20 December, 2025

Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026, competing at the pinnacle of motorsport. To mark the occasion, Audi Tradition is looking back at the origins of Grand Prix racing in a special exhibition titled “Legends of Grand Prix.” From December 16, 2025, until the start of the new Formula 1 season on March 8, 2026, the Audi museum mobile will display fascinating racing cars from more than 100 years of history, including the winning car from the very first Grand Prix race, Michael Schumacher’s first Formula 1 car, and the legendary Silver Arrows: the Auto Union Grand Prix racing cars Type A, Type C, and Type D.

In a world preview, the Ferrari Museum in Maranello is hosting the Black Cats & Chequered Flags exhibition from 24 December to 5 January. Presented in competition at La Biennale Cinema 2025, Black Cats & Chequered Flags is an immersive tribute to the life of Alberto Ascari, legendary Scuderia Ferrari champion. Created and produced by MIAT (Multiverse Institute For Arts & Technology), it’s an immersive experience of mixed and virtual – multiplayer – reality that allows viewers to relive the iconic moments of the 1950s, from pit stops to races, getting on the track with Alberto Ascari’s car. Visitors to the museum can be part of this experience for free, while places last, by booking directly at the museum ticket office.

As a tradition Autoworld always closes the year with the opening of a major exhibition. This year the Museum is focusing on Mercedes: more than 50 iconic and rare vehicles invite visitors on an impressive journey through 140 years of automotive history, design and innovation. From the pioneers and major milestones in the brand’s history, through sporting achievements and benchmarks in comfort and luxury, to the most spectacular supercars: the entire universe of Mercedes-Benz comes together in this exhibition.

A new exhibition to mark 130 years since the founding of Škoda Auto opened at the National Technical Museum in Prague on Tuesday, December 16. The show focuses on co-founder Václav Klement and his lasting impact on Czech industry and technical heritage. The exhibition, which will run until mid-March 2026, will take visitors back to the early 20th century and the beginnings of one of Central Europe’s most important car makers. Highlights include early Laurin & Klement cars, original design sketches, and items from Klement’s personal collection.

With some of the absolute best rolling onto the museum floor each day, the Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE) is excited to present 'THE ICONS – a true celebration of Australia’s finest builds from an era when mullets flowed, VB was the ale of choice, and a rough cut pair of King G’s was a way of life. Featuring multiple early Street Machine of the Year winners incuding cars 1, 2 and 3; the first ever MotorEx Winner, and Summernats Grand Champions across the years.

The eightth special exhibition has been opened at the Wiener Neustadt Classic Car Museum, which focuses on the history of Austro Daimler - the brand that significantly shaped the industrialization of the city.

During the presentation of Salone Auto Torino 2026, the return of the ASI-Bertone Collection to the Piedmont capital was officially announced as a preview. Thanks to an agreement between the Automotoclub Storico Italiano and Stellantis Heritage, in the first months of 2026, the collection of vehicles, including production models, prototypes, and one-off cars (acquired and placed under ASI safeguard in 2015), will be exhibited at the Heritage Hub, located at Via Plava 80. A long-awaited and much-desired return, further enhancing Turin’s automotive and cultural offering with testimonies spanning over six decades of stylistic evolution “made in Turin”, from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

Get ready to explore one of the most fascinating chapters in automotive history. Tampa Bay Automobile Museum's upcoming exhibition 'The Wankel Rotary Engine: Innovation That Never Went Mainstream' brings together rare rotary-powered machines including the NSU Spider, NSU Ro80, Mazda Cosmo Series II, Citroën GS Birotor, and motorcycles like the Hercules W2000 and Norton Commander. From Felix Wankel’s radical design to Mazda’s iconic RX models, this exhibit tells the full story of the rotary engine’s rise, challenges, and lasting legacy.

In 2026, US Route 66 turns 100. To honor the anniversary, LeMay – America's Car Museum has revamped its fan favorite Route 66 exhibition. This comes just weeks ahead of the 2026 Drive Home presented by America's Automotive Trust, the Detroit Auto Show, and U.S. Route 66 Centennial. This iconic cruise, starting January 3, will see cars from the Museum travel Route 66 from CA to IL, then on to the Motor City for the #DetroitAutoShow. The exhibition will be updated with artifacts from the drive in the weeks ahead.

The newest arrival at the National Motor Racing Museum is the legendary Grey Ghost - the winning car from the 1954 Redex Trial! Driven by the legendary ‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray and 1947 Australian Grand Prix winner Bill Murray (no relation), this car not only did two Redex Trials but also ran in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Reliability Trial. Showing the scars of a hard life of competition, the Grey Ghost is a great addition to the museum's display of endurance and marathon rally cars currently at Mount Panorama.

On December 13, the staff of the Hermeskeil Fire Service Museum was able to pick up this Unimog U404 in Darmstadt. The vehicle originally came from near Ulm and has now found its way to the museum. A special thank you goes to Max Düpre GmbH, who handled the pickup in a straightforward, reliable, and absolutely professional manner. The Unimog U404 is a significant vehicle in fire service history. Its off-road capabilities make it indispensable, especially for fighting forest and vegetation fires. It has also demonstrated the importance of high-roof, all-terrain vehicles for rescue operations in difficult terrain.

This beautiful 1954 Sunbeam Alpine Mk 1 Special is now on display at the British Motor Museum. The purchase of this car was made possible by a generous donation from Mr Michael Hennell, in memory of his brother, Jon Francis Hennell of Coventry and Paterson, NSW Australia.

Dream Car Park Museum in São Roque, which celebrates its second anniversary this December, is giving fans another treat: the exhibition of a car that is the only one of its kind in Brazil and one of only 20 remaining units in the world. It is a 1924 Gräf & Stift S3 Cabriolet Grand Imperial, manufactured in Austria. This model can be admired along with other rarities in the Dream Car Museum's collection, which comprises 165 vehicles, including cars, pickups, motorcycles, and bicycles.

Revs Institute has announced another new specialty tour: The French Connection “Vive la Vitesse!” Discover how French automakers once led the world in speed, innovation, and mechanical brilliance. From the groundbreaking engineering of Panhard & Levassor and Hispano-Suiza to the racing dominance of Bugatti and Delage – and the stylish performance of Delahaye – this one-hour tour reveals why France set the pace in the golden age of motoring. Tours offered from January 3 – February 26 on Saturdays at 12:30 PM. 

Our Italian friend, Alessandro Sannia is not just an acclaimed historian, author and publisher but he's also producing scale models in small series via his company, Officina 942. Among others he offers various pre-war Fiat models in 1:43 scale, such as the 1908 Fiat Cyclone racing car, the 1903 Paris-Madrid racer and the 1926 509 Sport Weymann. He's busy preparing for next year - bodies and fenders have been completed.