are additional exhibition spaces, the Schaudepot / Car Depot and the Gallerie / Gallery on the lower floors of the building. The first floor level is, however, the largest one. The exhibits are well described, typically in German and English. Sometimes, the technical data is put into small boxes into the floor, which is unusual, but really fancy.. To me, the key exhibits of the museum were the cars itself – but if you rather like medals and similar items, you will find a lot of interesting stuff for you as well. The key focus of the museum is definitely on German brands like Volkswagen or Porsche – but you will find other brands as well. One of the first exhibits I passed was the KdF-Wagen (“KdF car” – the abbreviation means Kraft durch Freude – “force by happiness”), which is a Nazi-initiated car finally leading to the Volkswagen brand. But there are countless very fascinating historic cars, which are typically much more rare than the KdF one.
The rear part of this exhibition floor turns more and more towards racing cars. To me, one of the more interesting exhibits was Michael Schumacher’s very first Formula One car. The debut car by Sebastian Vettel is also part of this section of the exhibition, which also shows a Paris-Dakar rallye car, sports cars and other interesting vehicles. There is also a car simulator to check out your racing skills.
As said, there are a lot of other items in display. For example, you find some original engines, but also other car racing histories. The museum drives a small cinema to watch some pieces of car racing history and even a special section, where you can listen to different motor sounds.
The Schaudepot
Right the first car on the Schaudepot level was a real highlight to me: the Herbie car you likely know from the Disney movie is not a one-piece original, but has been composed of original parts all used in the famous film. This level also features some more formula and race cars, but also some rather strange exhibits like a train-alike car, which used to drive visitors through Berlin Zoo.
The Gallery
The Gallery also features a bunch of pictures and arts as well as a model wind channel, which allows you to visualize the aerodynamic impact of different shapes of chassis. In this section, the museum almost feels like an art gallery, even though it still keeps its technical museum character as well.
The basement level, in which the Gallery is located, also hosts the exhibitions of the former Trips Museum in Kerpen near Cologne, which is nowadays closed. This place of honoring the famous German race car driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, who died in a car crash in Monza in 1961, is definitely one of the most emotional places. A really great selection of items.
Museum Prototyp – Services
The staff at the museum was amazingly friendly. The reception desk also features a shop with some really cool memorabilia.
If you fancy a coffee or need a snack, the museum also drives a cafe / snack bar called Cafe Erlkönig at the back of the reception desk. This was very popular during my visit. You are asked to put your backpacks in the (free / just a deposit) lockers.
Museum Prototyp – The View
If you finally really feel that Museum Prototyp is a prototype for future car museums is likely also quite a matter of taste. Indeed, the museum is a beauty. It is well structured and features a lot of outstanding exhibits. Their mission to feel car history with all senses does not feel to be unrealistic in here at all. On top of that, you are welcomed by amazing staff – you feel that they love the place they are working for. Overall, these are ingredients for a technical museum, which finally simply deserves the Top Pick! award.
Technical Museums – Other Postings
Here are all other Flyctory.com postings dealing with technical museums and exhibitions:

Geothermal Exhibition at Hellisheidi Power Plant

Arabia Steamboat Museum

Henri Tudor Museum (Rosport, Luxembourg)

Andorra National Automobile Museum

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Lane Motor Museum (Nashville)

American Space Museum (Titusville)

Dutch Railway Museum Utrecht

The Silverstone Interactive Museum

Umberto Panini Collection Motor Museum

Cyprus Railways Museum

Malta Aviation Museum

German Rail Museum (DB Museum) Nuremberg

Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy (Limassol)

Phänomenta Lüdenscheid

BMW Museum Munich

German Röntgen Museum Remscheid

Rickmer Rickmers Museum Ship Hamburg


Ystafell Auto Museum (Iceland)


Polish Aviation Museum (Krakow)


Volandia Aviation Museum Milan


LWL Open Air Museum Hagen


Icelandic Aviation Museum (Akureyri)


DAF Museum Eindhoven


Al Aqah Heritage Village & Car Museum


Halton County Radial Railway / Streetcar Museum


Berlin Computer Games Museum


Museum of The Story of Alfa Romeo


Sharjah Off Road History Museum


Deutsches Museum Traffic Center (Verkehrszentrum)


Automobile & Toy Museum North Sea (Norden, Germany)


