Mexican cars: Memories, not history

Journal of Transport History, The, Sep 2003 by Alvarez, Samantha

Mexican cars: memories, not history Museo del Automovil, Avenida Division del None 3572, San Pablo Tepetlalpan CP 04620, Mexico DF, Mexico. Phone 525617 5663 or 52 5617 0411, fax 52 56/7 5052. Web site: www.museodelautomovil.com.mx

This is a small, specialised Mexican museum, known only to a few people and visited by even fewer. It is located in one of the world's biggest cities, well provided with every sort of museum and cultural activity; this fact needs to be taken into consideration when accounting for the museum's lack of popularity. During the twelve years of its existence the Museo del Automovil has aimed to offer 'a new way of appreciating antique automobiles'. It has been the temporary home of some of the most prestigious cars, such as Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz, Packard, Pierce Arrow, Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti. Changes are made to the museum's permanent exhibition every three months in order to provide variety to the displays.

One of the museum's main problems is lack of space. The 4,500 m^sup 2^ can accommodate about 100 vehicles, but the conditions are not ideal. With the exception of the entrance hall, which contains no more than ten items, most of the automobiles are crowded together in rows, with the result that visitors have to content themselves with limited views, chiefly of the vehicles' fronts. It is impossible to appreciate the flanks, except partially and from far off, while the rears are hidden by each other or by the building's walls. Allowing adequate room for every vehicle in this collection to be examined closely seems out of the question, as it would entail at the very least a doubling of the space. Only then could visitors walk around each car to view each side and, perhaps, gain a glance at the interior of the automobiles, an important aspect that is almost impossible at present.

The Museo del Automovil is, however, a venture that deserves praise. It combines the efforts of private Mexican collectors who provide their vehicles on loan so that they are accessible to the general public. Indeed, the museum is unique in Mexico. The collectors aim 'to show the developments of the automotive industry by means of individual units', allowing visitors to physically appreciate changes in wheels, tyres, lights, bodies, accessories. Another goal of the museum is, naturally, to 'keep and maintain antique automobiles'.

Owing to the size of the Museo del Automovil, it is possible to see all the exhibits in some twenty minutes, although a detailed inspection of the best-located pieces would take much longer. Unfortunately there is little encouragement to do so. The layout of the museum encourages people to walk around two paths in the main hall, then return to the entrance hall and look about for a while longer. Having done so, the visit finishes at the admission desk, where someone will offer to answer questions; normally only one person is on duty at a time, as a result of the small number of visitors. There are no leaflets, and no other sources of information available to the public. A tendency to favour spectacular and rare pieces is evident, and the museum's scheme of classification and display is of the sort that appeals largely to collectors and enthusiasts; it does not offer much in the line of education or material for academic study. The majority of the vehicles are labelled with essential details - model, brand and year - and in some cases special features are also mentioned. The occasional missing placards are not a major problem for most visitors, as only hard-core fans of antique automobiles care to learn about these details. The main reason for people to visit is to be impressed by the dazzling show of luxurious or rare vehicles. Indeed, this is what the museum expects, and it is to visitors' advantage to be 'good observers', as there is no interpretation that might trigger a learning experience. The exception is the entrance hall, which provides two massive graphic displays showing the development through the decades of car bodies and other technical features.

The museum's visitor services are very limited: a display cabinet with some items for sale, and wheelchairs for disabled access. There are discounts for teachers, students and senior citizens, although this is not advertised at the entrance and the person in charge requests the full admission price unless asked directly about reductions. These are certainly welcome, as the charge of 25 Mexican pesos is high and represents almost 2 per cent of the monthly minimum wage. Museums are generally expensive in Mexico, and most Mexicans who visit them are required to do so as part of school activities. Many visitors are merely seeking a moment's relaxation, and only a small number have a genuine desire to learn something about their past or culture.

Visitors to the Musco del Automovil come from different backgrounds and ages, from small children to the elderly, from students to housewives, workers and the occasional tourist. The staff recall stories of older visitors reduced to tears at the sight of cars from their past; on the other hand the young are astonished and amused at the means of transport used in olden days: there is plenty of scope for the 'My grandfather used to have one of these' type of reminiscence. This must make the sponsors happy, since their chief aim is to offer a place where people can 'spend a pleasant time admiring beautiful automobiles'. With few hints about the historical contexts in which the cars were produced or used it is difficult to get involved beyond a personal liking or dislike for the colours, shapes and sizes of the artefacts themselves, let alone learn and explore topics such as the meaning of automobiles in modem Western culture, or the future of the car industry. In this respect the Museo del Automovil has little to contribute to transport history and a change in its very traditional approach does not seem likely in the future.