Take a stroll without ever leaving your home.
With most of the country and many parts of the world relegated to their homes due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19), at least for the foreseeable future, many attractions have closed their doors to visitors. Theme parks, shopping malls, and even car museums have all shuttered temporarily in an attempt to combat the global pandemic.
The good news is, you don't need to leave your couch to visit some of the world's most amazing car museums. From local options like the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky to global exhibits you might not visit otherwise, like the Skoda Museum in the Czech Republic, many are available for virtual viewing via Google Maps. These 15 are worthy of taking a virtual stroll through.
BMW Zentrum
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Sure, you could travel all the way to Munich, Germany, to check out BMW’s impressive collection of cars at the brand’s headquarters. But here in the U.S., located at BMW’s manufacturing facility in South Carolina, the company has a handful of classics that you won’t be able to see anywhere else Stateside.
Honda Collection Hall
Location: Motegi, Japan
The Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, Japan, is home to all things Honda – not just cars. Bicycles, scale models, power products, robots (yes, Asimo included) all call the facility home. The Google Maps virtual tour explores every corner of the Honda Collection Hall, taking you through the history of the brand one exhibit at a time.
Mazda Museum
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Adjacent to Mazda’s global headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan, visitors can virtually peruse the brand’s extensive museum collection. Home classic cars, modern racers, and even an extensive exhibit dedicated to the brand’s engines, the Mazda Museum is definitely one worth checking out.
Mercedes-Benz Museum
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart has one of the most impressive car collections found anywhere. And while Google Maps doesn't let you take a virtual visit of the entire space, there are multiple landing points with 360-degree views that allow you to check out some of the wildest production, race, and concept cars the company has ever created.
McLaren Technology Centre
Location: Woking, United Kingdom
Here's a suggestion: take a stroll along the paved pathway that surrounds the McLaren Technology Centre before making your way inside the stunning Woking, U.K.-based facility. Home to an impressive collection of classic race cars and million-dollar road cars (a P1 greets you at the door), a virtual, 360-degree tour of McLaren HQ's museum-esque lobby is an absolute must for fans.
Museo Ferrari
Location: Maranello, Italy
The Ferrari Museum at the company's headquarters in Maranello, Italy, doesn't offer as extensive of an experience as some of the others on this list. That said, virtual viewers can still check out some of the most iconic racing and road cars the company has ever produced, from Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 car to the ridiculous LaFerarri FXX-K.
Museo Horacio Pagani
Location: San Cesario sul Panaro, Italy
The Pagani museum is one of the smaller venues on this list, but it's the only place in the world where you can get a 360-degree view of this many million-dollar Pagani vehicles at once. Early versions of the Zonda, prototypes of the Huayra, and even pedal-car replicas all call the beautiful structure home.
Museo Lamborghini
Location: Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
Longing to look at classic Lamborghini vehicles like the Miura or one-offs like the Estoque? Museo Lamborghini in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, near the company's headquarters has the most impressive collection of Lamborghini products anywhere. And you can explore the entirety of it on Google Maps.
National Corvette Museum
Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is your go-to for all things Corvette. The museum opened its doors in the early 1990s but suffered a serious sinkhole accident in 2014 (you might have heard of it). Just a few months after the incident, though, it welcomed visitors again, even putting a number of the so-called "sinkhole cars" back on display. All of them you can see in the virtual tour.
Panoz Museum
Location: Hoschton, Georgia, USA
Ok, so Google Maps doesn't offer a full tour of the tiny Panoz Museum in Hoschton, Georgia, but you can at least catch a glimpse of some of the cars the small manufacturer has on display. We spot an Avezzano, an Esperante GTR-1, and multiple race cars in the room.
Petersen Automotive Museum
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
The Petersen Museum has been a staple of L.A. car culture since its opening in 1994. These days, the massive facility houses more than 300 vehicles – classics and modern cars alike – as well as hundreds of accessories like engines, books, photographs, and even movie films.
Porsche Museum
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
The Porsche Museum, located near company headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, has one of the most impressive collections of cars we've seen anywhere. Production cars on display date back to the early 1910s, while visitors can also check out many modern classics and dozens of concept cars. The Porsche Museum has no shortage of stunning sights
Skoda Museum
Location: Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic
Located in Mladá Boleslav of the Czech Republic, the Skoda Museum lets patrons explore the brand's unbroken 100-year automotive history. Remodeled and reopened in 2012, the facility houses historic vehicles, bicycles, memorabilia, and even offers visitors a tour of the birthplace of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche.
Toyota Automobile Museum
Location: Nagakute, Japan
The Toyota Automobile Museum in Nagakute houses the most impressive collection of Toyota products – past and present – anywhere in the world. Divided into a number of dedicated zones, Google Maps allows you to virtually explore the entire history of the Toyota brand, starting with the 1936 Model AA and ending at modern alternative-fuel options like the Mirai, with everything in-between.
Volvo Museum
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
You could brave the freezing cold of Gothenburg, Sweden, to check out the Volvo Museum, or you could simply log on to Google Maps from the comfort of your own home. The Volvo Museum doesn’t offer a full virtual tour via Google Maps, but there are a number of exhibits that provide a full 360-angle for you to explore.