Erwin Hymer Museum


Porsche Museum Stuttgart


Lokwelt Freilassing


Jet Age Museum Gloucester


German Spy Museum Berlin


Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization


Elder Science Museum (Las Palmas)


MUDETEC / Museo delle Tecnologie (Sant’ Agata Bolognese)


Museum Ferrari Maranello


Auto & Traktor Museum Bodensee (Lake Constance)


Austrian Aviation Museum


Schleusenpark Waltrop-Henrichenburg – History of Naval Locks


German Oil Museum Wietze


Sharjah Maritime Museum


Enzo Ferrari House Museum Modena


Automuseum Wolfegg (Wolfegg Car Museum)


ESO Supernova Munich – Garching


Marconi Automotive Museum & Foundation


Bergisches Museum for Mining, Craft & Trade Bensberg


German Movie Museum Frankfurt


Lyon Air Museum Santa Ana



Cap San Diego Museum Ship Hamburg


A Walk Through Zeche Zollverein (Pictured Story – Essen, Germany)


Zeppelin Museum Zeppelinheim


Leonardo da Vinci Museum Venice


Siku & Audi-Museum Höing (Stadtlohn, Germany)


Georg Breusing Rescue Cruiser Emden


Aviodrome Lelystad (Netherlands)


Computer History Museum (Mountain View CA)


USS Requin – A Submarine in Pittsburgh


Louwman Museum The Hague


German Architecture Museum (Frankfurt)


Philips Museum Eindhoven


Carnegie Science Center Pittsburgh


Deutsches Museum Bonn


Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen


Hangar 7 (Salzburg, Austria – Pictured Story)



Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg


Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen


HomeComputerMuseum Helmond (Netherlands)


Pinball Hall of Fame (Las Vegas)


Imperial War Museums Duxford


McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum


Zeppelin Museum Meersburg


Nelson, Nevada – A Ghost Town


Visiting Indianapolis Motor Speedway


Sharjah Classic Car Museum


De Havilland Aircraft Museum (London Colney)


Arithmeum Bonn – A Museum about Calculations


Sharjah Al Mahatta Historic Airport Museum


Stockholm Police Museum


Titanic Belfast


Flugausstellung Peter Junior (Hermeskeil)


Stockholm Gaming Museum


Madrid Railway Museum


International Towing & Recovery Museum (Chattanooga TN)


Civil Defense Heritage Gallery (Singapore)


Concorde Technical Tour at Manchester Airport


Science History Institute Philadelphia


Platform 0 Chamberí – A Madrid Metro Ghost Station


National Emergency Services Museum Sheffield


National Videogame Museum Sheffield


Emirates Aviation Experience London


Alte Dombach Paper Mill


Speyer Technology Museum


Emirates National Auto Museum


Ratingen-Cromford Textile Factory


Finnish Aviation Museum (Suomen Ilmailumuseo)


Deutsches Museum – Flugwerft Schleissheim


Willemstad – Maritime Museum and Harbour Tour


A Day at Sinsheim Technology Museum
Flyctory.com in Hamburg
Here are postings related to the German city of Hamburg:


Collapse Unter The Empire – Recurring


They Called Me Phoebe – Overthinking EP


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 22 September 2023)


Home Free (20th September 2023, Hamburg)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 08 September 2023)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 18 August 2023)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 11 August 2023)


Heart to Heart – Semmel Concerts Introduces the Songwriters Round to Germany


Home is where the heart is – My Twelve Favorite Cities of the World


The FC St. Pauli Museum (Kiezbeben)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 21 July 2023)


Hamburg Coffee Museum Burg


German Athletics Nationals 2023 – Day 2 Track (9th July 2023)


German Athletics Nationals 2023 – Day 1 Track (8th July 2023)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 07 July 2023)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 23 June 2023)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 26 May 2023)


Palila – Mind My Mind


Moor – Heavy Heart


The Longest Johns (21st April 2023, Cologne)


Dümptener Füchse – ETV Lady Piranhhas Hamburg 7-4 (3-0, 1-0, 3-4)


German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) Lounge Hamburg – Premium Area


Premier Inn Hamburg St. Pauli


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 17 March 2023)


Weird Al Yankovic tours Europe 2023 – My Reprise


Mitchell Tenpenny & Morgan Evans (3rd March 2023, Hamburg)


Jim “Kimo” West is playing the very first German Weird Al Show tonight – he is back with “Nacht der Gitarren” in Fall


Alter Elbtunnel / Historic Elbe Tunnel Hamburg


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 27 January 2023)


Mono Inc. – Ravenblack


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 20 January 2023)


Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On


All German States (and the Eleven Biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 2


All German States (and the eleven biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 1


Ski Holiday – Ski Holadiy


Hotel Fürst Bismarck (Hamburg)


Flyctory.com Best Ones 2022


ibis Hamburg St. Pauli Messe


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 16 December 2022)


King LX – Broken Crown


Some 2022 new Christmas Song Releases – Good Ones and Weird Ones


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 25 November 2022)


St. Pauli “Kult Kieztour” with Barbie Stupid and Lee Jackson


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 18 November 2022)


Millerntor Stadium Tour – Home of the FC St. Pauli


Weird Al Yankovic is touring Europe 2023 – Tour Dates and Travel Hints


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 21 October 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 14 October 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 7 October 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 30 September 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 23 September 2022)


Kill Strings – Limbo


Carly Pearce & Sarah Darling (12th September 2022, Hamburg)


Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Line 61


Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Line 73


Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Line 72


Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Lines 62 & 64 & Overview


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 26 August 2022)



Rickmer Rickmers Museum Ship Hamburg


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 12 August 2022)


Spicy’s Spices Museum (Gewürzmuseum) Hamburg


She Bites – Super Hero


IntercityHotel Hamburg-Altona


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 08 July 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 01 July 2022)


Breathe Your Last – Apocalypse


Fräulein Frey – Ein Wagnis


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 29 April 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 15 April 2022)


Premier Inn Hamburg City Millerntor


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 08 April 2022)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 01 April 2022)


Yullbe Wunderland – Explore Minatur Wunderland in a very different Way


Emily Roberts – thank you for leaving. EP


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 25 March 2022)


NANEE – Tausend Farben EP


The Jeremy Days – Beauty In Broken


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 04 March 2022)


SSF Dragons Bonn – ETV Piranhhas Hamburg 4:6 (1:3, 0:3, 3:0)


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 7 Jan 2022)


Spoon And The Forkestra – The Fondest Flinch EP


Gregorian – Pure Chants


Some Non-Country Christmas Songs 2021


Fuer den Faehrmann – Blutmond EP


Emma Longard – Quieter Pt. 2 EP


Palila – Rock ‘n’ Roll Sadness


Running Wild – Blood on Blood


Dennis Adamus – Right For You


Winter 2 – Winter 2


Ehlers Harbor Cruise Hamburg


Alex Christensen & The Berlin Orchestra – Classical 80s Dance


Zwanie Jonson – We Like It


Flying with DAT (Danish Air Transport) from Saarbruecken to Hamburg


IntercityHotel Hamburg Main Station


Jasmin Wagner – Von Herzen


Existent – Kartenhaus EP


Die Liga der gewöhnlichen Gentlemen – GschichterIn aus dem Park Cafe


Dominik Klein – Reflections EP


Hamburg Panoptikum


FRS Halunder Jet Fast Ferry VIP Premium Class from Hamburg to Helgoland


Helloween – Helloween


Emma Longard – Quieter Pt. 1 EP


German Customs Museum Hamburg



Cap San Diego Museum Ship Hamburg


Songs Of My Life: Andreas Dorau – Girls In Love


Schorl3 – Sprudelpop EP


Selig – Myriaden


German Food Additives Museum Hamburg


Tragedian – Seven Dimensions


Chocoversum by Hachez Hamburg


Flyctory.com Best Ones 2020


Reichshof Hamburg, Curio Collection by Hilton


Tusq – Rarities & Outtakes


bett1HULKS Championship 2020: Krawietz / Mies (GER) – A. Zverev / M. Zverev (GER) 6-4 7-5


bett1HULKS Championship 2020: Alexander Zverev (GER) – John Millman (AUS) 6-0 3-6 6-3


bett1HULKS Indoors 2020: Hubert Hurkacz (POL) vs. Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4 6-3


Marco Schmedtje – 18


ALPEN-SYLT Nachtexpress – A New Night Train Crossing Germany


Elbphilharmonie (Elbe Philharmonic Hall) Hamburg


miu – Corona Tapes EP



Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg


Herbertstrasse Hamburg – A Covid-19 Vacuum in the Red Light District


Alex Christensen & The Berlin Orchestra – Classical 90s Dance 3


Floorball Bundesliga: DJK Holzbüttgen – ETV Piranhhas Hamburg 2:7 (1:3, 0:4, 1:0)